Rafe Martin wins the 2007 EMPIRE STATE AWARD!

BookArtist Rafe Martin is this year's recipient of the Empire State Award!

First presented in 1990 by the Youth Services Section of the New York Library Association, the Empire State Award is a one-time award presented to a living author or illustrator currently residing in New York State.The award honors a body of work which represents excellence in Children's or Young Adult literature and has made a significant contribution to literature for young people. An engraved medallion is presented to the winning author or illustrator at the Annual Conference of the New York Library Association.The award and medallion will be presented at the NYS State Library Conference, Nov. 7, 2008, in Saratoga Springs at the Youth Services Luncheon, where Rafe will also be giving a talk.

Rafe joins such illustrious past recipients as:

2006-Donald Crews

2005 - M.E. Kerr

2004 - Alice Provensen

2003 - Seymour Simon

2002 - Jerry Pinkney

2001 - Jean Fritz

2000 - Peter Spier

1999 - Vera B. Williams

1998 - Jean Craighead George

1997 - Richard Peck

1996 - Nancy Willard

1995 - Ed Young

1994 - Paula Fox

1993 - Russell Freedman

1992 - Leo and Diane Dillon

1991 - Madeleine L'Engle

1990 - Maurice Sendak

Sara Pennypacker wins the GOLDEN KITE AWARD

PIERRE IN LOVE, written by BookArtist Sara Pennypacker is the winner of the The Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators 2007 Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Text.

Instituted in 1973, the Golden Kite Awards are the only children’s literary award judged by a jury of peers. More than 1,000 books are entered each year.

Sara says . . . . "this award is so sweet for me because I wrote PIERRE for a close friend, as she was dying of breast cancer. She was the most loving, generous woman I've ever known, and my kids and I adored her. When I got the news PIERRE had won, a poet friend said it seemed to him that awards always came to writers right when they were having difficult times (the last few weeks had been very difficult, personally - ok now, though, no worries.) and I realized that he was close to a truth - that maybe the best books are written during difficult times. I remember that in writing PIERRE for Pella, I wanted her to hear the best I had, to know that I'd blown out all the stops for her. Or maybe it was more a feeling of what the hell are you saving it for? Whatever it was, I wrote PIERRE in tears and full of love the whole time, and now to win means so much to me."