The Monarch Award:Illinois’ K-3 Children’s Choice Award

• Sponsored by ISLMA• Schools/libraries

register/participate• Master List of 20 titles• Award given annually

to book voted favorite by K-3 children

• Specifics at website: www.islma.org/ monarch.htm

Monarch Steering Committee

• Ann Brownson, EIU, Charleston• Peggy Burton, Williams, Mattoon• Alice Joseph, Wilmette Public Library• Sally Schoenberg, McKenzie, Wilmette• Pam Storm, Carl Sandburg, Charleston• Volunteers

– Readers – Nominations– Website

The Monarch Award:Illinois’ K-3 Children’s Choice

Award• Designed to encourage children to read

critically and become familiar with books, authors and illustrators.

• Named in honor of the Monarch Butterfly, Illinois’ state insect which symbolizes growth, change and freedom, qualities that also characterize the emergent reader.

• Organized to find the children’s favorite.

Monarch Packet-Online

• Information sheet• Bibliography with summaries and ISBNs• Nomination form and criteria for nominees• Ballot template for paper voting• Bookmark template• Tally sheet to record ALL votes for online

submission• Many other resources available on the website

Monarch Dates• March 12 & 20: Winner announced NIU and IRC • March, 2010: Website updated for 2011 resources• March, 2010: 2011 Registration brochure mailed• August 15, 2010: Online 2011 packet available

and mailing of sticker and voting information• 2010–2011: Read the 2012 Nominees• September 15, 2010: 2012 Nominations close • January 15, 2011: Official end of 2011 registration• February, 2011: 2012 Master List announced• February, 2011: Vote online by the 28th

The 2005 Monarch Award

Monarch 2005 Winner

• 95,000 K-3 children voted!• 667 schools/libraries• Winner: David Gets in

Trouble by David Shannon• Second: Hooway for

Wodney Wat by Helen Lester• Third: I Will Never Not Ever

Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child

Monarch 2006 Winner

• 115,000 students voted• 719 schools/libraries• Winner: My Lucky Day by

Keiko Kasza• Second: Diary of a Worm

by Doreen Cronin• Third: Miss Smith’s

Incredible Storybook by Michael Garland

Keiko Kasza 2006 Winner

Monarch 2007 Winner

• 120,712 students voted• 753 schools/libraries• Winner: Superdog: The

Heart of a Hero by Caralyn Buehner, illus. by Mark Buehner (Dex)

• Second: I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More by Karen Beaumont

• Third: Falling for Rapunzel by Leah Wilcox

2007 Monarch Award Winner

• Mark Buehner, illustrator of Superdog: The Heart of a Hero, accepts the 2007 Monarch Award for himself and his wife/author Caralyn. The book has been re-named Dex due to a copyright question.

Monarch 2008 Winner

• Over 131,000 students voted

• 780 schools/libraries• Winner: If I Built a Car

by Chris Van Dusen• Second: Bad Kitty by

Nick Bruel• Third: Fancy Nancy by

Jane O’Connor

Monarch 2009 Winner

• 154,000 children voted• 894 schools & libraries• Winner: Once Upon a

Cool Motorcycle Dude by Kevin O’Malley

• Second: Skippyjon Jones by Judith Schnacher

• Third: Superhero ABC by Bob McLeod

Kevin O’Malley accepts the 2009 Monarch Award

Monarch 2010 Winner• 156,158 children voted• 840 schools & libraries• Winner: Scaredy Squirrel

by Melanie Watt, 35,975 votes

• Second: Once I Ate a Pie by Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest, 20,626 votes

• Third: The Gingerbread Girl by Lisa Campbell Ernst, 14,498 votes

Monarch Master List Selection

• Librarians, teachers, parents and students may nominate. • Nominees are narrowed to 100 by the nomination

committee, who considers the criteria, and the balance of fiction/nonfiction/picture books/chapter books/easy readers.

• Volunteer readers review groups of 10 books and submit evaluations based on a rubric.

• Their evaluations are used to narrow to 50 nominees. • Readers attempt to read all 50 nominees.• At the face-to-face meeting in January, each reader reviews

one book in depth. • Readers vote to select the Master List of 20.• Volunteer at the website.

Monarch Award: Illinois’ K-3 Children’s Choice Award

2011 Master List

Sponsored by the

Illinois School Library Media Association

When Dinosaurs CameWith Everythingby Elise Broach

• Just when a little boy thinks he's going to die of boredom from running errands with his mom, the most remarkable thing happens. He discovers that on this day, and this day only, stores everywhere are giving away a very special treat with any purchase.

• Discuss pets.• How do adults try to make kids

happy?• Research dinosaurs.

Bad Kitty Gets a Bathby Nick Bruel

• In this chapter book, it is time for Bad Kitty to get a bath. Meant as a bridge book from picture books to more difficult chapter books it uses humor and factoids to tell the story.

• Discuss the hazards of keeping pets clean

• Research cats.• Discuss bath time rituals• Sequel: Happy Birthday, Bad

Kitty

Fred Stays with Meby Margie Palatini

• A girl and her dog, Fred, move one divorced parent's house to the other‘s. Fred gives her a sense of continuity and stability.

• Discuss divorce.• Talk about dogs and other

pets.• Read other books by the

author.

Martina the Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale

by Carmen Agra Deedy• Martina is looking for a suitor.

Her grandmother tells her to give each one the Coffee Test. How will this help her find true love?

• Discuss folktales.• Research cockroaches• Come up with other “tests” for

true love.• Visit Martina’s own website:

www.beautifulmartina.com/• Read the book in Spanish• Listen to the audio version

A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever

by Marla Frazee

• 2 boys spend a week at summer camp and at grandparents’ house and learn what it means to have fun.

• Discuss summer camps.• Talk about grandparents.• Make up the perfect summer

week• Draw sea shells and make

them into other creatures.

Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creekby Deborah Hopkinson

• An historical fiction account of a day when Lincoln was 7 and was saved by his best friend Austin.

• Discuss Lincoln’s childhood.• Talk about best friends and

how to be one• Imagine what other trouble

Abe and Austin might get into

Tsunami!by Kimiko Kajikawa

• The village wise man must save the people from the approaching tsunami. To do this he must sacrifice his wealth.

• Research tsunamis.• Predict country based on art.• Read Magic Tree House

Research Guide #15: Tsunamis and Other Natural Disasters: A Nonfiction Companion to High Tide in Hawaii.

• Look at other books illustrated by Ed Young

Oh, Theodore!: Guinea Pig Poemsby Susan Katz

• A boy gets a guinea pig as a pet and learns to care for and love it.

• Research guinea pigs• Talk about pet care• Compare to Fred Stays

with Me and Bad Kitty Gets a Bath.

• Make guinea pigs from pom pons, felt, pipe cleaners and wiggly eyes.

Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship, and Survival by

Kirby Larson• Bobbi and Bob Cat are the

best of friends. When their hometown of New Orleans was struck by Hurricane Katrina, they still had each other. Only by staying together could they survive.

• Research Hurricane Katrina.• Discuss friendship.• Compare to Owen and

Mzee or The Incredible Journey

The Squeaky Door by Margaret Read MacDonald

• When Little Boy is frightened by a squeaky bedroom door, his grandmother brings in various animals to help him feel secure enough to sleep.

• Discuss nighttime fears.• Read other versions of the

story.• Have students act out the

story with lots of sound effects.

Abe’s Honest Words: The Life of Abraham Lincoln

by Doreen Rappaport• This powerful portrait of a

great American president shines a light on the passion for humanity that defined Lincoln's life.

• Discuss Lincoln’s life and presidency.

• Make a timeline of Lincoln’s life.

• Compare to Martin’s Big Words

Cowboy and Octopusby Jon Scieszka

• Cowboy and Octopus maintain their friendship despite different opinions about things like beans and knock-knock jokes.

• Talk about friendship.• Make collage pictures.• Compare to other Scieszka

books• Write knock-knock jokes.• Discuss favorite foods.

Splat the Cat by Rob Scotton

• A nervous Splat finds his first day at Cat School much better than he expected.

• Recall the first day of school.• Talk about other “natural

enemies” and unlikely friends.• Make thumbprint animals• Others in Series: Love, Splat;

Merry Christmas, Splat; Scaredy-Cat, Splat!

Dog and Bear: Two Friends, Three Stories by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

• Three easy-to-read stories reveal the close friendship between Dog and Bear.

• Discuss friendship.• Draw Dog and Bear.• Others in series: Dog and

Bear: Three to Get Ready, Dog and Bear: Two’s Company.

Too Many Toys by David Shannon

• Although he finally agrees that he has too many toys and needs to give them away, there is one toy that Spencer absolutely cannot part with.

• Talk about favorite toys.• Imagine other things you

can do with a box.• Make a toy from a shoebox,

empty spools, popsicle sticks, etc.

Help Me Mr. Mutt: Expert Answers for Dogs with People Problems

by Janet Stevens• Dogs across the United

States write to Mr. Mutt, a people expert, for help with their humans.

• Discuss other problems dogs might have with humans.

• Write a letter to Mr. Mutt.• Discuss point-of-view.• Talk about differences

between dogs and cats.

Mudball by Matt Tavares

• During a rainy Minneapolis Millers baseball game in 1903, Little Andy Oyler has the chance to become a hero by hitting the shortest and muddiest home run in history.

• Talk about early baseball and how it has changed.

• Compare Andy to Babe Ruth.• Look at how baseball

uniforms have changed.• Try some Cracker Jacks

Rhyming Dust Bunniesby Jan Thomas

• As three dust bunnies, Ed, Ned, and Ted, are demonstrating how much they love to rhyme, a fourth, Bob, is trying to warn them of approaching danger.

• Find other rhyming words.• What is a dust bunny?• Sequel: Here comes the

big, mean dust bunny!• Draw and color dust

bunnies.

Keena Ford and the Second-grade Mix-up

by Melissa Thomson• Keena Ford chronicles her

many mishaps as she begins second grade in her journal.

• Discuss funny things that happen at school.

• What would it be like to be in a class with all boys/girls?

• Taste cappuccinos, lattes, frappaccinos.

• Discuss divorced families.• Keep a journal for a week.

Your Pal, Mo Willems Presents Leonardo the Terrible Monster

by Mo Willems• Leonardo is a terrible

monster -- he can't seem to frighten anyone. When he discovers the perfect nervous little boy, will he scare the lunch out of him? Or will he think of something better?

• Talk about what scares us.• Draw monsters• Discuss how to make

friends.

Maximizing the Monarch• Label the books: orange stickers, orange tape, label

protectors, butterfly stickers, logo stickers for sale• Display ideas: bulletin board, wall, special Monarch shelf• Reading ideas

– Reserve/rotate books, to every classroom– Offer stickers/certificate for classroom reading ALL 20 nominees– Make bookmarks/checklists for kids to keep track of books read– Read in classroom/library/home

• Fun gimmicks–orange hat, shirt, butterfly balloons, puppets• Ensure ALL students get to vote. (Read 5 books to them!)• Establish voting procedures, ideas on the web.

Monarch Award: Illinois’ K-3 Children’s Choice Award

Sponsored by theIllinois School Library Media Association

http://www.islma.org/monarch.htm

pstorm@charleston.k12.il.us dsmma@frontiernet.net

Questions/Comments

• Any questions?

• Don’t forget to register, read, and vote!

• Visit the website soon.

• http://www.islma.org/monarch.htm