The Monarch Award is a K-3 readers' choice book award.
The name Monarch was chosen because of its familiarity to K-3 children and to symbolize the growth, change and freedom that becoming a reader brings. The Monarch is designed to encourage children to read critically and become familiar with children's books, authors and illustrators. The program is open to all K-3 age children in Illinois.
Past winners include Shark vs. Train, Rhyming Dust Bunnies, Scaredy Squirrel, Once Upon a Cool Motorcycle Dude,and If I Built a Car. The 2014 master list was released last week.
Part One | Part Two | Part Three (Coming soon)
Meet the Dogs of Bedlam Farm by Jon Katz. Henry
Holt, 2011.
Welcome to Bedlam Farm! Meet Rose, Izzy, Frieda, and Lenore, four dogs that work hard on the farm doing various jobs. They're good friends now, but it wasn't always this way. Just as each dog has a different role on the farm, each has a unique story.
The dogs of Bedlam Farm get ready for a photo shoot.
Spend some time in Lenore's world.
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The Camping Trip that Changed America: Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir, and Our National Parks by Barbara Rosenstock; illustrated by Mordecai Gerstein. Dial Books, 2012.
Caldecott medalist Mordicai Gerstein captures the majestic redwoods of Yosemite in this little-known but important story from our nation's history. In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt joined naturalist John Muir on a trip to Yosemite. Camping by themselves in the uncharted woods, the two men saw sights and held discussions that would ultimately lead to the establishment of our National Parks.
Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature by Joyce Sidman; illustrated by Beth Krommes Houghton Mifflin, 2011.
A Caldecott medalist and a Newbery Honor-winning poet celebrate the beauty and value of spirals.What makes the tiny snail shell so beautiful? Why does that shape occur in nature over and over again—in rushing rivers, in a flower bud, even inside your ear?
With simplicity and grace, Krommes and Sidman not only reveal the many spirals in nature—from fiddleheads to elephant tusks, from crashing waves to spiraling galaxies—but also celebrate the beauty and usefulness of this fascinating shape.
Caldecott Medalist Beth Krommes visited the Eric Carle Museum.
Download the Swirl by Swirl discussion guide.
Joyce Sidman was a very happy child.
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Balloons Over Broadway: the True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade by Melissa Sweet. Houghton Mifflin, 2011.
Everyone’s a New Yorker on Thanksgiving Day, when young and old rise early to see what giant new balloons will fill the skies for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Who first invented these “upside-down puppets”? Meet Tony Sarg, puppeteer extraordinaire! In brilliant collage illustrations, the award-winning artist Melissa Sweet tells the story of the puppeteer Tony Sarg, capturing his genius, his dedication, his zest for play, and his long-lasting gift to America—the inspired helium balloons that would become the trademark of Macy’s Parade.
Download the Balloons Over Broadway activity kit.
Melissa Sweet reads an excerpt from Balloons Over Broadway.
