The 2009 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award Winner and Honor Books

The 2009 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award winner and Honor Books were announced on January 26, 2009. Although it is a new award, with the first winners announced in 2006, the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award has already become known as an excellent resource for parents, teachers, librarians and others looking for the best in beginning reader books. The 2009 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award winner and the 2009 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award Honor Books are sure to appeal to beginning readers.

The 2009 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award Winner

For the second year in a row, Mo Willems was given the Geisel Award for one of his Elephant and Piggie beginning readers. Mo Willems was honored with the 2009 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for Are You Ready to Play Outside?, which he wrote and illustrated.

“Willems has created a masterpiece for beginning readers that is simply told through the use of dialogue, which melds perfectly with uncluttered pink and grey cartoon-style illustrations. Aside from the friendship theme that appears throughout Willems’ work, he continues to create astonishing emotional depth using the simplest of facial expressions on his characters.” (American Library Association media release, 1/26/09)

(Compare prices.) Hyperion Books for Children, an imprint of Disney Book Group, is the publisher. (ISBN: 9781423113478)

2009 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award Honor Books

In addition to the 2009 Award winner, the awards committee selected four 2009 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award Honor Books:

• Chicken Said, ‘Cluck!’ by Judyann Ackerman Grant, illustrated by Sue Truesdell (HarperCollins Children’s Books, a division of HarperCollins Publishers) Compare prices. (ISBN: 9780060287238)
• One Boy, written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger (A Neal Porter Book published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing Holdings Limited Partnership) Compare prices. (ISBN: 9781596432741)
• Stinky, written and illustrated by Eleanor Davis (RAW Junior/TOON Books) Compare prices. (ISBN: 9780979923845)
• Wolfsnail: A Backyard Predator by Sarah C. Campbell, photographs by Sarah C. Campbell and Richard P. Campbell (Boyds Mills Press) Compare prices. (ISBN: 9781590785546)

If you are looking for the best in beginning readers for your child, I recommend the 2009 Geisel award-winning beginning reader books. Be sure and look at the 2008, 2007, and 2006 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award winners, as well.