Incredible news came over the weekend when the Theodor Seuss Geisel committee called and said Stop! Bot! is the 2020 winner of the Geisel award. I was stunned because it is the dream in children’s book publishing to be recognized by the American Library Association who also award the Caldecott and Newbery Awards.
I like to think I take awards in stride but this was a bolt of lightning. According to the ALA, “The Geisel Award is given to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English in the United States during the preceding year. Award winners are recognized for their literary and artistic achievements that demonstrate creativity and imagination to engage children in reading.” It’s hard to believe these words describe Stop! Bot!
As a child, I loved spending time at the elementary school library reading Caldecott and Newbury winners. One shelf was filled with Dr Seuss books. The other kids and I would sit on the floor in front of the shelf and read one Seuss book after another. Sometimes we traded books after finishing. Library hour always passed too quickly.
Stop! Bot! was meant to be fun and imaginative so winning an award named after Dr Seuss means the world. You wonder if your books make an impression and now I’m excited to create more stories. A new wacky story actually hit me while celebrating. Thanks again to the Geisel committee, Viking for Children’s and my dream team of editor Tracy Gates and art director Jim Hoover.
It is still a shock.
