October 2024 | LISLE, IL—IVP Kids is pleased to announce that Birth of the Chosen One and Zion Learns to See are 2024 Moonbeam Award medalists. Winners were announced in over forty categories for titles published from 2022 to 2024.
Birth of the Chosen One: A First Nations Retelling of the Christmas Story, written by Terry M. Wildman, received second place in the holiday category. This children’s picture book narrates the birth of Jesus in the tradition of Native oral storytellers and features Native American art by sisters Hannah and Holly Buchanan.
“This artful retelling captures the wonder of the birth that changed human history. We commonly read the nativity story with mental pictures shaped by Western culture and traditions. What a joy, then, to read the story afresh through First Nations eyes!” said L. Daniel Hawk, professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at Ashland Theological Seminary.
Birth of the Chosen One features text from the bestselling First Nations Version, a New Testament in English by Native North Americans.
Zion Learns to See: Opening Our Eyes to Homelessness received first place in the social activism category. Coauthored by Terence and Zion Lester and illustrated by Subi Bosa, Zion Learns to See is inspired by real-life events. Zion joins her dad at his work at the community center one day and learns about people experiencing homelessness. Her new understanding fuels her to action and she initiates a campaign with her classmates.
“My parents have always taught me that we love our neighbors as ourselves and we put God first,” said Zion Lester. “In my view, loving others is an act of service, and serving is crucial because it extends God’s love to others and treats people with dignity, affirming their worth regardless of their circumstances.”
“The core message of our book,” said Terence Lester, “is that age is no barrier to service.”
The Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards are intended to bring increased recognition to exemplary children’s books and their creators. Moonbeam Award winners will be honored at an award ceremony held on November 9, in conjunction with the annual Traverse City Children’s Book Festival.
For a complete list of IVP award winners visit ivpress.com/award-winners.
Contact: Anna Tjernstrom, atjernstrom@ivpress.com
