EHE News
Author Daniel Pinkwater receives the 2010 Jo Osborne Award for Humor in Children's Literature
Jo Osborne
Daniel Pinkwater
10-11-10
Daniel Pinkwater, author of many popular books for children, has been selected to receive the 2010 Jo Osborne Award for Humor in Children's Literature from the School of Teaching and Learning in the College of Education and Human Ecology.
The Jo Osborne Award recognizes authors and illustrators whose humor is delivered with heart, wit and insight.
"Daniel Pinkwater's books fit the award's spirit perfectly," said Barbara Kiefer, the Charlotte S. Huck Professor of Children's Literature.
"A children's author and illustrator for more than 35 years, Pinkwater specializes in humor which uses absurd situations to delight readers in their unbelievability," she said. "His writing features young outsiders (of varying species) who seek a sense of belonging, often in far-out settings and weird circumstances."
Osborne, children's librarian at the Worthington (Ohio) Public Library for 17 years, was a friend of the School of Teaching and Learning's distinguished program in literature for children and young adults. Pinkwater recalls meeting her. (Read the whole story.)
No give backs
He says of his selection, "This is not the first time I have received an honor. I won the Good Conduct Medal at the Black-Foxe Military Institute, in Los Angeles, California in 1950. This is a much better award. All I had to do was write about 100 books...I understand that this award, which I gratefully accept, cannot be revoked."
Among his books are The Neddiad: How Neddie Took the Train, Went to Hollywood, and Saved Civilization (2006), Mush, a Dog from Space (1995), The Big Orange Splot (1977), Lizard Music (1976). He recently published Beautiful Yetta: The Yiddish Chicken (May 2010), a picture book in which a Yiddish-speaking country chicken makes friends with Spanish-speaking parrots in the big city, and Adventures of a Cat-Whiskered Girl (June 2010), a novel about a 14-year old girl with cat's whiskers trying to find herself.
Pinkwater also regularly contributes insights about children's literature on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" and "Morning Edition" with Scott Simon.
The Jo Osborne Award for Humor in Children's Literature was established in 1996 after her death. She was drawn to stories that combined humor, intelligence and sensitivity. She enthusiastically recommended such books to young readers, and commented that there ought to be an award for books that cause readers to laugh and to think.
A jury of librarians, teachers, authors, illustrators and academicians selects the recipient of her award. Winners can be authors, illustrators, and author/illustrator teams. Recent awardees are Tomie dePaola and Paula Danziger.
Writer: Erin Reilly-Sanders, Literature for Children and Young Adults
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