Vera B. Williams named the 50th Regina Medal recipient

Highly respected and celebrated children’s author and illustrator Vera B. Williams is the 50th recipient of the Regina Medal for her continued, distinguished contribution to the field of children’s literature. This annual award is administered by Catholic Library Association through the Children’s Library Services Section.

Greenwillow has published all of Ms. Williams’ books, beginning in 1975 with It’s a Gingerbread House. She has won two Caldecott Honors: A Chair for My Mother (1983) and "More More More," Said the Baby: Three Love Stories (1990). Many of her works have been translated into Spanish.

When she was nine years old, her painting "Yentas" was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. The young artist was highlighted in the then popular Movietone film reels explaining her painting to another pioneering American woman, then first-lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Ms. Williams graduated from Black Mountain College near Asheville, North Carolina with a degree in graphic arts. She has always been a strong supporter of non-violence, children, woman, and the environment.

Ms. Williams will receive the Regina Medal at a luncheon in her honor at the CLA national convention in Indianapolis, IN on March 26, 2008.

The Regina Medal, established in 1959, through the generosity of an anonymous donor, honors an individual’s continued distinguished contribution to children’s literature.

This annual award is sponsored by the national Catholic Library Association (CLA) and is administered by the Children’s Libraries Section through the Regina Medal Committee each year at the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) convention each spring. The Regina Medal recognizes an individual’s lifetime contribution to quality literature for children, regardless of the nature of the contribution.

Above information is provided courtesy of CLA.