Any children’s author of a humorous book for kids would be proud to receive the Sid Fleischman Humor Award. Not only is this prestigious book award associated with an extraordinary author, it is highly competitive and brands the winner with a mark of excellence in children’s writing. So what does it take to win the Sid Fleischman Humor Award? And how is the winning book selected?
Here is everything you need to know about the Sid Fleischman Humor Award, starting with a look at the man behind the award.
Sid Fleischman and the Road to Children's Writing
Born on March 16, 1920, in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in California, Sid Fleischman didn’t begin writing for children until his forties. Even so, he served in many roles earlier in his life that would prepare him for his career as a children’s author, including a magician, reporter, adult novelist, and screenwriter.
Mr. Fleischman sent his first book for children to his agent on a whim, telling him to throw it in the garbage if it didn’t spark any interest, according to Fleischman's March 21, 2010, obituary in the Los Angeles Times. Inspired by his daughter and his teenage years as a traveling magician, the story sold quickly – and sent Fleischman on his way to becoming a children’s author of more than 35 books for children.
His children’s books range from novels to picture books to biographies, many of which highlight his gifts as a writer: “love of language, adventuresome plotting and nose for history,” notes to the Times article, and especially humor. Mr. Fleischman told the Columbus Ohio Dispatch in 1997 that “humor is the oxygen of children’s literature” and that even kids who hate to read will read a book that’s funny.
Not that Sid Fleischman’s books for children are strictly funny. In his 1987 Newbery Medal winner The Whipping Boy, he combines humor with suspense and adventure, plus more serious issues like friendship, betrayal, courage, and trust. It’s this knack for weaving humor into a moving story that make Sid Fleischman and his books stand out in the world of children’s writing.
Sid Fleischman Humor Award – Eligibility Rules
But Sid Fleischman's books weren’t his only contribution to children’s writing. He also became well known as a mentor for aspiring children’s authors and a regular speaker at the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators conferences. As a tribute to Mr. Fleischman, the SCBWI established the Sid Fleischman Humor Award “to honor humorous work, so often overlooked in children’s literature by other award committees.” Since 2003, the award has been given every year but one.
The deadline for the 2011 Sid Fleischman Humor Award has passed; however, here are the basic guidelines for eligibility for the 2012 book award:
- Open to members of the SCBWI, writers only
- Any children’s book of humor is acceptable (fiction, nonfiction, etc.)
- Self-published or traditionally published books are eligible
- Book must be originally published in the previous calendar year (2011)
- Submissions must be received by December 15, 2011
Selection Process of the Sid Fleischman Book Award
Children’s authors whose books fit the eligibility rules must send three copies of their book to the SCBWI, care of the Golden Kite Coordinator. (Note: the Sid Fleischman book award is separate from the Golden Kite award and should be sent as a separate submission.) The Sid Fleischman Humor Award nominees are evaluated by a designated panel of judges, consisting of SCBWI authors who work in the humor writing genre. The winner is notified in April of 2012. Awards are presented at the SCBWI Summer Conference.
Because the Sid Fleischman Humor Award recognizes work that “exemplifies superlative writing” in humor, it is a great achievement for children’s authors who receive it. Past winners include Lisa Yee (Millicent Min, Girl Genius), David La Rochelle (Absolutely Positively Not) and, most recently, Allen Zadoff (Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can’t Have).
Although Sid Fleischman passed away in March of 2010, just a day after his 90th birthday, he will always be remembered for his brilliance in children’s writing, most notably his skillful use of humor. The Sid Fleischman Humor Award keeps his legacy alive by honoring children’s writers who, like the man behind the award, inspire reading and laughter in kids of all ages.
For more information on the Sid Fleischman Humor Award, visit scbwi.org.
For information on another noteworthy children’s book award, see The Cheerios New Author Award for Unpublished Children’s Writers.
Sources:
McLellan, Dennis. “ Sid Fleischman dies at 90; Newbery Medal-winning children’s writer.” Los Angeles Times (March 21, 2010).
“Remembering Sid Fleischman.” SCBWI Bulletin, May/June 2010.
Susie Yakowicz - Susie Yakowicz is a Minnesota freelance writer whose work has appeared in dozens of publications for children and adults.
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