The Monarch Award:
Illinois’ K-3 Readers’ Choice Award
• Sponsored by ISLMA
• Schools/libraries
register/participate
• Master List of 20 titles
• Award given annually
to book voted favorite
by K-3 children
• Specifics at website:
www.islma.org/
monarch.htm
Monarch Steering Committee
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Judy Bauman, Tate Woods, Lisle
Peggy Burton, Williams Elementary, Mattoon
Alice Joseph, Wilmette Public Library
Molly Masulis, Williams Elementary, Mattoon
• Sharon Peterson, Oakview Elementary, Bolingbrook
• Dana Russell, New Lenox Public Library
• Volunteers
– Readers
– Nominations
– Website
The Monarch Award:
Illinois’ K-3 Readers’ Choice Award
• Designed to encourage children to read
critically and become familiar with books,
authors and illustrators.
• Named in honor of the Monarch Butterfly,
Illinois’ state insect which symbolizes
growth, change and freedom, qualities that
also characterize the emergent reader.
• Organized to find the children’s favorite.
Monarch Packet-Online
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Information sheet
Bibliography with summaries and ISBNs
Nomination form and criteria for nominees
Ballot template for paper voting
Bookmark template
Tally sheet to record ALL votes for online
submission
• Many other resources available on the website
Monarch Dates
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March, 2011: Winner announced NIU and IRC
March, 2011: Website updated for 2011 resources
March, 2011: 2012 Registration brochure mailed
August 15, 2011: Online 2012 packet available
and mailing of sticker and voting information
2011–2012: Read the 2012 Nominees
September 15, 2011: 2013 Nominations close
January 15, 2012: Official end of 2012 registration
February, 2012: 2013 Master List announced
February, 2012: Vote online by the 28th
The 2005 Monarch Award
Monarch 2005 Winner
• 95,000 K-3 children voted!
• 667 schools/libraries
• Winner: David Gets in
Trouble by David Shannon
• Second: Hooway for
Wodney Wat by Helen Lester
• Third: I Will Never Not Ever
Eat a Tomato by Lauren
Child
Monarch 2006 Winner
• 115,000 students voted
• 719 schools/libraries
• Winner: My Lucky Day by
Keiko Kasza
• Second: Diary of a Worm
by Doreen Cronin
• Third: Miss Smith’s
Incredible Storybook by
Michael Garland
Keiko Kasza 2006 Winner
Monarch 2007 Winner
• 120,712 students voted
• 753 schools/libraries
• Winner: Superdog: The
Heart of a Hero by
Caralyn Buehner, illus.
by Mark Buehner (Dex)
• Second: I Ain’t Gonna
Paint No More by Karen
Beaumont
• Third: Falling for
Rapunzel by Leah Wilcox
2007 Monarch Award Winner
• Mark Buehner, illustrator of Superdog: The Heart of a
Hero, accepts the 2007 Monarch Award for himself and
his wife/author Caralyn. The book has been re-named
Dex due to a copyright question.
Monarch 2008 Winner
• Over 131,000 students
voted
• 780 schools/libraries
• Winner: If I Built a Car
by Chris Van Dusen
• Second: Bad Kitty by
Nick Bruel
• Third: Fancy Nancy by
Jane O’Connor
Monarch 2009 Winner
• 154,000 children voted
• 894 schools & libraries
• Winner: Once Upon a
Cool Motorcycle Dude
by Kevin O’Malley
• Second: Skippyjon
Jones by Judith
Schnacher
• Third: Superhero ABC
by Bob McLeod
Kevin O’Malley accepts the
2009 Monarch Award
Monarch 2010 Winner
• 156,158 children voted
• 840 schools & libraries
• Winner: Scaredy
Squirrel by Melanie Watt,
35,975 votes
• Second: Once I Ate a Pie
by Patricia MacLachlan
and Emily MacLachlan
Charest, 20,626 votes
• Third: The Gingerbread
Girl by Lisa Campbell
Ernst, 14,498 votes
Monarch 2011 Winner
• 140,720 children voted
• 711 schools & libraries
• Winner: Rhyming Dust
Bunnies by Jan Thomas,
23,370 votes
• Second: Two Bobbies: A
True Story of Hurricane
Katrina, Friendship and
Survival by Kirby Larson,
16,613 votes
• Third: Bad Kitty Gets a
Bath by Nick Bruel,
12,899 votes
Monarch Master List
Selection
• Librarians, teachers, parents and students may nominate.
• Nominees are narrowed to 100 by the nomination
committee, who considers the criteria, and the balance of
fiction/nonfiction/picture books/chapter books/easy readers.
• Volunteer readers review groups of 10 books and submit
evaluations based on a rubric.
• Their evaluations are used to narrow to 50 nominees.
• Readers attempt to read all 50 nominees.
• At the face-to-face meeting in January, each reader
reviews one book in depth.
• Readers vote to select the Master List of 20.
• Volunteer at the website.
Monarch Award: Illinois’ K-3
Readers’ Choice Award
2012 Master List
Sponsored by the
Illinois School Library Media Association
The Buddy Files:
The Case of the Lost Boy
by Dori Butler
• While searching for his
mysteriously lost human
family, Buddy the dog is
adopted by another family and
helps solve the mystery of
their missing boy.
• Discuss pets.
• Do a FREE Skype Q&A with
the author.
• Read the others in the series.
A Birthday for Bear
by Bonny Becker
• Despite Bear's efforts to ignore
his birthday, Mouse will not rest
until his friend celebrates.
• Discuss birthdays and how we
celebrate.
• Talk about manners and how
Mouse uses them.
• Prequel: A Visitor for Bear.
• Sequel: A bedtime for Bear.
Little Mouse Gets Ready
by Jeff Smith
• Little Mouse gets dressed
to go to the barn with his
mother, brothers, and
sisters.
• Discuss getting ready for
different activities.
• Talk about graphic books
and comics.
• Read other books by the
author.
Nic Bishop Butterflies and Moths
by Nic Bishop
• This book provides full-color
photographs and
illustrations describing the
physical characteristics,
behaviors, habits, and life
cycle of butterflies and
moths.
• Visit Bishop’s website:
http://www.nicbishop.com
• Look at other books by
Bishop.
• Draw your own butterfly or
moth.
Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11
by Brian Floca
• Simple text and illustrations
describe the flight of "Apollo
11" and the Moon landing in
1969.
• Research NASA, the moon,
Apollo 11, and space travel.
Never Smile at a Monkey: and 17
Other Important Things to Remember
by Steve Jenkins
• Some creatures have
developed unusual ways of
protecting themselves or
catching prey, and this can
make them unexpectedly
hazardous to your health. In
this book, you'll find out
what you should never do if
you encounter one of these
dangerous animals.
• Research some of the
animals in the book.
Testing the Ice: A True Story About
Jackie Robinson
by Sharon Robinson
• As a testament to his
courage, Jackie Robinson's
daughter shares memories of
him, from his baseball career
to the day he tests the ice for
her, her brothers, and their
friends.
• Research Jackie Robinson.
• Discuss the concept of
courage.
• Talk about fathers.
Panda Kindergarten
by Joanne Ryder
• Photographs and text
follow sixteen panda cubs
at the Wolong Nature
Preserve, where they are
raised and observed by
scientists and workers
while they learn survival
skills that will allow them
to be re-released into the
wild.
• Research pandas.
• Compare to kindergarten
for humans.
The Mitten
by Jim Aylesworth
• This book is a retelling of the
traditional tale of how a
boy's lost mitten becomes a
refuge from the cold for an
increasing number of
animals.
• Read other versions of the
tale.
• Discuss winter and ways to
keep warm.
Shark vs. Train
by Chris Barton
• A shark and a train
compete in a series of
contests on a seesaw, in
hot air balloons, bowling,
shooting baskets, playing
hide-and-seek, and more.
• Discuss other toys which
could have a contest.
• Use a Venn diagram to
illustrate differences and
similarities.
• Think of other contests for
shark and train.
Dogku
by Andrew Clements
• This story, told through
haiku, is about the many
things a dog named
Mooch does, such as
riding in a car, barking at
the neighbors, and
chewing on dirty socks.
• Discuss dogs as pets.
• Write your own Haiku.
• Do a class poll about dog
breeds and graph the
results.
Grace for President
by Kelly DiPucchio
• Grace decides to run in her
school's mock election, where
she learns about the
American electoral system
and sets out to be the best
person for the job, even
though her opponent,
Thomas, seems to be
winning all the boys' votes.
• Talk about voting and the
electoral process.
• Hold a classroom election.
Imogene’s Last Stand
by Candace Fleming
• Enamored of history, young
Imogene Tripp tries to save
her town's Historical Society
from being demolished in
order to build a shoelace
factory.
• Talk about local history.
• Is Imogene a hero? What is
a hero?
Let’s Do Nothing
by Tony Fucile
• Frankie and Sal have
played every board
game, read every comic
book, and painted a
zillion pictures. Just when
it seems they will collapse
from boredom, Sal gets a
brilliant idea.
• Try to do nothing.
• Draw yourself as
something else.
Bridget’s Beret
by Tom Lichtenheld
• When Bridget loses the
beret that provides her with
artistic inspiration like other
great artists, she thinks she
will never be able to draw
again.
• What is “inspiration”?
• Discuss what things you are
good at doing.
Otis
by Loren Long
• When a big new yellow
tractor arrives, Otis, the
friendly little tractor, is
cast away behind the
barn, but when trouble
occurs, Otis is the only
one who can help.
• What is friendship?
• Talk about farms and how
they have changed.
Duck! Rabbit!
by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
• Two unseen characters argue
about whether the creature
they are looking at is a rabbit
or a duck.
• Look at other optical illusions.
• Talk about perspective.
• Talk about trying to see both
sides of a situation.
Memoirs of a Goldfish
by Devin Scillian
• A goldfish presents a tell-all
tale of his experiences of
swimming around his bowl
as it slowly fills with
intruders. When he is
relocated for a cleaning, he
realizes how much he
misses his new
companions.
• Talk about what should go
in a goldfish bowl.
• Draw pictures of your ideal
goldfish bowl.
Interrupting Chicken
by David Ezra Stein
• It's bedtime for the little red
chicken, and Papa starts
reading her a story, but she
can't help herself. As soon
as the story gets going, out
jumps the little red chicken,
right into the story, saving
characters from danger and
ending the story early.
• Discuss bedtime rituals.
• Talk about favorite stories.
• Change the endings of other
favorite stories.
Duck at the Door
by Jackie Urbanovic
• When Max the duck
decides to stay behind
when his flock flies south,
Irene invites him to stay
with her for the winter.
• Discuss migration.
• Talk about being a “good
guest”.
• Read the other Max books:
Sitting Duck, Duck and
Cover, Duck Soup.
Maximizing the Monarch
• Label the books: orange stickers, orange tape, label
protectors, butterfly stickers, logo stickers for sale
• Display ideas: bulletin board, wall, special Monarch shelf
• Reading ideas
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Reserve/rotate books, to every classroom
Offer stickers/certificate for classroom reading ALL 20 nominees
Make bookmarks/checklists for kids to keep track of books read
Read in classroom/library/home
• Fun gimmicks–orange hat, shirt, butterfly balloons, puppets
• Ensure ALL students get to vote. (Read 5 books to them!)
• Establish voting procedures, ideas on the web.
Monarch Award:
Illinois’ K-3 Readers’ Choice Award
Sponsored by the
Illinois School Library Media Association
http://www.islma.org/monarch.htm
dsmma@frontiernet.net
Questions/Comments
• Any questions?
• Don’t forget to register (only $10), read,
and vote!
• Visit the website soon
http://www.islma.org/monarch.htm