I can hardly begin to describe how thrilled I am that All the Faces of Me has been named one of three Honor Books by the Charlotte Zolotow Award 2024 committee.
The Charlotte Zolotow Award is given annually for outstanding writing in a picture book published in the United States in the preceding year. Up to five honor books and up to ten highly commended titles may also be named each year.
Established in 1998 by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC), the award is named to honor the work of Charlotte Zolotow, a distinguished children’s book editor for 38 years with Harper Junior Books, and author of more than 70 picture books, including such classic works as William’s Doll and Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present.
Books like When the Wind Stops, William’s Doll, and The Quarreling Book, some of my favourites by Zolotow, are memorable stories that shaped my understanding of the world when I was a young reader. Through picture books like these I learned what seems like an ending can be a new beginning, that we are connected to people near and far, that ideas about gender are fluid, that sometimes everybody is cranky and at sixes and sevens, but compassion can help us find a way to peace. As a child, I found these books real and relatable. As an adult, I appreciate their honesty and humanity.
Honor Book, 2024 Charlotte Zolotow Award ©2023 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
This is what the awards committee had to say about All the Faces of Me:
“A young girl fascinated by her Nana’s set of traditional nesting dolls notes that they all have identical smiles. Deciding the dolls shouldn’t be stuck with the same smiles, the girl “fixes” them, adding a range of expressions to their faces. She’s happy with her effort. Nana is not, and she angrily takes the “ruined” dolls (and dessert!) away. The girl is mad too, insisting that “If those dolls were me … they would not all be the same” because she has different feelings at different times; there are even different kinds of happiness. “Somehow they all fit together. So many people wrapped up in one.” After considering, Nana agrees; the hug she gives “is big enough to hold all of me.” Brimming with humor and emotional honesty, this superb picture book skillfully translates complex ideas about emotions and identity into an accessible story full of child-appeal. Terrific pacing also distinguishes this tale of a loving (if momentarily fraught) relationship between a brown-skinned girl and her white grandmother. The exceptional storytelling is paired with illustrations that have a naïve yet slightly edgy quality.”
I am so grateful for this honour and am thankful for editors Jennifer Stokes and Ella Russell for recognizing the worth of the story and contributing their skill and expertise to make the manuscript better. I am also thankful to illustrator Salini Perera for putting so much of herself into the artwork and adding brand new dimensions to the story.
Learn more about the Charlotte Zolotow Award and see the full list of this years winner, Honor Books, and Highly Commended titles here.
Laura Alary 