Gryphon Book Award. Winners. Shortlists.

The Gryphon Award (USA) of $1,000 is given annually in recognition of an English language work of fiction or non-fiction for which the primary audience is children in Kindergarten through Grade 4. The title chosen best exemplifies those qualities that successfully bridge the gap in difficulty between books for reading aloud to children and books for practiced readers.

The award is sponsored by the Center for Children's Books (CCB) at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. The Center also publishes The Bulletin which is devoted entirely to the review of current books for children. The staff of The Bulletin also publish the Blue Ribbon list.

2008 Gryphon Award Book:

Billy Tartle in Say Cheese! by Michael Townsend (Knopf,2007)

2008 Honor Books:

Nic Bishop Spiders by Nic Bishop (Scholastic, 2007)

Rufus the Scrub Does Not Wear a Tutu by Jaime McEwan, illustrated by John Margeson (Darby Creek, 2007)

Debut Book Wins 2008 Gyrphon

Mr. Michael Towsend, the author of this years Gryphon winner, Billy Tartle in Say Cheese! is practicallly invisible on the internet, at the moment that is. No doubt we will be hearing a lot more about him after his wonderful achievement in winning this prestigious award with his first effort. Sorry that we can't bring you more information about him- but he is now on our radar screen!

About the winning book:

Billy Tartle is the kind of kid who means well. He has big aspirations and wild ideas. He also has to deal with adults who do not have the same zany sentiments.

Michael Townsend takes Billy Tartle on brightly colored, slightly offbeat adventures. This time around, it’s time for school pictures, and Billy needs a haircut. Billy’s mom wants him to get a nice haircut so he looks nice for the picture. Billy does not want to look nice. He wants a mohawk. A neon-colored mohawk. Pink. Green. Maybe blue.

The trip to the barbershop will lead to the best school picture day ever, one way or another.

Townsend stuffs the world of Billy Tartle into oversized boxes like a comic strip with brilliant colors and bold lines. The text is short and full of action. Slurps look and sound like long, sweet lollipop slurps.

Townsend’s book is silly in the best possible way, a fun read that provides a glimpse of the bright world children create out of the mundane elements of life.

The 2008 Honor Winners

Spiders by Nic Bishop

When I was three years old, we lived in Bangladesh, and when I was about nine or 10, we lived in the Sudan, in Africa. Then between the ages of 14 and 18, we were in the highlands of Papua New Guinea, and I did a lot of hiking into remote places to look for birds of paradise. That’s where my interest in biology really took off. Nic Bishop

That Nic Bishop right), ended up as a nature photographer after an upbringing in so many exotic places is little wonder - and thank goodness he did. He has taken the photographs for more than twenty children's books as well as the text for quite a number. Mr. Bishop uses stop-motion photography for his books. As a photographer and writer, Bishop likes to use details to tell the story. Someone wrote that he doesn't "try to make science interesting; Bishop knows it's already interesting, and just lets readers at it.

Spiders is the latest of his wonderfully educational works, presented in the way that children adore.

For the first to third grade set, spiders are fascinating and suitably gruesome, especially when looked at in EXTREME close-up. Amazing images show the beauty and otherworldliness of spiders. Simple, engaging text conveys basic information about spiders as well as cool and quirky facts. One stop-action montage shows a spider leaping twenty times its body length! Excellent.

Other Books by Nic Bishop

Nic Bishop Frogs

The Secrets of Animal Flight; written and illus. with photographs by Nic Bishop. Houghton, 1997.
; Joy Cowley; illus. with photographs by Nic Bishop. Scholastic, 1999.
Red-eyed Tree Frog Montgomery, Sy.

The Snake Scientist (Scientists in the Field Series); illus. with photographs by Nic Bishop. Houghton, 1999.

All Nic Bishop's Books

Honor Winner- Rufus the Scrub Does Not Wear a Tutu by Jaime McEwan, illustrated by John Margeso

This is the third book in the Jamie McEwan's Scrubs series,Center for Children's Books. The first two were Willy the Scrub and Whitewater Scrubs.

"Although the topics are serious, they are handled with a light touch....Ballet terms, football action, and funny situations combine to make this an enjoyable transitional book for children ready to take the next step up from beginning readers." School Library Journal

The fourth and final book in the same series, Scrubs Forever, will be released very shortly. It's the quotable Dan, this time, in the central role, and the featured sport is rock climbing.

2007 Gryphon Award Book

The remarkably accomplised Milan born Architect, writer and contributor to the New Yorker Matteo Pericoli, has won the 2007 award for his The True Story of Stellina (Knopf, 2006). The book tells the tale of a New York City finch, that falls out of her nest, and is heard cheeping by Holly, Pericoli's wife. Holly hopes the bird's mother will find her, but when that doesn't happen, she takes the bird home. A lovely tale of connection between a loving care as she helps Stellina to become the best bird that a bird can be! Intended for pre-schooler to grade 3-4, the littlies love it.

2007 Honor Books: (Apologies some of the pop-out info bars from Amazon get lost under the slide-show- got to work on those design skills Kev)

Sea Horse: The Shyest Fish in the Sea by Chris Butterworth, illustrated by John Lawrence (Candlewick, 2006)

PreSchool-Grade 3–In addition to learning about sea horses, children will be enticed by the fabulous ocean depths captured in Lawrence's prints. The artist used wood textures to create watery backgrounds for the vinyl engravings of sea plants and animals. Watercolor washes in muted tones of green, blue, and red complete the look

Ruby Lu, Empress of Everything by Lenore Look, illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf (Scholastic, 2006)

As if that weren't enough, this summer proves to be even more perilous as Ruby faces the dangers of swimming lessons, the joys of summer school, the difficulty of staying with a twelve-step program, the miracle needed to keep a beautiful stray dog that wanders into her life, and much more. Is it all too much for anyone -- even the Empress of Everything -- to handle?

When Ruby's cousin Flying Duck emigrates from China to live with her, Ruby decides the best thing about Flying Duck is that she is a great new friend. BUT the worst thing about Flying Duck is that now, no one speaks English at home. Plus, there's strange food on the table every night and only chopsticks to eat it with. And Flying Duck is deaf, and Ruby doesn't know any Chinese Sign Language.

Good Boy, Fergus! by David Shannon (Blue Sky Press) K-Grade 2

Follow Fergus as he experiences the perfect doggy day--well, except for his bath, of course! From chasing cats and motorcycles to being scratched on his favorite "tickle spot," David Shannon's newest sweet and silly character will inspire young readers to laugh out loud at his mischievous antics. Fans of Shannon's previous books will love reading all about this naughty but lovable dog!

Winners & Honor Books 2004- 2007

2006 Gryphon Award Book:

Stinky Stern Forever: A Jackson Friends Book (Jackson Friends) by Michelle Edwards (Harcourt, 2005)

2006 Honor Books:

Babymouse #1: Queen of the World! (Babymouse) by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm (Random House, 2005)

Chameleon Chameleon (Bccb Blue Ribbon Nonfiction Book Award (Awards)) by Joy Cowley, photographs by Nic Bishop (Scholastic, 2005)

Jigsaw Pony by Jessie Haas, illustrated by Ying-Hwa Hu(Greenwillow, 2005)

2005 Gryphon Award Book:

Little Rat Rides (Little Rat) by Monika Bang-Campbell (Harcourt, 2004)

2005 Honor Books:

Down Girl and Sit: Smarter than Squirrels (Down Girl and Sit) by Lucy Nolan, illustrated by Mike Reed(Marshall Cavendish, 2004)

You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Fairy Tales to Read Together by Mary Ann Hoberman, illustrated by Michael Emberley (Little Brown, 2004)

2004 Gryphon Award Book:

bow wow meow meow: it's rhyming cats and dogs by Douglas Florian (Harcourt, 2003)

2004 Honor Books:

Snowed in with Grandmother Silk (Bccb Blue Ribbon Fiction Books (Awards)) by Carol Fenner (Dial, 2003)

Franny K. Stein, Mad Scientist: Lunch Walks Among Us by Jim Benton (Simon "& Schuster, 2003)