We’re excited to announce the shortlist for the 2020 Indiana Authors Awards in the children’s category! Congratulations to the following Hoosier authors and their books:
Crystal Allen, who grew up on a farm near New Albany and now lives in Texas, for The Magnificent Mya Tibbs: Mya in the Middle, which chronicles the hilarious hijinks of a Black 4th grader trying to stand out from the crowd.
John David Anderson, Indianapolis, for Granted, the tale of a fairy on her first wish-granting day.
Gabrielle Balkan, who grew up in Indianapolis and now lives in Brooklyn, New York, for her Book of Flight, a beautifully illustrated book that highlights birds, animals and insects and explains how they fly.
Skila Brown, Bloomington, for Clackety Track: Poems About Trains, a charming book of poems about trains.
Troy Cummings, Greencastle, for Can I Be Your Dog?, a sweet tale of a dog trying to find a forever home.
Helen Frost, Fort Wayne, for Hello, I’m Here!, the story of a newborn sandhill crane starting out in the world.
Michael Homoya, Shane Gibson and Gillian Harris, of central and southern Indiana, for Wake Up, Woods, a gorgeously illustrated book of Indiana wildflowers and native plants.
Phillip Hoose, who was born in South Bend and spent his childhood in Angola and Speedway, for Attucks! Oscar Robertson and the Basketball Team that Awakened a City, which tells the true story of the all-Black Crispus Attucks High School basketball team that broke the color barrier in segregated 1950s Indiana.
Keep up with the other shortlist announcements here, and on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.