I recently had the privilege of interviewing award-winning children’s book illustrator Katie Broussard all about children’s book awards. She discussed several types of awards including Catholic-specific awards, recent award winners that stood out to her, trends she is seeing, and tips on navigating the submission process. This was such a fun interview. Katie prepared by going to the library and checking out many of the books she planned to highlight.
She discussed the following awards:
• Caldecott Honor Books
• Caldecott Medal Winner
• King Illustrator Honors
• Sibert Informational Book Medal
• Catholic Media Association Book Awards
• Association of Catholic Publishers (ACP) Excellence in Publishing Awards
Trends
Katie noted several trends in the books awarded this year, including the use of multimedia and painterly illustrations indicative of a strong preference for handcrafted, traditional art. She identified themes centered around family and cultural roots, as well as realistic settings enriched by imaginative elements.
Tips
Katie encourages authors and illustrators to consider submitting their works to awards, emphasizing the aid awards can provide in increasing visibility and audience reach. As a bonus, award inclusion often entails shiny foil stickers that attract readers' attention at bookstores and libraries.
But exercise caution! Not all book awards are created equal and it’s important to watch out for scams. A great way to determine which awards to apply to is to go to a trusted publisher’s website and see which awards their books have won. Additionally, be on the lookout for award deadlines and submission criteria. Many awards will only accept books with specific publication dates.
My Takeaway
For me personally, I walked away from this interview empowered to start reading more award-winning children’s literature to my kids. So often, we go to the library without a goal in mind. My kids grab books from the shelves—often based on the silly cartoons they’ve seen on TV. We get home and I immediately want to head back to the library and return half of them. This week when I took my kids to the library, I went armed with a list of books Katie had discussed in her interview, and I paid more attention to those silver and gold foiled stickers I saw on books. If you want to take a step further, do as Katie suggests, and start a journal. Make notes of what you liked or didn’t like about each book, and pay close attention to how the author and illustrator unfold the story. You can learn so much about being a children’s book author by studying good children’s literature!
Special Shoutout
During her interview, Katie mentioned a book that had recently won two awards. Guess what?! It was from J.C. Prins who had been a member in my Self-Publishing Academy! Way to go, J.C.! You can learn more about her book here on Thy Olive Tree Marketplace.
Katie Broussard
Katie Broussard is the illustrator of award-winning children's books, including Audacious Ignatius, I'm a Saint in the Making, Sorin Starts a School, and The Examen Book. In addition to illustrating books, Katie teaches art, paints en plein air, and loves to encourage people of all ages in their creative pursuits.
Connect with Katie at katiebroussard.com and on Instagram. Thank you Katie for your excellent interview!
Below is a handout Katie provided for notetaking during her interview. The handout and the full video interview are available for those on paid subscriptions.
