The Evanston Public Library is pleased to announce that the 4th Annual Blueberry Awards, recognizing excellence in children’s literature about nature and climate stewardship, will be announced live on Monday, March 20, 2025 at an awards ceremony and party celebrating the authors, their work, and our earth.
The Blueberry Awards Announcement Party will be held from 6:30 to 8:00 pm on Thursday, March 20th, at the Main Library.
See this year’s winning books as they are announced, watch acceptance videos from the authors, vote on an Audience Choice Award, learn book-related crafts from the Justin Wynn team, and meet the author of the Blueberry Award Winner!
At the event, staff from the Evanston Ecology Center and the Evanston Public Library will host Evanston’s climate dignitaries plus some renowned speakers including Susan Lempke, ALA's Sibert Chair and Director of the Lincolnwood Public Library and Marie Cabiya, District 65 action team leader who advocated successfully in Springfield for climate education in Illinois schools. Also in attendance will be lots of happy kids and parents, and a visit from the 2024 Blueberry winning author!
Seats for the Blueberry Award Announcement Party are limited. Register here to save your spot!
About the Awards
The Blueberry Awards honor children’s literature that strengthens kids’ connections with nature and fosters action for the planet. The Blueberry Award List, which features books primarily for children ages three to ten, names one overall Blueberry Award Winner, 30 Honor books, and four Changemaker books recognized for their outstanding achievements in rallying kids to climate action.
In 2021, the Evanston Public Library established the Blueberry Awards to address a shortage of awards recognizing the best nature and climate books published each year.
Last year's Blueberry Award Committee named two award winners - How to Bird by Rasha Hamid and Mnoomin Maan'gowing/The Gift of Mnoomin by Brittany Luby. How to Bird gives young children the confidence to go birding while The Gift of Mnoomin is a celebration of wild rice and the ecosystem of the upper Great Lakes, written by an Anishinaabe author.
Find a list of all our previous year’s winners in our EPL catalog selection of Blueberry Award Winners 2023.
The 2024 Blueberry selection committee includes Evanston Public Library staff, the City of Evanston’s Sustainability Manager, D65’s Sustainability Coordinator, and staff from the Evanston Ecology Center.
The creation of the Blueberry Awards was spearheaded by Library Assistant Martha Meyer who said that in a world threatened by climate change and ecological disaster, it’s crucial to give children the chance to form a joyous relationship with the environment and learn from the very best writers, illustrators and photographers in children’s literature.
“I’m so excited to share the 2024 Blueberry Award winners with Evanston’s families and teachers,” Meyer said. "This party is going to be so fun, with books displayed alongside QR codes or IPads to access authors' and illustrators' videos about their books all over the main library! Come and see the incredible new work by the world's best writers for children."
The Blueberry Awards Reach and Impact
In addition to honoring the books and their authors, the Blueberry Awards Committee works to advocate for the books and their environmental themes.
This year, the Blueberry Committee will present the 2024 Blueberry Awards on April 3, for Natural Start Alliance, a nationwide organization for people who work with young kids in the outdoors. Register here for this presentation.
Do you represent an organization of educators working to connect kids with ideas about nature and climate? Would you like to write a feel-good article about Earth Day by featuring the Blueberry books? Contact Martha Meyer.
