2012 Moonbeam Medalists
Moonbeam Spirit Awards
For dedication to children’s books and literacy and for inspired writing, illustrating and publishing. This year we chose five books in five different areas. All recipients will receive gold medals.
Mentoring: Your Stories, Volume 1, selected and edited by Taylor S. Joseph (Four Star Publishing)
Peacemaking: The Sky of Afghanistan, by Ana Eulate; illustrated by Sonja Wimmer (Cuento de Luz)
Imagination: Pirate & Hoopoe, by Diarmid Cammell; illustrated by Karima Cammell (Dromedary Press)
Preservation: Saint George & the Dragon, by Jim Forest; illustrated by Vladislav Andrejev (St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press)
Compassion: Operation Marriage, by Cynthia Chin-Lee; illustrated by Lea Lyon (Reach and Teach)
2012 Moonbeam Results
1. Board Book/Cloth Book
Gold: 1,2,3, Sí! A Numbers Book in English and Spanish, by San Antonio Museum of Art (Trinity University Press)
Silver: Counting Wild Bears of the Native Northwest Coast, by Gryn White (Native Northwest)
Bronze: Black Bear Babies! by Donald M. Jones (Farcountry Press)
2. Alphabet/Counting Book
Gold: Zahra and Coco Alphabet, by Fatima Akilu; illustrated by Mustapha Bulama (Mockingbird Books)
Silver: Over in the Forest: Come and Take a Peek, by Marianne Berkes; illustrated by Jill Dubin (Dawn Publications)
Bronze: The Zigzag Zebra: A Rhyming Alphabet, by Marie Rippel and Donna Goeddaeus (All About Learning Press, Inc.)
3. Book Arts/Pop-up/Cut-out
Gold: Alphabet Everywhere, by Elliot Kaufman (Abbeville Kids)
Silver: My Secret Scrapbook Diary: Little Red Riding Hood, by Kees Moerbeek (Child’s Play International)
Bronze: Portrait of Spain for Kids, by Queensland Art Gallery / Gallery of Modern Art (Queensland Art Gallery / Gallery of Modern Art)
4. Activity Book 1 - Games, Arts & Crafts, etc.
Gold: Denise Logan’s Amazing Art Projects for Children, by Denise M. Logan (Dynamic Art Projects, LLC)
Silver: Super Simple Sumi-e, by Yvonne Palka (HeartRock Press)
Bronze: How to Draw Your Own Graphic Novel, by Frank Lee (PowerKids Press)
5. Activity Book 2 - Educational, Science, History, etc.
Gold (tie): Bridges and Tunnels: Investigate Feats of Engineering, by Donna Latham; illustrated by Jen Vaughn (Nomad Press) and Explore the Wild West! With 25 Great Projects, by Anita Yasuda; illustrated by Alex Kim (Nomad Press)
Silver: Arizona, Way Out West & Wacky: Awesome Activities, Humorous History, and Fun Facts, by Conrad J. Storad & Lynda Exley; illustrated by Michael Hagelberg (Little Five Star)
Bronze: Inference Jones: Using Higher-Order Thinking to Improve Critical Reading and Comprehension, by Robert E. Owen, M.A. (The Critical Thinking Co.)
6. Book with Music/Theatrical
Gold: Lil’ Chucky Charley & His Country Bug Friends, by Chris & Ron Surrey; illustrated by Mike Litwin (Surron)
Silver: Pirate Santa: A Pirate Adventure, by Clay Clement and Mark Summers; illustrated by Juan Alvarado (Studio City Tattoo)
Bronze: Evangeline! The Dancing Holstein, by Cheryl Kirking; illustrated by Jason Jolda (Mill House Press)
7. Picture Book - Preschool
Gold: Picture my Day, by Séverine Cordier; illustrated by Cynthia Lacroix (Owlkids Books)
Silver: Little Seeds, by Charles Ghigna; illustrated by Ag Jatkowska (Picture Window Books/Capstone)
Bronze: David, Fish & Penguins…, Written and illustrated by TURCIOS (Cuento de Luz)
8. Picture Book - 4-8 Year Old
Gold (tie): Little Lamb, Have You Any Wool? by Isabel Minhós Martins; illustrated by Yara Kono (Owlkids Books) and My Mama Earth, by Susan B. Katz; illustrated by Melissa Launay (Barefoot Books)
Silver (tie): No! written and by illustrated by Marta Altés (Child’s Play) and KokoCat, Inside and Out, by Lynda Graham-Barber; illustrated by Nancy Lane (The Gryphon Press)
Bronze: A Moment in Time, by Jennifer Butenas; illustrated by Charlotte Cheng (The Perfect Moment, LLC)
9. Picture Book - All Ages
Gold (tie): My Hands Sing the Blues, by Jeanne Walker Harvey; illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon (Marshall Cavendish Children) and Good People Everywhere, by Lynea Gillen; illustrated by Kristina Swarner (Three Pebble Press, LLC)
Silver (tie): A Box Story, written and illustrated by Kenneth Kit Lamug (Rabblebox) and The Gift, written and illustrated by Christina Vagenius (Heart Box Studio)
Bronze: Dromedary and Camelot, by Ruby M. Harmon; illustrated by Eric Hamilton (Poetic Moves Publishing)
10. Juvenile Fiction - Early Reader/1st Chapter books
Gold: Zeke Meeks vs. the Putrid Puppet Pals, by D. L. Green (Picture Window Books/Capstone)
Silver (tie): Zanda Humphrey’s Operation Nice, by Kristy Short; illustrated by Pam Duplacey (Moore Publishing) and The Computer’s Nerd, by W. Royce Adams (Rairarubia Books)
Bronze: Pidgy’s Surprise, by Jeanne Mellin (Willow Bend Publishing)
11. Pre-Teen Fiction – General
Gold: Run Marco Run, by Norma Charles (Ronsdale Press)
Silver (tie): Summer Dance, by Lynn Swanson (Createspace) and Calling Him Dad: The Summer My Father Appeared Out of Nowhere, by Virginia Kamhi (WPR Books: Para Los Niños)
Bronze: Earthquake Surprise (A Bailey Fish Adventure), by Linda Salisbury (Tabby House)
12. Pre-Teen Fiction - Fantasy
Gold: The Moon Coin, by Richard Due; illustrated by Carolyn Arcabascio (Gibbering Gnome Press)
Silver: Archibald and the Black Knight’s Ring, by SherMay Loh (Epigram Books)
Bronze (tie): The Curse of Captain LaFoote (Caribbean Chronicles #1), by Eddie Jones (Port Yonder Press) and Quest for the Scorpion’s Jewel (Amarias Adventures #1), by Amy Green (Warner Press)
13. Pre-Teen Fiction - Mystery
Gold: The Adventure of Maisie Voyager, by Lucy Skye (Jessica Kingsley Publishers)
Silver: Chase Against Time (Chase Manning Mystery #1), by Steve Reifman (Brown Books Publishing Group)
Bronze: Diary of a Social Detective, by Jeffrey E. Jessum, Ph.D. (AAPC Publishing Company)
14. Pre-Teen Fiction - Historical/Cultural
Gold: Outcasts of River Falls, by Jacqueline Guest (Coteau Books for Kids)
Silver: Day of the Cyclone (Disaster Strikes #7), by Penny Draper (Coteau Books for Kids)
Bronze (tie): Someone Talked! by R. Conrad Stein (ChironBooks) and Huntsville, 1892: Clara, by Wanda Vaughn (OnStage Publishing)
15. Pre-Teen Fiction – Mature Issues
Gold: Sanjaygawa and the Yak Whisperer, by Rebecca Braden Nordeman; illustrated by Cloe Shaw (Tashi Deley Press)
Silver: Kendall’s Storm, by Janet Muirhead Hill (Raven Publishing)
Bronze: Some Secrets Should Never Be Kept, by Jayneen Sanders; illustrated by Craig Smith (Upload Publishing)
16. Young Adult Fiction - General
Gold: The Green-Eyed Queen of Suicide City, by Kevin Marc Fournier (Great Plains Teen Fiction)
Silver: Locker 572, by L. T. Kodzo (WinePress Publishing)
Bronze: Shanghaied, by David Paul Collins (iUniverse)
17. Young Adult Fiction - Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Gold: Edge of Time, by Susan M. MacDonald (Breakwater Books)
Silver: The Twelfth Stone, by Jana Laiz (Crow Flies Press)
Bronze (tie): Drake’s Story Stone, by T. F. Pumphrey (Tons of Imagination, Ink) and Askari (Child of Muralia Book 1), by Mikko Azul (AuthorHouse)
18. Young Adult Fiction - Horror/Mystery
Gold: Immortal Longings: A Vampire Novel, by Diane DeKelb-Rittenhouse (Tiny Satchel Press)
Silver: Mystery of the Tempest (A Fisher Key Adventure), by Sam Cameron (Bold Strokes Books)
Bronze: Secret of the Scarab, by Jay Roudebush (Lulu Publishing)
19. Young Adult Fiction - Historical/Cultural
Gold: No Crystal Stair, by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson; illustrated by R. Gregory Christie (Carolrhoda Lab/Lerner Publishing Group)
Silver: From Where We Sit: Black Writers Write Black Youth, Edited by Victoria A. Brownworth (Tiny Satchel Press)
Bronze: Freedom Bound, by Jean Rae Baxter (Ronsdale Press)
20. Young Adult Fiction - Religion/Spirituality
Gold: YaYa & YoYo: Sliding Into the New Year, by Dori Weinstein (Yotzeret Publishing)
Silver: Ori’s Amazing Purpose: Faith in God’s Plan, by Mike and Carol Wyrick (WinePress Kids)
Bronze: The Fight, by Taylor S. Joseph (Four Star Publishing)
21. Young Adult Fiction - Mature Issues
Gold: How to Tend a Grave, by Jocelyn Shipley (Great Plains Teen Fiction)
Silver: wish i could have said goodbye, by Shari A. Brady (Createspace)
Bronze (tie): Girl Fight, by Faye Harnest (James Lorimer & Company Ltd., Publishers) and Girl Unmoored, by Jennifer Gooch Hummer (Fiction Studio Books)
22. Children's Poetry
Gold: The Doorstep Orphan: Eugene Field and a Trilogy of His Best Loved Poems, by Jean A. Lukesh (Field Mouse Productions)
Silver: Lizard Lou: A Collection of Rhymes Old and New, by Marie Rippel and Renée LaTulippe (All About Learning Press, Inc.)
Bronze: And the Crowd Goes Wild! A Global Gathering of Sports Poems, Edited by Carol-Ann Hoyte & Heidi Bee Roemer; illustrated by Kevin Sylvester (FriesenPress)
23. Non-Fiction - Picture Book
Gold: World Atlas, by Nick Crane; illustrated by David Dean (Barefoot Books)
Silver (tie): Adventures with Jonny: Road Trip to the Parks, by Michael A. DiLorenzo; illustrated by Jenniffer Julich (Running Moose Publications) and 1st and 10: Top 10 Lists of Everything in Football, by the Editors of Sports Illustrated Kids (Time Home Entertainment Inc.)
Bronze: Baking with Friends: Recipes, Tips and Fun Facts for Teaching Kids to Bake, by Sharon Davis and Charlene Patton; illustrated by Coleen McIntyre (Goops Unlimited/Home Baking Association)
24. Non-Fiction - Young Adult
Gold: Little Rock Girl 1957: How a Photograph Changed the Fight for Integration, by Shelley Tougas (Compass Point Books/Capstone)
Silver: The Spy with the Wooden Leg: The Story of Virginia Hall, by Nancy Polette (Alma Little)
Bronze (tie): Gabby Douglas: Golden Smile, Golden Triumph, by
Christine Dzidrums (Creative Media Publishing) and The Flavor of Wisconsin for Kids, by Terese Allen and Bobbie Malone (Wisconsin Historical Society Press)
25. Multicultural - Picture Book
Gold: I Came From the Water: One Haitian Boy’s Incredible Tale of Survival, by Vanita Oelschlager; illustrated by Mike Blanc (VanitaBooks)
Silver (tie): The Unfortunate Tale of Kachuva the Tortoise (As Told by Chukwa Sulcata), by Reshma Sapre; illustrated by Jayme Robinson (Hathi Chiti Books for Kids) and The Wise Fool: Fables from the Islamic World, by Shahrukh Husain; illustrated by Micha Archer (Barefoot Books)
Bronze: Ojibway Clans: Animal Totems and Spirits, written and illustrated by Mark Anthony Jacobson (Native Northwest)
26. Multicultural Non-Fiction - Young Adult
Gold: Raven Finds the Daylight and other American Indian Stories, by Paul M. Levitt & Ellisa S. Guralnick; illustrated by Carolynn Roche (Clear Light Publishing)
Silver: Where We Once Gathered: Lost Synagogues of Europe, written and illustrated by Andrea Strongwater (Eifrig Publishing)
Bronze: The Story of Mexico: The Mexican-American War, by
R. Conrad Stein (Morgan Reynolds Publishing)
27. Comic/Graphic Novel
Gold: Chillax! How Ernie Learns to Chill Out, Relax, and Take Charge of His Anger, by Marcella Marino Craver; illustrated by Amerigo Pinelli (Magination Press/American Psychological Association)
Silver: Egghead (An Aldo Zelnick Comic Novel), by Karla Oceanak; illustrated by Kendra Spanjer (Bailiwick Press)
Bronze: Rudyard Kipling’s How the Elephant Got His Trunk: The Graphic Novel, by
Blake A. Hoena; illustrated by Pedro Rodriguez (Stone Arch Books/Capstone)
28. Religion/Spirituality
Gold: I Want You to Know: The Wonder of God, by Kirk Jackson; illustrated by Gwynne Simmons (Going Home Stories)
Silver (tie): Beliefs & Religions Around the World, by Judy Kirton; illustrated by Val Lawton (Your Nickel’s Worth Publishing) and My First Sikh Books, by Parveen Kaur Dhillon; illustrated by Brian C. Krümm (Lohgarh Sikh Educational Foundation)
Bronze: My Whole Self Before You: A Child’s Prayer and Learning Guide Modeled after the Lord’s Prayer, by Susan Case Bonner (Kid Niche Publishing)
29. Holiday
Gold (tie): The Little Big Book of Christmas: Carols, Stories, Poems, Recipes, edited by Lena Tabori; designed by Timothy Shaner and Kristen Sasamoto (Welcome Books) and Twas the Night Before Christmas, by Clement C. Moore; illustrated by Elena Almazova & Vitaly Shvarov; edited by Santa Claus (Grafton and Scratch Publishers)
Silver (tie): Lucky: The Tale of a Tree, by Richard C. Hawkins; illustrated by Deb Hoeffner (Worldways Productions) and Visiting the Visitors, by Patrick “Packy” Mader; illustrated by Andrew Holmquist (Beaver’s Pond Press)
Bronze: Emma’s American Chinese New Year, by Amy Meadows; illustrated by Soon Kwong Teo (Outskirts Press)
30. Book with Merchandise (plush toy, etc.)
Gold: The Fabulous Adventures of Olly Oogleberry: Mission to Save Earth (plush characters), by Lou Hughes; illustrated by Jonathan Ball (Tickle Me Silly)
Silver: Care for Our World (punch out play set, by Karen Robbins; illustrated by Alexandra Ball (Compendium Kids)
Bronze: Santa’s Glee (plush reindeer), by David and Catherine King (Indigo Beach House)
31. Spanish Language Book
Gold: Júkiti-Túkiti-Tá (Hookitty-Tookitty-Tah), by Antonio Mugica; illustrated by Hermann Mejia (Multiple Personality Entertainment)
Silver: Hijito Pollito (Little Chick and Mommy Cat), by Marta Zafrilla; illustrated by Nora Hilb (Cuento de Luz)
Bronze: Comida sana de la A a la Z (Healthy Foods from A to Z), Edited by Stephanie Maze (Moonstone Press LLC)
32. Environmental Issues
Gold: 101 Ways to Save the Planet, by Deborah Underwood (Raintree/Capstone)
Silver: The Young Birder’s Guide to Birds of North America, by Bill Thompson III (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Bronze (tie): Relatives with Roots, written and illustrated by Leah Marie Dorion (Gabriel Dumont Institute) and Moon Over Bioko: Sea Turtles of Bioko Island, by Heidi Rader; illustrated by Holly Smith (Wildlife Conservation Publishers)
33. Health Issues
Gold: Grandpa Monty’s Muddles, by Marta Zafrilla; illustrated by Miguel Angel Diez (Cuento de Luz)
Silver (tie): The Secrets to Quieting Butterflies, by Susie Baretz; illustrated by Amy J. Wulfing (Maple Leaf Center) and The Gathering Tree, by Larry Loyie with Constance Brissenden; illustrated by Heather D. Holmlund (Theytus Books)
Bronze (tie): Eartha Gets Well, by Kristi Falk and Dr. Daniel Falk; illustrated by Rob Peters (Boutique of Quality Books) and When Billy Went Bald, by Julie C. Morse with Greg Mikrut; illustrated by Alexandra Higgins (Skyscraper Press/Windy City Publishers)
34. Mind-Body-Spirit/Self-Esteem
Gold: Knees: The Mixed-Up World of a Boy with Dyslexia, by Vanita Oelschlager; illustrated by Joe Rossi (VanitaBooks)
Silver: The Hero In Me, by Susan Fitzsimonds; illustrated by Jeff Covieo (Nelson Publishing & Marketing)
Bronze (tie): Bee Yourself, by Kerry Sather; illustrated by David Mark (Your Nickel’s Worth Publishing) and And Still They Bloom: A Family’s Journey of Loss and Healing, by Amy Rovere; illustrated by Joel Spector (American Cancer Society)
35. Reading Skills/Literacy
Gold: Adventures of Dingding and Damien, by Tim Gourdon and Xiaokang Zhou (Peking University Press)
Silver: I See the World (Yo veo el mundo), by Tom Luna; illustrated by Christina Song (Lectura Books)
Bronze: Queen Infinity, by L. Kobie Wilkerson; illustrated by Aaron J. Ratzlaff (Love II Learn)
36. Best First Book - Picture Book
Gold: The Ice Cream Hotel, by Jack Johnston; illustrated by Annette Cable (Norwen Publications)
Silver: My Grama’s Garden, by Pat Drummond; illustrated by Denise Drummond (MyGramasGarden.com)
Bronze: Bernice, by Rob Adamowski; illustrated by Kellee Beaudry (OctiRam Publishing)
37. Best First Book - Chapter Book
Gold: Grounded for Good, by Dawn Daria (Flow Circus Press)
Silver: Pig & Toad: Best Friends Forever, by Dayle Quigley; illustrated by Sara Weingartner (Beaver’s Pond Press)
Bronze: Missing: Mrs Cornblossom, by Colleen Anderson (Quarrier Press)
38. Best Illustrator
Gold: Enrique Quevedo, for The Great Magician of the World (El Gran Mago del Mundo), by Fran Nuño (Cuento de Luz)
Silver (tie): Rebecca Harrison Reed, for Only Cows Allowed! by Lynn Plourde (Down East Books) and S.D. Nelson, for Greet the Dawn: The Lakota Way, by S. D. Nelson (South Dakota State Historical Society Press)
Bronze: Yuko Green, for Tales of Tūtū Nēnē and Nele, by Gale Bates (Island Heritage Publishing)
39. Best Book by Youth Author (under 18)
Gold: Freddie Loses His Game (Freddie and Friends #1), written and illustrated by Dorian Clay (ARIVA Publishing)
Silver: Ava (The Dream Ring Series #1), by Hannah Hoffmeister (Buttonwood Press)
Bronze: Wacko Academy (Wacko Academy Series #1), by Faith Wilkins (Arundel Publishing)