Monarch Award

Illinois kids in kindergarten to third grade pick the winner of The Monarch Award each year. Twenty books are nominated. Kids need to read five of those books before they vote. The award goes to the author and illustrator of the winning book.

The award is named for our state insect, the monarch butterfly.

2010 Monarch Award Winner Announced

Scaredy Squirrel book cover

Illinois students have selected Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt as the winner of this year’s contest.

Second place went to Once I Ate a Pie by Patricia MacLachlan, and Gingerbread Girl by Lisa Campbell Ernst came in third.

2011 Monarch Nominee List, PDF

The Monarch Award is sponsored by the Illinois School Library Media Association (ISLMA). It was designed to encourage students to read critically and learn about children‘s books, authors, and illustrators.

Monarch Award logo

Visit the official Monarch Website.