“SEA HORSE, RUN!” Enters Second Printing

My fourth picture book, “SEA HORSE, RUN!”, received two more reviews and another award.

The Dallas World Aquarium featured my book in their Winter 2011 newsletter, Eco Currents. “Sea Horse, run!” was featured as the “Book of the Month”, and the article states, “This is a great selection for young children, with outstanding illustrations of sea life throughout the paperback book.” So far, seven aquariums have ordered “SEA HORSE, RUN!” for their gift shops.

A random google search produced an unexpected review in December 2011. Rob Schupbach’s blog entitled,  “Raven, Writing Desk, and Children’s Literature: A Children’s Literature Review Blog,” featured “SEA HORSE, RUN!” on December 18th. I love his description of the book:

“Although the book is quite informative, it is also entertaining. After hearing rumors about a dragon, the animals of the ocean were frightened and began to find safe havens. Not Sea Horse. He had the courage to stay behind and protect his friend, coral, who cannot move. Sea horse confronts the danger and faces his fears. He soon realizes that the sea dragon and the sea horse are distantly related. This underlying message of courage in the face of danger and standing by a friend can be very powerful to young students.”

Last but not least, “SEA HORSE, RUN!” is the second place winner in the  “Children – Early Reader (6 to 8)” category of the 2011 Reader Views Literary Awards. Winners were announced March 7, 2012, and all winners are given a gold “2012″ logo to place on their website or on the cover of their book. Read my full article/press release at www.seahorserun.com or visit my awards page for complete list of awards so far.

All the extra attention for “SEA HORSE, RUN!” is paying off. The hardcovers are virtually sold out, so the book is currently being reprinted. Here is a peek at the new cover:

New Cover Designed April 2012 for 2nd Printing.

Go, Sea Horse, go!

2011-2012 Book Awards

Was your book published in 2011? Do you want to enter your book for awards? Some deadlines have passed, but several awards are still accepting submissions. Here are three lists that I created of awards for children’s picture books. I rank the awards as “Best”, “Recommended”, or “Expensive”. Keep in mind these lists are not meant to be comprehensive. There are hundreds of awards out there!

BEST PICTURE BOOK AWARDS
(Organized chronologically by the deadline due date for a book with a 2011 copyright.)

Year	Name	Deadline	Winners Announced	Minimum Cost
2012	IRA Teacher’s Choices List/Awards	7/22/11	4/29/12	FREE
2011	Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards	9/17/11	10/17/11	$95
2012	Benjamin Franklin Awards	9/30/2011 or 12/31/11	4/1/12	$90
2012	Reader Views Annual Literary Awards	10/31/11	3/25/12	$75
2012	Wanda Gág Read Aloud Book Award	12/16/11	5/1/12	FREE
2012	Theodor Seuss Geisel Award	12/31/11	1/15/12	FREE
2012	Caldecott	12/31/11	1/15/12	FREE
2012	Notable Children’s Books	12/31/11	1/15/12	FREE
2012	Gryphon Award	12/31/11	2/1/12	FREE
2012	Golden Kite Award (SCBWI)	12/31/11	8/1/12	FREE
2011	ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards	1/13/12	5/1/12	$99
2012	Indie Book Awards	2/24/12	5/1/12	$75
2012	Giverny Book Award	3/1/12	4/1/12	FREE
2012	Boston-Globe Horn Book Award	5/15/12	6/1/12	FREE

Click on the award above to visit its page or learn more about each award on my upcoming blog post entitled: FOURTEEN PICTURE BOOK AWARDS.

RECOMMENDED PICTURE BOOK AWARDS
(Organized chronologically by the deadline due date for a book with a 2011 copyright.)

Year	Name	Deadline	Winners Announced	Minimum Cost
2012	Children’s Choices Reading List/Award	7/22/11	4/1/12	CBC member ship
2011	Parent’s Choice Awards	8/22/11	11/17/11	$100
2011	USA Best Books Awards	9/30/11	10/31/11	$69
2012	Nautilus Awards	1/15/12	6/1/12	$155
2012	IPPY Award	3/15/12	5/1/12	$75

Click on the award above to visit its page or learn more about each award on my upcoming blog post entitled: FIVE PICTURE BOOK AWARDS YOU MAY NOT RECOGNIZE.

EXPENSIVE PICTURE BOOK AWARDS
The minimum cost is per title per category. Late entries for the Learning Magazine Awards can cost $225/category. 

Year	Name	Deadline	Winners Announced	Minimum Cost
2012	Learning Magazine Teacher’s Choice Awards for the Family	7/22/11	12/2/11	$195
2013	Learning Magazine Teacher’s Choice Awards for Classroom	?	?	$195
2013	Learning Magazine Teacher’s Choice Awards for Children	?	?	$195
2012	Mom’s Choice Awards	Varies	Varies	$300
2012	Children’s Choices Reading List/Award	7/22/11	4/1/12	CBC member ship

Learn more about these awards on my upcoming blog post entitled: THE HIGH COST OF ENTERING or AWARDS FOR THE BOTTOMLESS BUDGET.

Most states also give awards for picture books. In order to be considered for a state award, your book must be assigned to the state reading list. Cynthia Leitich Smith compiled a great list of State Awards for Children’s and YA Books.

State Book Awards are also listed at:

http://www.corecollections.net/lib_book_awards.htm

Here is great blog post about evaluating the benefits of literary awards. This post has some great advice. I highly recommend reading it before entering your unpublished (or published) work into a contest:

http://accrispin.blogspot.com/2010/12/some-tips-on-evaluating-literary.html

Do you know of an award not listed on this page? Let me know via email: authorvisits @ tammybronson.com.