Penguin Young Readers, the Children’s Book Council, and Every Child a Reader are proud to announce that EDWARD GETS MESSY, written by Brooklyn librarian Rita Meade; illustrated by Olga Stern (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers) is the winner of the first Anna Dewdney Read Together Award.
Rita Meade is a public librarian who lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. Rita is a contributing editor for BookRiot.com and formerly hosted the Dear Book Nerd podcast, a bi-weekly bookish advice show. Her writing has appeared in American Libraries Magazine, The Huffington Post, The Village Voice, The Atlantic Wire, The Hairpin, and more. Rita also reviews children’s books for School Library Journal, occasionally writes about library-related things on her blog Screwy Decimal, and even less occasionally sings with a librarian band, Lost in the Stacks.
Olga Stern is a passionate illustrator and visual development artist. She loves using her imagination to create new worlds full of colorful environments and characters. When Olga is not drawing, she is off surfing somewhere around the globe. Olga currently lives and works in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
In EDWARD GETS MESSY, a very particular little pig discovers the joys that come with getting messy in this sweet and fun debut picture book. Edward the pig never pets friendly dogs on the street. He never, ever eats food that spills or splatters. And he never, ever, EVER uses markers or glue sticks or paint. They are just too messy. But what happens when a big tub of paint falls on Edward’s perfectly neat little head? Well, it might just turn out that getting messy has its upsides, too.
The 2017 Finalists:
EDWARD GETS MESSY, by Rita Meade; illus. by Olga Stern (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)
LAST STOP ON MARKET STREET, by Matt de la Pena; illus. by Christian Robinson (G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers)
MOTHER BRUCE, by Ryan Higgins; illus. by Ryan Higgins (Disney)
TOBY, by Hazel Mitchell; illus. by Hazel Mitchell (Candlewick)
WON TON: A CAT TALE TOLD IN HAIKU, by Lee Wardlaw; illus. by Eugene Yelchin (Holt Books for Young Readers)
