Children’s Book Author/Illustrator Todd Parr to Receive 2014 Mills Tannenbaum Award for Children’s Literacy
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 28, 2014 (New York, NY) The 2014 Mills Tannenbaum Award for Children’s Literacy will be presented to children’s book author and illustrator Todd Parr at Reach Out and Read of Greater New York’s Annual Benefit and Auction on April 28th in New York City. The award, which is in its second year, recognizes children’s book authors dedicated to promoting a lifelong love of reading in young children.
“We created the award to recognize those writers who create children’s books that encourage early childhood reading and lifelong learning,” said Gary Tannenbaum and Helen Mills, founders of the award and longtime supporters of Reach Out and Read of Greater New York. “We are proud to honor Todd Parr, whose work delights and inspires so many children.”
“We created the award to recognize those writers who create children’s books that encourage early childhood reading and lifelong learning,” said Gary Tannenbaum and Helen Mills, founders of the award and longtime supporters of Reach Out and Read of Greater New York. “We are proud to honor Todd Parr, whose work delights and inspires so many children.”
Parr’s books are best recognized for their playful and colorful illustrations which share positive messages for children. Books like The Peace Book, It’s Okay to Be Different, The Thankful Book, and the upcoming It’s Okay to Make Mistakes, encourage children to explore new experiences and feelings and to develop a positive sense of themselves while embracing differences in others. His work has won numerous awards, including National Parenting Publications Awards, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Awards, a Parents’ Choice Award, and a Family Equality Council Award.
“Early literacy is such an important cause for me because I was a slow reader as a child,” said Parr. “Had I been given access to books during my first doctors’ visits, I probably would have enjoyed reading much earlier in life. It’s comforting to know that Reach Out and Read is around to provide so many children and their families this important first step towards a lifetime of reading together — one of my picture books, after all, is titled Reading Makes You Feel Good! I’m honored to be receiving the Mills Tannenbaum Award from Reach Out and Read of Greater New York.”
Todd Parr’s publisher, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, will donate 5,000 of his books to New York children through the Reach Out and Read of Greater New York early literacy program in honor of Parr’s award.
The 2014 Mills Tannenbaum Award will be a highlight of Reach Out and Read of Greater New York’s Annual Benefit and Auction on April 28th, which helps the organization raise critical funding for its operations. The event, which takes place at the Tribeca Rooftop in Manhattan, will include dinner and a silent auction.
Reach Out and Read of Greater New York partners with pediatricians to promote reading aloud to babies and young children for healthy brain development and to prepare them for success in school. Through the program, pediatricians provide free age-appropriate children’s books and ongoing literacy counseling to families with children 6 months through 5 years old – the most critical years of brain development. As a result, parents who participate in Reach Out and Read are more likely to read aloud to their children, one of the best ways to prepare children for school.
Reach Out and Read of Greater New York programs are located in 200 pediatric clinics in New York City, Long Island and the Hudson Valley, serving mostly low-income families in underserved communities. The program reaches a quarter of a million children and their families each year.
