The 2011 winner of the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award is:
The Ink Garden
of Brother Theophane by C.M. Millen, illustrated by Andrea WisnewskiThere was just one honor book named and it is:
Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman, Illustrated by Rick AllenThis annual award goes to the best book of children's poetry published in the United States in the preceding year. It is co-sponsored with Lee Bennett Hopkins himself along with the University Libraries, the Pennsylvania Center for the Book, and additional sponsor, Pennsylvania School Librarians Association.
I'm sad to say that The Ink Garden of Brother Theophane flew under my radar last year and I have not read it yet-- but will soon. A bit of research turned up heaps of review commentary on the publisher's web site (Charlesbridge), plus a fascinating author's note. Here's a quick summary from the site:
In a monastery in the mountains of Mourne during the Middle Ages, one young monk struggled to focus on his task: copying the Bible and other scholarly books with plain brown ink made from wood bark in plain brown books in his plain brown robe at his plain brown desk. Brother Theophane was soon transferred from the scribe’s room and assigned to make the ink that the brothers used. With his natural curiosity, Theophane discovered that inks could be made from other plants besides the wood bark. Berries and leaves produced other beautiful colors. And soon, the books the monks made were illuminated with colors and drawings. C.M. Millen’s charming story of a young monk who defied the discipline of the monastery and found his own way to express the beauty of the world will inspire young readers to explore their own world and find their own voices. Andrea Wisnewski’s illustrations, inspired by the illuminated letters that the medieval monks created in books like the Book of Kells, bring to life the colors and beauty that surrounded Brother Theophane amidst the plain world of the monastery.
Congratula
tions, C. M. Millen!And congratulations, Joyce Sidman, for another well-deserved recognition for The Dark Emperor, too.
Well done, committee!
(Go, Beth.)
P.S. Stay tuned... my students this spring are working on creating readers' guides and digital trailers for many of the LBH award and honor books recognized since the award's inception. I'll post more about our homemade LBH Award Teaching Toolbox soon...
Image credit: http://www.charlesbridge.com/contributorinfo.cfm?ContribID=463
Posting (not poem) by Sylvia M. Vardell © 2009. All rights reserved.
I hadn't heard of The Ink Garden either...but am on my way to see if we own it. (and if not, I will see that we fix that!)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. Glad to see Ms. Sidman getting the kudos she deserves...but where is Ubiquitous?
It looks like a beautiful book all around.
ReplyDeleteI am so excited to have found your celebration of words and language. Poetry isn't separate, just refined. I used to tell my fourth graders that poetry was to language as condensed orange juice was to the breakfast drink!
ReplyDeleteThough my usual focus is on chapter books, on March 15th and 16th, I will post a picture book called Circles in the Wind (the life cycle of a dandelion plant). Its style has been called "poetic prose".
You will find my writing and art at www.jumpup2chapterbooks.blogspot.com .
Thanks, Dr. V! What a joy it was to come home to a new poetry title nearly every day for six months! I will treasure the experience of working with this award committee for the rest of my life. Looking forward to your review.
ReplyDelete-Beth
I cannot wait to get my hands on this one either. The title alone is a poem! Congratulations to C.M. and to Joyce too. A.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the scoop! I missed The Ink Garden, too, and will look for it now.
ReplyDelete