1. 2018-2019 William Allen White Children’s Book Awards

2. William Allen White Award
What is the WAW Book Award?
Who was William Allen White?
How does it work?
Who selects the books?
Who votes?
Then what happens?
History of the Award
Book List

3. What is the WAW Book Award?
It is a Children’s Book Award for the state of Kansas.
This award is directed by Emporia State University.
Source:

4. Who was William Allen White?
He was the editor of the Emporia Gazette newspaper in Emporia, Kansas.
In 1896, he became well known because of an editorial he wrote in that newspaper about a political issue of the time.
He was NOT the author of these books.
Source:

5. How does it work?
Each year books are selected for 2 groups: 3rd – 5th grades & 6th –8th grades.
There is one winner for each group.
Students across the state are encouraged to read as many books as possible from the list.

6. Who can vote?
Students who have read at least two books from the Master List for their grade level are eligible to vote for their favorite.
Ballots are sent to all Kansas schools in February or March.
Schools turn their voting results in to Emporia State University in April.

7. Then what happens?
The authors of the winning books are invited to a reception in the fall where they’ll receive a bronze “White Award Medal” at an awards ceremony.
Students and teachers are encouraged to attend the award ceremony to meet the authors and listen to their acceptance speeches.
This year’s celebration will be Saturday, October 6, 2019,
at Emporia State University.

8. Who selects the books?
There is a selection committee who represents Kansas educational and professional organizations concerned with children.
They create a master list of titles.
Books can be fiction, non-fiction, or poetry and were published during the previous year.
Anyone can nominate a book and submit it to the committee.

9. Selection committee process
Members must read at least 50% of nominated books to participate in selection. Executive director & secretary & committee chair do not vote.
Only books read by at least 60% of those present at the meeting can be considered.
For a title to be placed on the list following discussion of it, at least 60% of those who read it must vote for its placement.
Titles are first chosen for the list without regard for age division. Once nominations cease, the lists are divided into grades 3 to 5 & grades 6 to 8.
Before the list is finalized, there is opportunity to reconsider any titles chosen.

10. History of the Award
The book award was began in 1952 by the late Ruth Garver Gagliardo, to honor the memory of William Allen White.
It was established to encourage the boys and girls of Kansas to read and enjoy good books.
A lot has changed since Ruth Garver Gagliardo created the award and served as its first selection committee chairperson…but the structure she developed remains.
c ESU Archives

11. Grades 3 - 5

12. STEP RIGHT UP: How Doc and Jim Key Taught the World About Kindness by Donna Janell Bowman Lee & Low Books
William "Doc" Key had a special way with animals. Growing up an enslaved child in Tennessee, Doc was sent to plantations around the state to care for sick and wounded animals. When the Civil War ended and Doc was freed, he began to dream of breeding a winning racehorse. But those dreams were dashed when his colt was born weak and sickly.Although many people would have euthanized the colt, Doc nursed him back to health and named him Jim.
Noticing a level of curiosity and eagerness in the horse, Doc began teaching Beautiful Jim Key first to recognize letters, then to read, write, add, subtract, and more. Doc soon took his talented horse on the road, spreading a message of patience and kindness, over cruelty, to all animals.

13. GIANT SQUID by Candace Fleming Roaring Brook Press
The giant squid is one of the most elusive creatures in the world. As large as whales, they hide beyond reach deep within the sea, forcing scientists to piece together their story from those clues they leave behind.
An injured whale's ring-shaped scars indicate an encounter with a giant squid. A piece of beak broken off in the whale's belly; a flash of ink dispersed as a blinding defense to allow the squid to escape-- these fragments of proof were all we had until a giant squid was finally filmed in its natural habitat only two years ago.

14. WHEN GREEN BECOMES TOMATOES: Poems for All Seasons by Julie Fogliano Roaring Brook Press
The giant squid is one of the most elusive creatures in the world. As large as whales, they hide beyond reach deep within the sea, forcing scientists to piece together their story from those clues they leave behind.
An injured whale's ring-shaped scars indicate an encounter with a giant squid. A piece of beak broken off in the whale's belly; a flash of ink dispersed as a blinding defense to allow the squid to escape-- these fragments of proof were all we had until a giant squid was finally filmed in its natural habitat only two years ago.

15. FULL OF BEANS by Jennifer Holm Random House Children’s Books
The giant squid is one of the most elusive creatures in the world. As large as whales, they hide beyond reach deep within the sea, forcing scientists to piece together their story from those clues they leave behind.
An injured whale's ring-shaped scars indicate an encounter with a giant squid. A piece of beak broken off in the whale's belly; a flash of ink dispersed as a blinding defense to allow the squid to escape-- these fragments of proof were all we had until a giant squid was finally filmed in its natural habitat only two years ago.

16. ANIMALS BY THE NUMBERS: A Book of Animal Infographics by Steve Jenkins Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
How many species are there across the globe? How much do all of the insects in the world collectively weigh? How far can animals travel?
Jenkins layers his signature cut-paper illustrations alongside computer graphics and a text that is teeming with fresh, unexpected, and accurate zoological information ready for readers to easily devour. The level of scientific research paired with Jenkins’ creativity and accessible infographics is unmatched and sure to wow fans old and new.

17. I DISSENT: Ruth Bader Ginsberg Makes Her Mark by Debbie Levy Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark by Debbie Levy
Get to know celebrated Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg—in the first picture book about her life—as she proves that disagreeing does not make you disagreeable!
Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has spent a lifetime disagreeing: disagreeing with inequality, arguing against unfair treatment, and standing up for what’s right for people everywhere.
This biographical picture book about the Notorious RBG, tells the justice’s story through the lens of her many famous dissents, or disagreements.

18. PAX by Sara Pennypacker HarperCollins
Pax and Peter have been inseparable ever since Peter rescued him as a kit. But one day, the unimaginable happens: Peter's dad enlists in the military and makes him return the fox to the wild.
At his grandfather's house, three hundred miles away from home, Peter knows he isn't where he should be—with Pax. He strikes out on his own despite the encroaching war, spurred by love, loyalty, and grief, to be reunited with his fox.

19. AS BRAVE AS YOU by Jason Reynolds Caitlyn Diouhy/ Atheneum/ Simon & Schuster
Genie’s summer is full of surprises. The first is that he and his big brother, Ernie, are leaving Brooklyn for the very first time to spend the summer with their grandparents all the way in Virginia—in the COUNTRY! The second surprise comes when Genie figures out that their grandfather is blind. Thunderstruck, Genie peppers Grandpop with questions about how he hides it so well (besides wearing way cool Ray-Bans).
How does he match his clothes? Know where to walk? Cook with a gas stove? Pour a glass of sweet tea without spilling it? Genie thinks Grandpop must be the bravest guy he’s ever known, but he starts to notice that his grandfather never leaves the house—as in NEVER.

20. PRAIRIE DOG SONG by Susan L. Roth and Cindy Trumbore Lee and Low Books
For thousands of years, green and gold grasses covered North America from Canada to Mexico. The prairie and desert grasslands were home to a variety of animals, from small prairie dogs to huge bison. But in the nineteenth century, ranching and farming took hold in the grasslands, and over time many of the animals and plants vanished.
Then, in the late 1980s, scientists discovered a region in Mexico where green and gold grasses still waved and prairie dogs still barked. The scientists understood the importance of this grassland ecosystem and the prairie dogs' key role in it. Could they now preserve the area and bring back its lost animals and plants?

21. SAVE ME A SEAT By Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan Scholastic Press
Joe's lived in the same town all his life, and was doing just fine until his best friends moved away and left him on his own.
Ravi's family just moved to America from India, and he's finding it pretty hard to figure out where he fits in.
Joe and Ravi don't think they have anything in common -- but soon enough they have a common enemy (the biggest bully in their class) and a common mission: to take control of their lives over the course of a single crazy week.

22. FISH IN A TREE by Lynda Mullaly Hunt Nancy Paulsen Books/ Penguin
Last Year’s Winner
FISH IN A TREE by Lynda Mullaly Hunt Nancy Paulsen Books/ Penguin
Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
The author of the beloved One for the Murphys gives readers an emotionally-charged, uplifting novel that will speak to anyone who’s ever thought there was something wrong with them because they didn’t fit in.
“Everybody is smart in different ways. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its life believing it is stupid.”
Ally has been smart enough to fool a lot of smart people. Every time she lands in a new school, she is able to hide her inability to read by creating clever yet disruptive distractions. She is afraid to ask for help; after all, how can you cure dumb? However, her newest teacher Mr. Daniels sees the bright, creative kid underneath the trouble maker. With his help, Ally learns not to be so hard on herself and that dyslexia is nothing to be ashamed of.
As her confidence grows, Ally feels free to be herself and the world starts opening up with possibilities. She discovers that there’s a lot more to her—and to everyone—than a label, and that great minds don’t always think alike.
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