Contact:
Tara Powers, Brian Burch
Lambert, Edwards & Associates
616-233-0500
tpowers@lambert-edwards.com
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Oct. 18, 2007 – Winners for the first annual Moonbeam Children's Book Awards were announced this week, and three titles from Zonderkidz, the children’s division of Zondervan, were selected from among 862 entries submitted by authors and publishers in 45 U.S. states, six Canadian provinces, and seven countries.
The following Zonderkidz titles are winners: 
- Gold Moonbeam Award: The Jesus Storybook Bible (Sally Lloyd-Jones, illustrated by Jago) in the religion/spirituality category.
- Silver Moonbeam Award: I Will Rejoice (Karma Wilson, illustrated by Amy June Bates) in the religion/spirituality category
- Bronze Award: I Was an Eighth-Grade Ninja (Andrew Simmons and Rob Corley, illustrated by Ariel Padilla; part of Zonderkidz's series using Manga art as seen at www.zGraphicNovels.com) in the Comic/Graphic Novel category
Presented by Jenkins Group and Independent Publisher Online, The Moonbeam Children's Book Awards honor the year's best children's books authors and illustrators and are intended to bring increased recognition to exemplary children's books and their creators. A further goal is to support childhood literacy and life-long reading.
"Each of these titles represents the result of a true labor of love on behalf of the gifted authors and illustrators who brought them to life. We are thrilled to receive this recognition alongside them and consider ourselves blessed to have publishing partners who share our passion for teaching, entertaining and inspiring young lives," said Alicia Mey, vice president of marketing for Zonderkidz.
A formal awards presentation will be held in Chicago on Saturday, Nov. 3, in conjunction with the 2007 Children's Humanities Festival. The Moonbeam Awards announcement will be part of a special literacy event at the Harold Washington Public Library and a gathering titled "Bookstalk" will bring books, authors, and families together in a celebration of reading and storytelling.
Zonderkidz™, a division of
Zondervan, inspires young lives through imagination and innovation. As the leader in Christian children's communications, it produces bestselling and award-winning
Bibles,
books,
board books,
graphic novels,
audio,
video, and
digital products that awaken the hearts and touch the souls of kids under 16 and the people who love them, from family members to educators. Zonderkidz is the publisher of the
NIrV (New International Reader's Version) Bible translation, the 3rd-grade reading level edition of the
NIV that is ideal for children and those who speak English as a second language. Visit Zonderkidz on the Internet at
www.zonderkidz.com.
