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WHAT:

The Award for Young Readers’ Literature was inaugurated in 1991 and is given annually by the Tulsa Library Trust.  In 1992, it was permanently named in honor of Anne V. Zarrow.  Its purpose is to give formal recognition, on behalf of the Tulsa County community, to nationally acclaimed authors who have made a significant contribution to the field of literature for children and young adults.

The award consists of a $7,500 cash prize and an engraved crystal book.

Past winners are: Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (2010), Christopher Paul Curtis (2009), Louis Sachar (2008), Kate DiCamillo (2007), Sharon Creech (2006), Avi (2005), Susan Cooper (2004), Russell Freedman (2003), Richard Peck (2002), E.L. Konigsburg (2001), Jerry Spinelli (2000), Jane Yolen (1999), Cynthia Voigt (1998), Gary Paulsen (1997), Walter Dean Myers (1996), Lois Lowry (1994), Katherine Paterson (1993), Madeleine L'Engle (1992) and S.E. Hinton 1991).

WHO:

Kathryn Lasky is the winner of the 2011 Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers’ Literature.

WHEN & Where:

Aug. 26 and 26

Award Presentation: 7 p.m., Friday, Aug. 26, Central Library’s second floor, Fourth Street and Denver Avenue.
Creative Writing Discussion: 10 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 27, Connor’s Cove, Hardesty Regional Library, 8316 E. 93rd St.

On Aug. 26, Kathryn Lasky will receive the Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers’ Literature, and speak about her life and works.  On Aug. 27, Lasky will present awards to the winners of the Young People’s Creative Writing Contest, and teach youths how to write creatively, and give life to words and voices to characters.  Lasky will answer questions from the audience and sign books at both events.  You may purchase copies of her books at the programs.

SPONSORS:

Tulsa Library Trust and Tulsa City-County Library

ABOUT THE AWARD WINNER:

Born and raised in Indiana, Lasky honed her imagination and writing skills utilizing the prairie as her literary canvass.  Admittedly not the best student in school, Lasky’s mother was the first to encourage her to not restrain her desire to write.
                            
At the University of Michigan, she majored in English and “loved Victorian literature and Romantic poetry and Renaissance literature and just about any kind of literature anyone could imagine.”

After a short stint as a fashion magazine writer and school teacher, Lasky met her future husband, Chris Knight, a National Geographic photographer and documentary filmmaker.  For their wedding gift her parents gave them a 30-foot boat which they used to sail across the Atlantic.  Returning from her voyage, she wrote her first children’s book, “I Have Four Names for My Grandfather.”  She has since written dozens of books for children, teens and adults, often collaborating with her husband who supplies the photographs to her words.

Her most popular books are the “Guardians of Ga’Hoole” series, containing 15 books chronicling the adventures of Soren, the barn owl.  In 2010, the 3D animated feature film “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole,” was released with wide acclaim.  The movie shares the story from the first three books.

Children’s and young adult non-fiction books by Lasky include “John Muir: American’s First Environmentalist,” “Interrupted Journey: Saving Endangered Sea Turtles,” “Searching for Laura Ingalls,” and “Sugaring Time,” which earned her a Newbery Honor.

Some of her most popular picture books are “The Librarian Who Measured the Earth,” “The Emperor’s Old Clothes,” “Marven of the Great North Woods,” “A Voice of Her Own: The Story of Phillis Wheatley, Slave Poet.”

Her latest series is titled “The Wolves of Beyond,” and includes “Lone Wolf,” “Shadow Wolf” and “Watch Wolf.”

GOALS OF THE ZARROW AWARD:

• To encourage children and teens to read and write by promoting the prize, and the author’s books and visit, throughout the library’s summer reading program and the Young People’s Creative Writing Contest.
• To introduce children and teens to favorite authors of literary distinction and present famous authors as real people and role models.
• To provide a major event that brings families into the library and is a rallying point for the summer reading program.
• To give young readers the opportunity to learn from a successful author’s writing experiences.

ABOUT THE LIBRARY TRUST:

The Tulsa Library Trust is a public foundation created by private contributions to benefit Tulsa City-County Library.  Income generated by the Trust’s endowment is used to fund projects and purchase materials that the library could not afford through its operating budget.

ZARROW AWARD COMMITTEE:

Carmen Applegate is chairwoman of the 2011 Zarrow Award Committee, which is made up of 16 community volunteers.  Shawna Gehres is chairwoman of the Author Selection Committee.