Black-eyed Susan Book Award
What is the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award Program?
This program fosters literacy and the love of reading as well as honors outstanding children's books.
How does the program work?
A committee of MD librarians read several books and each year create a list of books for the picture book category, grade 4-6 chapter book category and grades 4-6 graphic novels category. At Whittier, grades K-5 will read the titles on picture book list with their librarian, Ms Dattoli. Students in grades 4 and 5 may participate in the chapter book category and graphic novel category by reading the books on the list independently. Students who read three or more titles on the list are able to vote in mid-April. After the students have read the books on the list, either with their librarian or on their own, the students will vote for their favorite book in that category. That's right! Only students can vote! Then the votes from schools all over Maryland are sent to the committee and the book with the most votes becomes the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Winner.
What kinds of books are chosen?
There is a criteria that all books must follow in order to be chosen as a nominee. For example, books may be fiction (story) or nonfiction (information). Books must also have the copyright date of the current year or the past three years. Books must also have received positive reviews from appropriate professional journals. To learn more, go to: http://maslmd.org/about-bes