WESTMONT, IL—IVP Kids is pleased to announce that The Celebration Place by Dorena Williamson was selected as the winner of the 2022 Jerry Pinkney Children’s Book Award in the Religious/Faith category.
The Jerry Pinkney Children’s Book Awards are sponsored by the National Black Book Festival (NBBF) and were established in honor of the late Jerry Pinkney, a world-renowned children’s book illustrator. Nominated titles for the award must be copyrighted in 2021 or 2022 and be either written by an African American author or have an African American theme.
Williamson said, “Jerry Pinkney was a familiar name when I curated representation for my young children. His work is a legacy of diverse children’s literature and an example to follow. This award is an incredible honor as we approach the one-year anniversary of the release of The Celebration Place.”
Written by Williamson and illustrated by Erin Bennett Banks, The Celebration Place: God’s Plan for a Delightfully Diverse Church is told in a delightful rhyme. This colorfully illustrated children’s book also includes tools to help parents engage in conversation about the book’s theme of God’s vision for justice and unity.
“We were so pleased to sign Dorena as one of our first acquisitions for IVP Kids because The Celebration Place casts such a beautiful vision for the church as a community of inclusion and celebration,” said IVP Kids editor Elissa Schauer. “But it was also significant to us that Dorena incorporated Dr. King’s message of justice and unity, pointing out that the dream that Dr. King preached is simply what God intended for the church. I can’t think of a more profound message for us today!”
Natalie Grant, singer, songwriter, and cofounder of Hope for Justice, said, “Dorena has such a beautiful yet compelling way of writing about these most important topics of justice and unity. Yes, The Celebration Place will inspire children to walk this message out better than the generation before them did. But I also believe it will help challenge the parents, teachers, and leaders of these children that it’s not too late to do the same.”
The award winners in each category were announced on October 22 at the 2022 National Black Book Festival in Houston. More information about the Jerry Pinkney Children’s Book Awards is available at www.jerrypinkneybookawards.
For a complete list of IVP award winners visit ivpress.com/award-
