D. B. Johnson and Bryan Collier Honored as Best New Writer and Illustrator in Award Ceremony April 26

New York City, April 20, 2001 -- The New York Public Library and the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation are pleased to announce that first-time children’s book author  D. B. Johnson has won the 2001 Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award. The Award, which recognizes and celebrates promising new children’s book authors, goes to Mr. Johnson for the picture book he wrote and illustrated, Henry Hikes to Fitchburg (Houghton Mifflin Co.).

This year the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation is also pleased to announce the creation of a second award -- the 2001 Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award. Given for distinguished artwork that creatively and skillfully embodies the essence of a story or text and for making a graphic contribution to children’s literature, this award will be presented to Bryan Collier for his captivating collage illustrations in the book he wrote and illustrated, Uptown (Henry Holt & Co.).

The awards will be presented on Thursday, April 26, at 5:00 p.m., at a ceremony to be held at the Hudson Park Branch’s Early Childhood Resource and Information Center (ECRIC), 66 Leroy Street in Manhattan. Mr. Johnson and Mr. Collier will each receive an Ezra Jack Keats silver medallion and a $1,000 cash prize, made possible through the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation. The winning books’ publishers will also receive handsome gold seals identifying them as 2001 Ezra Jack Keats Award Winners. The Award is named in honor of children’s book author/illustrator Ezra Jack Keats (The Snowy Day), winner of the Caldecott Medal. The ceremony is open to the public.

Inspired by a passage from Henry David Thoreau’s Walden, Henry Hikes to Fitchburg follows two bear friends who have very different approaches to life. When the two agree to meet one evening in Fitchburg, which is thirty miles away, Henry decides to walk while his friend plans to work all day to earn the fare for the train. Playful pictures, illustrated by D. B. Johnson, follow the progress of each, whether through a bustling small town or a countryside alive with curiosities for an inquisitive bear.

Uptown is...Harlem, New York. Chicken and waffles. A row of brownstones. Jazz. Home.  Bryan Collier makes all the colors, sounds, and smells of a neighborhood come alive in this very personal tour of Harlem with a boy who lives there.

The Ezra Jack Keats Awards
The Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award is given annually to an outstanding new writer of picture books for children and is presented jointly by The New York Public Library and the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation. A selection committee consisting of early childhood education specialists, librarians, and experts in children’s literature, review entries, seeking books that portray the universal qualities of childhood, a strong and supportive family, and the multicultural nature of our world. To be eligible, writers must have published no more than five books, and candidates need not have also done the illustrations. As of 1999, the Award is now being given annually rather than the previous biannual cycle.

The Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award is given for excellent command of the chosen medium, enhancing and extending the story; encouraging and enhancing the playfulness and curiosity of children, displaying freshness and originality, and conveying emotional honesty and integrity.  Illustrators must have their books published the year preceding the presentation of the award. For additional information on how to apply for next year’s awards, publishers may contact The New York Public Library’s Early Childhood Resource and Information Center, at 212-929-0815.

Previous Winners
Previous winners of the Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award are:
2000 -- Soyung Pak for Dear Juno, illustrated by Susan Kathleen Hartung, (Viking Children’s Books)
1999 -- Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen for Elizabeti’s Doll, illustrated by Christy Hale (Lee and Low Books)
1997 -- Juan Felipe Herrera for Calling the Doves, illustrated by Elly Simmons (Children’s Book Press)
1995 -- Cari Best for Taxi! Taxi!, illustrated by Dale Gottlieb (Little, Brown & Co.)
1993 -- Faith Ringgold for Tar Beach (Crown Publishers)
1991 -- Angela Johnson for Tell Me a Story Mama, illustrated by David Soman (Orchard)
1989 -- Yoriko Tsutsui for Anna’s Special Present, illustrated by Akiko Hayashi (Viking Kestrel)
1987 -- Juanita Havill for Jamaica’s Find, illustrated by Anne Sibley O’Brien (Houghton Mifflin)
1986 -- Valerie Flournoy for The Patchwork Quilt, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney (Dial Books)

The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation
The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation was established by the artist before his death in 1983. It is dedicated to encouraging creativity, literacy, and joy in learning for children and to fostering recognition for outstanding new children’s book authors.

The Early Childhood Resource and Information Center
Since its inception in 1978, The New York Public Library’s Early Childhood Resource and Information Center (ECRIC) has been providing free services to anyone -- from parents and caregivers to early childhood education specialists -- who lives or works with children from birth to age six. ECRIC’s Resource Collection houses reference and circulating materials on child development, with a special focus on language development and pre-literacy skills. A family room is arranged to encourage interaction between child and caregiver. ECRIC offers a variety of programs and workshops, given by specialists and experts in the field, focusing primarily on early childhood education. The Center is located on the second floor of the Hudson Park Library at 66 Leroy Street.
 

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Contact: Debbie Bujosa at (212) 704-8600.

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