Children’s Book Author/Illustrator Peter H. Reynolds to be Honored at 55th Annual Christopher Awards in NYC for New Book The Dot

BOSTON, MA (PRWEB) February 26, 2004

Author/Illustrator Peter H. Reynolds will receive the Christopher Award at the 55th annual Christopher Awards for his new storybook The Dot published by Candlewick Press. Since 1949, the internationally-recognized media awards have honored individuals in publishing, film, broadcast TV, and cable industries whose work “expresses the highest values of the human spirit.” The gala event will be held Thursday February 26th at the Time-Life Building in New York. Reynolds’ book The Dot will join twenty-three other winners, including feature films Whale Rider and Sea Biscuit, and television broadcast series “Joan of Arcadia”.

“In its charming and gloriously illustrated way, Peter Reynolds’ The Dot truly embodies the mission of The Christopher Awards,” said Judith Trojan, director of the Christopher Awards. “Although the book is slotted for ages 6-8 in our Books for Young People winners’ list this year, The Dot will have appeal across all age levels, as it encourages readers from 6 to 106 to nurture their uniqueness and inner spirit.”

Unlike other major awards programs, The Christopher Award does not have entry forms or submission fees. Potential winners are reviewed throughout the year by panels of media specialists; members of The Christophers’ staff with expertise in film, TV, and publishing; and specially supervised children’s reading groups. Past honorees include Elie Wiesel, Bob Hope, publisher Margaret K. McElderry, Charles M. Schulz, Ron Howard, Roberto Benigni, Hayao Miyazaki, Ken Burns, David McCullough, Jonathan Kozol, Fred Rogers, and Steven Spielberg.

The Dot was released in October by Candlewick Press with a first printing of 50,000 hardcover copies. Now in its fourth printing and available in ten languages, The Dot has enjoyed a string of awards, including the Oppenheimer Platinum Toy Award 2004 and it was named “Best Book of the Year” by Valerie Lewis author of Children’s Book Review. The Christopher Award, however, is particularly important to Reynolds. “This award is very special to me since my mission is to tell stories that matter, stories that move, and to bring the world to a better place,” remarked Reynolds. “The Christopher Award is about making a meaningful difference in people’s lives and that’s exactly what I hope to do with The Dot,” he added. The Dot reveals how a little girl is helped to overcome her insistence that she can’t draw by a teacher who encourages her to “make your mark and see where it takes you.”

The Dot has garnered national media and industry attention, including a starred Publishers Weekly review which notes: “In this engaging, inspiring tale, Reynolds (illustrator of the Judy Moody series) demonstrates the power of a little encouragement. . . . Reynolds pulls off exactly what his young heroine does, creating an impressive work from deceptively simple beginnings.” “This small gem of a book tells the story of Vashti. . . . It’s the beginning of a love affair with dots in many different colors, sizes and patterns—and a marvelous lesson about what art is,” The Washington Post praised.

In addition to The Dot, Reynolds’ other titles include his cornerstone work The North Star, the best-selling Judy Moody series written by Megan McDonald, Eleanor Estes’ The Alley and The Tunnel of Hugsy Goode, Judy Blume’s Fudge series, and Ellen Potter’s Olivia Kidney. Reynolds’ publishing slate includes at least eight new books to be published domestically and internationally over the next eighteen months.

Peter shares his media/publishing ventures with his identical twin brother Paul. Peter and Paul Reynolds founded and run the award-winning children’s media company FableVision (http://www.fablevision.com) based in Boston, MA. FableVision’s mission is to use media, storytelling, and technology to reach, support, and inspire ALL learners. It is currently in development on a new pre-K television series. The pair also recently launched a retail venture called The Blue Bunny—a children’s media workshop and book/toy shop (http://www.dedhambluebunny.com which they call “the little shop with a big mission”—to honor, inspire, and nurture active creative expression in children and adults. For more details on Peter Reynolds’ publishing career, browse his newly launched site http://www.peterhreynolds.com.

The Christopher Award was founded by Father James Keller in 1945 with the belief that every individual has the power and the responsibility to change the world for the better, and that the power of modern media could inspire and nurture that individual potential. Today The Christophers produce the weekly TV series “Christopher Close-up” which airs on commercial stations and cable systems nationwide and in 166 countries. Christopher radio spots are broadcast daily on more than 200 stations. “Light One Candle” is a weekly column that appears in more than 200 newspapers nationwide, and News Notes, a series of internationally-distributed newsletters in English and Spanish, covers subjects ranging from effective leadership to social action. The Christophers are located at 12 East 48th Street, New York, NY 10017 or click on http://www.christophers.org.

Awards for The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds as of 2/04

Oppenheim Platinum Toy Award 2004

Publishers Weekly – STARRED Review

Booklist – STARRED Review

School Library Journal – STARRED Review

Nick Jr. Family Magazine – “Best of 2003” Awards – “Most Inspiring Book”

Borders “Original Voice Awards 2004” Nominee (Winner to be announced in March)

“Best Book of the Year” – Valerie Lewis “Children’s Book Review”/Hicklebee’s

Book Sense 76 selection

Babyzone Amazing Book Awards 2003

Book Links Editor’s Best of 2003

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