The SCBWI Spark Award recognizes excellence in children’s books published through an independent or non-traditional route. SCBWI authors and illustrators who independently published a book in the calendar year of 2019 were eligible to apply.
The Spark Award for Illustrated Book goes to This Is Our Ocean: A Dream of Clean Seas, written and illustrated by Tracy Sabin. A young girl learns the value of re-usable containers when her old plastic cup finds its way to the middle of the sea.
The 2019 Spark winner in the Novel category is S. Acevedo for God Awful Rebel, the third book in the God Awful series. Cupid, the teenage god of love, must stand against an ancient enemy in this humorous romp through greek mythology.
Both winners will receive free tuition to the Los Angeles Summer Conference, the opportunity to sell their titles in the conference bookstore, a donation of 20 of their books to the library or reading program of their choice, and the newly initiated Spark statuette.
The two Honor winning books are Falling for Wonder Boy by Kristine Carlson Asselin in the Books for Older Reads category and The Artist Who Loved Cats by Susan S. Bernardo, illustrated by Courtenay Fletcher, in the Picture Book Category.