The Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award is a children's choice award determined by the votes of fourth, fifth, and sixth-grade students in Arkansas. The purpose of the award is to encourage reading and the discussion of books.
The Arkansas Elementary School Council, an advisory group to the Arkansas Department of Education, established the award in 1970 to honor Arkansas author Charlie May Simon, best known for writing children's books based on her love of Arkansas. The award was presented for the first time on October 13, 1971, as part of the Arkansas Book Fair. Simon was in attendance at that event, along with the first recipient of the award, Joan Lexau, author of Striped Ice Cream.
This award continued as a project of the council until 1999, when the council was disbanded. At that point, three lead sponsors took on responsibilities to continue the award: the Arkansas State Library, the Arkansas Department of Education, and the Arkansas Reading Association.
Although the structure of the organization has evolved, the work continues.
The Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award Committee is made up of representatives from about twenty cooperating organizations, institutions, and agencies, along with some at-large members. Each year, this committee selects approximately twenty outstanding books appropriate for children in grades four through six. Committee members read from a preliminary reading list developed by the representative of the Arkansas State Library, using standard reviewing sources and applying the qualifying criteria established for the Award. This committee meets five times throughout the year to discuss the books and narrow the list. The master list is finalized at the end of the February meeting. The new master reading list for the upcoming school year is released in March.
Meanwhile, during the school year, Arkansas students are reading from the current master reading list. Voting is conducted in the schools in the spring. Only students in grades four through six, who have read or heard at least three of the books on that list are eligible to vote for their favorite book. The Arkansas Department of Education receives and tabulates the ballots. The award-winning and honor books are announced in late spring.
Currently, the Children's Book Award ceremony is held in the fall as part of the Arkansas Reading Association's annual Literacy Conference. The authors of the winning and honor books are invited to attend this event to receive their medallions.
Many dedicated and determined individuals have worked very hard to institute and continue this prestigious award. Beginning with the early efforts of Gladys Sachse and others in the late 1960s to establish a children's choice book award in Arkansas, to all the various committee chairs and members, teachers, librarians, authors, vendors, publishers, parents, and others, who have contributed their time and effort, much gratitude is due.
Hundreds of thousands of Arkansas children have participated in the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award through the years. Surely, we have created some lifelong readers in that group!
Cathy Howser has been a special education teacher, children's librarian in a public library, and coordinator of children's programs at the Arkansas State Library. She has served as member of the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award Committee since 1993.