The Irma Simonton Black and James H. Black Award for Excellence in Children’s Literature (Irma Black Award) goes to an outstanding book for young children—a book in which text and illustrations are inseparable, each enhancing and enlarging on the other to produce a singular whole. The Irma Black Award is unusual in that children are the final judges of the winning book.
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Qing Zhuang: 2024 Irma Black Award Silver Medal Acceptance Speech
Qing Zhuang
Author Qing Zhuang gives an acceptance speech for Rainbow Shopping (Holiday House)
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Rajani LaRocca: 2024 Irma Black Award Silver Medal Acceptance Speech
Rajani LaRocca
Author Rajani LaRocca gives an acceptance speech for Summer Is For Cousins (Abrams)
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Vanessa Roeder: 2024 Irma Black Award Gold Medal Acceptance Speech
Vanessa Roeder
Author Vanessa Roeder gives an acceptance speech for The King Penguin (Dial Books for Young Readers, Penguin Random House)
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Alice B. McGinty: 2023 Irma Black Award Gold Medal Acceptance Speech
Alice B. McGinty
Author Alice B. McGinty gives an acceptance speech for Bathe the Cat, illustrated by David Roberts (Chronicle)
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Jacqueline Woodson: 2023 Irma Black Award Silver Medal Acceptance Speech
Jacqueline Woodson
Author Jacqueline Woodson gives an acceptance speech for The World Belonged to Us, illustrated by Leo Espinosa (Penguin)
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Kate Berube: 2023 Irma Black Award Silver Medal Acceptance Speech
Kate Berube
Illustrator Kate Berube gives an acceptance speech for John's Turn, written by Mac Barnett (Candlewick)
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Mac Barnett: 2023 Irma Black Award Silver Medal Acceptance Speech
Mac Barnett
Author Mac Barnett gives an acceptance speech for John's Turn, illustrated by Kate Berube (Candlewick)
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Pearl AuYeung: 2023 Irma Black Award Silver Medal Acceptance Speech
Pearl AuYeung
Author Pearl AuYeung gives an acceptance speech for The Best Kind of Mooncake, (Page Street Kids)
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Angela Shanté : 2022 Irma Black Award Silver Medal Acceptance Speech
Angela Shanté
Author Angela Shanté gives an acceptance speech for When My Cousins Come to Town, illustrated by Keisha Morris (West Margin Press)
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Kao Kalia Yang : 2022 Irma Black Award Silver Medal Acceptance Speech
Kao Kalia Yang
Author Kao Kalia Yang gives an acceptance speech for From the Tops of the Trees, illustrated by Rachel Wada (Carolrhoda Books)
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Nikkolas Smith : 2022 Irma Black Award Silver Medal Acceptance Speech
Nikkolas Smith
Illustrator Nikkolas Smith gives an acceptance speech for The 1619 Project: Born on the Water; written by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renée Watson (Kokila)
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Rachel Wada : 2022 Irma Black Award Silver Medal Acceptance Speech
Rachel Wada
Illustrator Rachel Wada gives an acceptance speech for From the Tops of the Trees; written by Kao Kalia Yang (Carolrhoda Books)
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The Fan Brothers : 2022 Irma Black Award Gold Medal Acceptance Speech
Eric Fan and Terry Fan
The Fan Brothers give an acceptance speech and description of their process for It Fell From the Sky (Simon & Schuster)