
Please be advised We Need Diverse Books will cancel the Diversity in Children’s Literature Symposium and the Walter Dean Myers Award Ceremony on Friday, March 13, 2020, out of an abundance of caution.
The health of the authors, educators, librarians, and students scheduled to attend the event is of greatest concern to We Need Diverse Books. In the next several weeks, we will be assessing our options for holding these events at another time and will keep everyone informed.
We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. If you have any questions about this cancellation, you may email carolinerichmond@wndb.local.
Please join us in celebrating the 2020 winners and honorees as well as Walter Dean Myers Award for Leadership and Advocacy in Children’s Literature Recipient Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
We Need Diverse Books announces the 2020 Walter Dean Myers Awards and Honor Books for Outstanding Children’s Literature Teen and Younger Readers Categories
January 21, 2020
Washington, DC — The We Need Diverse Books Walter Awards Judging Committee has selected the Winners and Honorees for the fifth annual Walter Dean Myers Awards for Outstanding Children’s Literature.
The Awards comprise two categories: Teen (ages 13-18) and Younger Readers (ages 9-13). One Winner and two Honor Books in each category have been named.
2020 Walter Award, Teen Category
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki
and illustrated by Rosemary Valero-O’Connell
2020 Walter Honors, Teen Category
Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
2020 Walter Award, Younger Readers Category
The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman
2020 Walter Honors, Younger Readers Category
A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramée
Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga
The Walter Awards Ceremony and Symposium will be held Friday, March 13, 2020, in the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress. The events begin at 9:30 AM.
Award-winning author Grace Lin will serve as Ceremony’s Emcee. Honored guest Christopher Myers, son of the late Walter Dean Myers, will speak at the Ceremony. The Walter Awards will also celebrate special guest Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop.
The Ceremony will be preceded by a Symposium on diversity in children’s literature, co-hosted by the Library of Congress. The Symposium, titled “There is work to be done! Recognize. Validate. Acknowledge. The Walter Dean Myers Awards Turn Five,” will be moderated by WNDB Chief Operating Officer and novelist Dhonielle Clayton.
The Walter Dean Myers Award, also known as “The Walter,” is named for prolific children’s and young adult author Walter Dean Myers (1937-2014). Myers was the third National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, appointed in 2012 by the Library of Congress. He was a champion of diversity in children’s books. The Walter Awards commemorate Myers’ memory and his literary legacy, as well as celebrate diversity in children’s literature.
The 2020 Walter Awards Judging Committee: Derek Ivie (Committee Chair, Youth Services Coordinator, Suffolk Cooperative Library System), L. Lee Butler (Upper School Librarian, The Key School), Shelley Diaz (Youth Selector/Supervising Librarian, Book Ops), Sandra Farag (Manager, Collection Development–Youth, Ingram Library Services), Nikki Santiago (UC Berkeley Master’s candidate and former Teen Librarian, Berkeley Public Library), Morika Tsujimura (Science and Math Teacher, Grace Church School), and Ny’ilah Whitaker (Assistant Manager/Young Adult Services, Enoch Pratt Free Library).
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Press Contact: Alaina Lavoie, Communications Manager, alainalavoie@wndb.local