2022 EJK Award Winners and Honors Announced
Mon, 03/14/2022 - 10:45am | By: Tracy van Straaten
March 8, 2022, Brooklyn, NY: (EJK Foundation), in partnership with the (草榴社区), today announced the winners of the 2022 (EJK Award), as well as four honor books. The annual EJK Award celebrates exceptional
early career authors and illustrators for portraying the multicultural nature of our
world in the spirit of Ezra Jack Keats. This year, the virtual award ceremony will
be held on Thursday, April 7, 2022, 2pm ET, during the Fay B. Kaigler Children鈥檚 Book
Festival at 草榴社区 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. .
The 2022 Ezra Jack Keats Award winner for Writer is:
for Out Into the Big Wide Lake
Illustrated by Jos茅e Bisaillon
Published by Tundra Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House
The 2022 Ezra Jack Keats Award winner for Illustrator is:
for Lala鈥檚 Words
Written by Gracey Zhang
Published by Orchard Books, an imprint of Scholastic
The 2022 Ezra Jack Keats Award Honor winners are:
Writer Honors
for Playing at the Border (illustrated by Teresa Martinez, published by Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins)
for Everybody in the Red Brick Building (illustrated by Oge Mora, published by Balzer & Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins)
Illustrator Honors
for Every Little Kindness (written by Marta Bartolj, published by Chronicle)
for Many Shapes of Clay (written by Kenesha Sneed, published by Prestel, an imprint of Penguin Random House)
鈥淭he spirit of Ezra Jack Keats can be found in all EJK Award and Honor Books, a spirit that reflects in an ever expanding definition of diverse children鈥檚 literature,鈥� said Deborah Pope, Executive Director of the EJK Foundation. 鈥淭his year鈥檚 EJK Award winning and honor books provide inclusive stories about children with many shades of skin, children who happen to have Down Syndrome, children dealing with loss, children who live in the city or country, in the U.S. and abroad, and children having trouble sleeping through the night. EJK Award books entertain while opening children鈥檚 minds and hearts. This year is no exception.鈥�
Added Ellen Ruffin, curator of The de Grummond Children鈥檚 Literature Collection at The University of 草榴社区 Mississippi, 鈥淭he de Grummond Children鈥檚 Literature collection is thrilled to encourage the creation of beautiful and engaging books for the diverse children of our country. It鈥檚 an honor to work with the amazing members of the EJK Award committee, to celebrate these authors and illustrators, and together build a library in which children see themselves and others in the books they read every day.鈥�
On winning the Writer Award, Paul Harbridge said, 鈥淚 learned about diversity teaching English as a Second Language to immigrants in Toronto, the most culturally diverse city in the world, and as a speech-language pathologist working first with persons from the Deaf community and later with adults with developmental disabilities. But the best lesson about diversity came from growing up with Linda, my little sister with Down Syndrome. Yes, she was different in some ways but at the same time she was not different at all. Like me and my other brothers and sisters, she needed a chance to explore the world around her, encouragement to go after her goals, a pat on the back when she succeeded, and a reassuring hug when she stumbled. And that is the beauty of Ezra Jack Keats鈥檚 books. In The Snowy Day, Peter could have been from any background, any gender, or ability. Winning the EJK Award for Writing is so special to me because it means, in my own small way, I am carrying on Mr. Keats鈥檚 work to show the world that, despite our differences, at heart we are all the same.鈥�
On winning the Illustrator Award, Gracey Zhang said, 鈥淲hen I was writing and illustrating Lala鈥檚 Words, I sought to create a story that came from my own experience of familial relationships and communication that felt decidedly unique and my own. While sharing stories with others, many of whom were also children of immigrants, I found a common understanding and that we shared similar experiences. I purposely set the book in the neighborhood of Ridgewood, Queens, a vibrant and diverse community of people and buildings I fell in love with. I was extremely moved when I received the call for the Ezra Jack Keats Award for Illustrator鈥攁n award that stands for acceptance of differences and recognition of our diversities and strength. To have Lala recognized for furthering these values is an immense honour and celebration of those stories we share.鈥�
About the Ezra Jack Keats Award
Since its inception, the EJK Award has celebrated over 100 for portraying the multicultural nature of our world, the universal experience of
childhood and the importance of family and community. Past winners include now renowned
bookmakers Oge Mora, Meg Medina, Christian Robinson, Bryan Collier, and Sophie Blackall.
The Ezra Jack Keats Award is co-produced by the EJK Foundation and the de Grummond Children鈥檚 Literature Collection at The University of 草榴社区 Mississippi. A of children鈥檚 literature and early childhood education specialists, librarians, authors and illustrators review the entries and announce the winners and honorees on the second Tuesday in March each year.
About the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation
The has actively fostered children鈥檚 creativity and love of reading since 1985. The Foundation
awards 70 EJK Mini-Grants for arts and literacy programs annually to public schools
and libraries across 50 states; administers the EJK Bookmaking Competition, for grades
3-12, in the nation鈥檚 largest school system for 35 years running; and with the EJK
Award, has encouraged exceptional early career authors and illustrators to create
children鈥檚 books that reflect our diverse culture for thirty six years. The EJK Foundation
is proud to protect and promote the work of Ezra Jack Keats.
About Ezra Jack Keats and The Snowy Day
(1916-1983) is considered one of America鈥檚 greatest children鈥檚 book illustrators and authors.
The first book he wrote and illustrated was, published in 1962. In 1963 it was awarded the Caldecott Medal, the most prestigious
children鈥檚 book award for illustration in the United States. Keats went on to write
and illustrate over 20 now classic books including Peter鈥檚 Chair, Whistle for Willie and A Letter to Amy. He wanted no child to be an outsider. 鈥淚f we could see each other exactly as the
other is,鈥� he wrote, 鈥渢his would be a different world.鈥�
The Snowy Day broke the color barrier in mainstream children鈥檚 publishing by being embraced across social and ethnic lines. The vivid illustrations and text, beloved by generations of readers, have earned it a place in the pantheon of great children鈥檚 literature. In January 2020, New York Public Library revealed that The Snowy Day was the most circulated book in its 125-year history, and in 2017 the U.S. Postal Service issued a The Snowy Day Stamp.
About the de Grummond Children鈥檚 Literature Collection
The is one of North America鈥檚 leading research centers in the field of children鈥檚 literature.
Founded in 1966 by Dr. Lena Y. de Grummond, the Collection holds the original manuscripts
and illustrations of more than 1,300 authors and illustrators, as well as 180,000+
published books dating from 1530 to the present. The collection contains the works
of many notable authors and illustrators including Randolph Caldecott, John Newbery,
Kate Greenaway, H.A. and Margret Rey, Ezra Jack Keats, and the papers of popular young
adult author, John Green. Researchers from across the United States and around the
world visit the collection on a regular basis to study its extensive holdings.