Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers' Literature

• 2024 Raina Telgemeier
• 2023 Steve Sheinkin
• 2022 Nikki Grimes
• 2021 Jason Reynolds
• 2020 Katherine Applegate
• 2019 Rita Williams-Garcia
• 2018 Pam Muñoz Ryan
• 2017 Laurie Halse Anderson
• 2016 Gordon Korman
• 2015 Sharon Draper
• 2014 Jack Gantos 
• 2013 Jim Murphy 
• 2012 Jacqueline Woodson
• 2011 Kathryn Lasky
• 2010 Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
• 2009 Christopher Paul Curtis 
• 2008 Louis Sachar 
• 2007 Kate DiCamillo
• 2006 Sharon Creech 
• 2005 Avi 
• 2004 Susan Cooper 
• 2003 Russell Freedman
• 2002 Richard Peck
• 2001 E.L. Konigsburg
• 2000 Jerry Spinelli 
• 1999 Jane Yolen 
• 1998 Cynthia Voigt 
• 1997 Gary Paulsen
• 1996 Walter Dean Myers 
• 1995 No Award Given
• 1994 Lois Lowry
• 1993 Katherine Paterson
• 1992 Madeleine L’Engle
• 1991 S.E. Hinton 

Once upon a time, there lived a young girl named Broomstick Annie who wore bright-colored ribbons in her hair.

The story of Anne V. Zarrow’s life reads much like a children’s fairy tale.  From the day she was born in 1915 to a poor immigrant family in Ohio and nicknamed “Broomstick Annie,” to her marriage to her beloved husband, Henry, Anne gave of herself.  Whether it was hosting a local charity dinner or giving the coat off her back, Anne did so with sincerity and style.

As one of Tulsa’s most prominent business leaders, Henry Zarrow found it difficult to deny his wife her every good deed, especially when it came to books and children.  Together they established an endowment in the Tulsa Library Trust to fund The Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers’ Literature.  The award allows the library to bring to Tulsa each year a famous children’s author.  This celebration of reading and writing also gives children all over Tulsa County an opportunity to meet and talk with an author they’ve only read about in books.

And to make sure there are plenty of books to read, upon Anne’s death in 2000, the Zarrow family chose to remember her with the Anne V. Zarrow Library Books for Children’s Fund with a $125,000 challenge grant.  Each year, this endowment pays for hundreds of new children’s books to put on the library shelves.

With all fairy tales, there are happy endings.  You have only to look at the list of award winners for inspiration to see how the childhood dreams of just one girl named “Broomstick Annie” now introduces the minds of hundreds of young readers and writers to a world of possibilities, of imagination and creativity.

The Anne V. Zarrow 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.

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 $10,000 cash prize and an engraved crystal book.

Past winners are: Raina Telgemeier (2024), Steve Sheinkin(2023), Nikki Grimes (2022), Jason Reynolds (2021), Katherine Applegate (2020), Rita Williams-Garcia (2019), Pam Muñoz Ryan (2018), Laurie Halse Anderson (2017), Gordon Korman (2016), Sharon Draper (2015), Jack Gantos (2014), Jim Murphy (2013), Jacqueline Woodson (2012), Kathryn Lasky (2011), 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:

Kwame Alexander is the winner of the 2025 Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers’ Literature.

WHEN/WHERE:

Kwame Alexander will accept the award on Friday, May 2 at 6 p.m. at Hardesty Regional Library, 8316 E 93rd St, Tulsa, OK. 

Alexander will speak about his life, his writing process, and his works and help present awards to winners of the 2025 Young People’s Creative Writing Contest. ​​​​​

SPONSORS:

The award is a program of the Tulsa City-County Library, made possible through the Tulsa Library Trust by a grant from the Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation.

ABOUT THE AWARD WINNER: 

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 charity 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.

Mr. Henry's Books is named in honor of Mr. Henry Zarrow.

This annual workshop for educators features a book by the Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers' Literature recipient; all participants receive copies of a selected book for each student in their class and curriculum focused on the award recipient. Teachers also learn about online education-based library services, and other youth-based programs and services hosted through the library in an effort to further engage them in literacy, learning, and the library.

This program is sponsored through the Tulsa Library Trust, made possible by a grant from the Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation, and hosted in partnership with TulsaKids Magazine.

Visit here for more information about the Mr. Henry's Books Educator Workshop.