Feature

2014 Moonbeam Awards Press Page

Press release, award ceremony program, important links

  

 
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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“Lifelong Reading, from the Womb Onward” - 2014 Moonbeam Children's Book Award Winners Announced
 
(Traverse City, MI - Oct. 7, 2014)  The Moonbeam Awards program is dedicated to reading at all levels and to children of all nationalities, races and faiths. Now in its eighth year, the contest is known for its diversity and inclusiveness, and this year's medalists range from a book for pregnant mothers to read to their unborn babies to a young adult novel dealing with homelessness and human trafficking.
 
The Moonbeam Awards are designed to bring increased recognition to the year's best children's books, chosen for their commitment to children, literacy and life-long reading. Judging panels of book reviewers, librarians, teachers, and students chose 166 medalists from over 1,300 entries, and medals will go to books representing 37 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, five Canadian provinces, and Australia, Brazil, Ireland, Japan, Singapore, Scotland and Spain.
 
This year's gold medalist in the Board Book category is Can't Wait to Show You (Preliteracy Partners), and this charming book is not only meant to be read to babies in utero, it's shaped to fit the curve of a mother's pregnant belly! Alas, not everyone receives the gift of reading: My Dad Couldn't Read (See a Book Take a Look) explains how a reading disorder turned into adult illiteracy -- but through tutoring and perseverance father and daughter learned together and earned their high school diplomas together.
 
Probably the ultimate example of courage and perseverance in this new millennium is the story of Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani girl who in 2012 survived an attempted assassination by the Taliban for speaking out about girls' rights to education. Out in Front (Morgan Reynolds) is author David Aretha's stirring biography of Yousafzai, the "girl who wouldn't be silenced," whose dream is for "every child to go to school," and who someday wants to become the prime minister of Pakistan.
 
The Religion category gold medalist is another example of girl-power, inspired when author David R. Weiss's daughter asked him to tell her a story about When God Was a Little Girl (Beaver's Pond Press). He explained how Creation was like one of her art projects, done with joy and love, and even with all the different colors, shapes and sizes, looked "just right."
 
Spillworthy, the self-published gold medalist in the Mature Issues fiction category, not only deals with homelessness and human trafficking, but gives voice to the young victims who rise above their trials through the powerful magic of words. Idaho-based author Johanna Harness proves that reading, writing and communication truly does heal and can save souls -- and books like hers, along with the rest of this year's Moonbeam winners -- can change the world.
 
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The Moonbeam Awards were created in 2007 by northern Michigan-based book marketing firm Jenkins Group, and the winners represent the best books published for children and young adults during the previous year. Jenkins Group has been involved in book packaging, marketing and distribution since 1988, and the growing influence of their children's and grandchildren's love of books inspired them to launch the Moonbeam Awards and the Traverse City Children’s Book Festival.
 
Learn more about the Moonbeam Awards at http://www.MoonbeamAwards.com

Learn more about the book festival at http://www.TCChildrensBookFestival.com
 
For more information about the Moonbeam Awards and the winning books, or to interview their creators, contact Awards Director Jim Barnes at 1-800-644-0133 x 1011 or jimb@bookpublishing.com.
 

MOONBEAM MEDALIST LINKS:

Moonbeam Awards Ceremony and Book Festival photo album:

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0Bwgn2CAVCk3oZVhtRzhDNFQzcXM

 

Moonbeam Awards merchandise page where extra award seals, medals, certificates, and electronic versions of the medal artwork are available:
http://www.jenkinsgroupinc.com/store/index.php?p=catalog&parent=2&pg=1

• Seals are available in rolls of 250 and 1000
• You may order additional certificates with customized wording.
• Hi-res versions of the seal artwork are available for reproducing on book covers and promotional materials

Moonbeam logo lo-res artwork for use on webpages, etc.:

Gold artwork: www.moonbeamawards.com/Gold_Moonbeam_LR.jpg
Silver artwork: www.moonbeamawards.com/Silver_Moonbeam_LowR.jpg
Bronze artwork: www.moonbeamawards.com/Bronze_Moonbeam_LR.jpg

 

Moonbeam Amazon store page: www.independentpublisher.com/article.php?page=1871


Moonbeam Awards blurbs:

"The cause of promoting childhood literacy knows no boundaries, and the award winners illustrate that point well, coming not only from long-established publishers and university presses, but from small presses, foundations, museums, and self-published entrepreneurs."

"The Moonbeam Children's Book Awards are intended to bring increased recognition to exemplary children's books and their creators, and to support childhood literacy and life-long reading. The Awards recognize and reward the best of these books and bring them to the attention of parents, booksellers, librarians - and to children themselves."