10 Books Illustrated by PW Artists On Bank Street College’s Best Children’s Books of the Year List
June 4, 2018
Congratulations to the following Painted Words artists/authors whose books were included in Bank Street College’s Best Children’s Books of the Year 2018 List:
Frank Morrison – One Last Word, Clayton Byrd Goes Underground
Ashley Spires – The Thing Lou Couldn’t Do, Mae and June and the Wonder Wheel
Vanessa Brantley-Newton – The Youngest Marcher
Fabricio VandenBroeck – Thirsty, Thirsty Elephants
Gabrielle Grimard – Stolen Words
Elise Gravel – Olga and the Smelly Thing from Nowhere
Mircea Catusanu – Noah Webster’s Fighting Words
Elizabeth Zunon – One Last Word, The Legendary Miss Lena Horne
One Last Word: Wisdom From the Harlem Renaissance by Nikki Grimes with illustrations from 15 artists including Frank Morrison and Elizabeth Zunon was the recipient of the Claudia Lewis Award for the best poetry book of the year for young readers, while The Youngest Marcher illustrated by Vanessa B. Newton, Clayton Byrd Goes Underground illustrated by Frank Morrison, and The Legendary Miss Lena Horne illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon, were each recognized for Outstanding Merit. You can view the full list of books here.
Three Books From Our Artists/Authors Featured on the Children’s Choices 2018 Reading List
May 11, 2018
Congratulations to Gerald Kelley, Josée Masse, and Frank Morrison, who each illustrated a book that appears on the Children’s Choices 2018 Reading List. This list is compiled based off of votes by 12,500 school children from all around the country, with the books being chosen from more than 800 titles. The list is designed for use by “anyone who wish to encourage young people to read for pleasure,” and is cosponsored by the International Literary Association and the Children’s Book Council. Kelley’s Please Please the Bees, Masse’s Thunder Underground and Morrison’s Clayton Byrd Goes Underground all appear on the list, with Thunder Underground being a finalist for the Children’s Choice Book Awards.
Find the complete Children’s Choices 2018 Reading List here.
Clayton Byrd Goes Underground illus. by Frank Morrison wins NAACP Image Award!
January 16, 2017
Congratulations to Frank Morrison, who illustrated the 2018 NAACP Image Award winning book Clayton Byrd Goes Underground! The award was given for “Outstanding Literary Work” in the Youth/Teens category.
You can find a complete list of NAACP Image Award winners here.
Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best Books 2017 Includes Seven Books from Our Artists
November 29, 2017
The end of the year is approaching at last. That means it’s time for best books of the year lists! The latest one is from the Chicago Public Library, and their list of recommendations includes seven books from our Painted Words authors and illustrators!
Best Picture Books 2017:
- Lucía the Luchadora, written by Cynthia Leonor Garza and illustrated by Alyssa Bermudez
Best Fiction for Younger Readers 2017:
Best Informational Books for Younger Readers 2017:
- The Legendary Miss Lena Horne, written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Eizabeth Zunon
- Lost and Found Cat: The True Story of Kunkush’s Incredible Journey, written by Doug Kuntz and Amy Shrodes and illustrated by Sue Cornelison
- The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist, written by Cynthia Levinson and illustrated by Vanessa Brantley Newton
Best Fiction for Older Readers 2017:
- Clayton Byrd Goes Underground, written by Rita Williams-Garcia and illustrated by Frank Morrison
Best Informational Books for Older Readers 2017:
- One Last Word: Wisdom from the Harlem Renaissance, written by Nikki Grimes and with illustrations contributed by Shadra Strickland, Frank Morrison, and Liz Zunon
Congratulations to all our talented authors and artists! The CPL’s full list of recommended books from 2017 is available here.
Vanessa Brantley Newton and Frank Morrison Nominated for NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Literary Works
November 21, 2017
The 49th NAACP Image Awards are coming soon. The NAACP Image Award is an awards ceremony to honor the work of artists of color in genres spanning cinema, music, and literature, held each year on MLK’s birthday. This year, two books illustrated by Painted Words’s artists have been nominated!
In the “Outstanding Literary Work – Children” category is The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, A Young Civil Rights Activist, written by Cynthia Levinson and illustrated by Vanessa Brantley Newton. In the “Outstanding Literary Work – Youth/Teens” is Clayton Byrd Goes Underground written by Rita Williams-Garcia and illustrated by Frank Morrison. Congratulations!
The full list of nominees for the NAACP Image Award is available here. The Youngest Marcher can be purchased here and Clayton Byrd Goes Underground is available for purchase here.
Clayton Byrd Goes Underground, by Rita Williams-Garcia and Illus. by Frank Morrison, Nominated for National Book Award
October 6, 2017
Every year since 1950, a select group of books wins the National Book Award. This prestigious award is given to the best books of the year in fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and children’s literature categories. This year’s nominees for the awards have been announced, with five potential winners in each category.
In the children’s literature category, Clayton Byrd Goes Underground was one of the nominees. Clayton Byrd was written by Rita Williams-Garcia and the cover was illustrated by Frank Morrison. This bittersweet book for young readers tells the story of a boy’s attempts to cope with the loss of his grandfather through music. Congratulations to Rita and Frank for their nomination!
The full list of nominees for the National Book Award can be found here. Clayton Byrd Goes Underground is available for purchase here.
Kirkus Starred Review for A Night Out with Mama by Quvenzhané Wallis and Illus. by Vanessa B Newton
Praise for Guy Stuff, Illus. by Micah Player
Gene Barretta, Gerald Kelley, Elise Gravel, Vanessa B Newton, and Josée Masse Nominated for CYBIL 2016 Award
