Do you need summer program ideas for your youngest patrons? Look no further than the Indiana Early Literacy Firefly Award! This Indiana book award comes complete with an entire manual packed with ideas and resources for ages 0-5. This webinar will dive into the manual, discuss voting methods, and more about this great picture book award voted on by Indiana children ages 0-5.
Suzanne Walker is the Indiana Young Readers Center Librarian at the Indiana State Library. Suzanne received her Master of Library Science from Indiana University. She is currently the Indiana Young Readers Center Librarian and Director of the Indiana Center for the Book, an affiliate of the Library of Congress. She coordinates Indiana’s Letters About Literature competition annually. Suzanne judged the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards in 2013 and 2014 and the Indiana Poetry Out Loud competition in 2017. Most recently she was a judge for the 2020 Indiana Authors Awards and the 2021 Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award. She has presented numerous times at Indiana Library Federation’s District conferences, annual conferences, and youth conferences and is proud to have been interviewed about Indiana authors by NPR.
Shel Curry, children’s author, has always dreamed of being an author and in November 2021, The Bedtime Story Race was published. When Shel was a little girl, getting her first library card was a defining moment in her literacy journey. She has been involved with the Firefly Award Committee for two years. The Gary, Indiana native is a graduate of Indiana State University, a mom of four and when she’s not reading with her kids, she works full time in corporate communications.
Date Recorded: 4/25/2023
Format: Archived YouTube Video
Presenters: Suzanne Walker, Indiana Young Readers Center, Indiana State Library and Shel Curry, children’s author, member of Firefly Award Committee
Resources:
- Firefly Award Website – contains the current year’s ballot and program guide