One Cool Award!
UM-Dearborn alumna Toni Buzzeo’s new book, “One Cool Friend,” was recently named a 2013 Caldecott Honor Book, a huge honor and achievement! Each year, the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, honors the work of illustrators by selecting the most distinguished American picture books for children. One title is selected to receive the Caldecott Medal, and one or more others are denoted as Caldecott Honor Books. Being selected is a major recognition for the artist, author, and book!
David Small is the illustrator of Toni’s book. His adorable pictures are a perfect complement to Toni’s humorous story about Elliot and the penguin he takes home after a visit to an aquarium. Frozen anchovy pizzas, Goldfish crackers, and a mini ice rink go unnoticed by Elliot’s father who thinks his son is playing with a toy penguin!
“One Cool Friend” is a New York Times bestseller and has been nominated for many other awards. It also won the 2013 Maine Literary Award for Children’s Books.
We recently caught up with Toni at the American Library Association conference where she and David were autographing copies of the book. It was a long line, but we prevailed! Our autographed copy is now a treasured item in our special Juvenile Historic Collection.
We asked Toni about her experience of having her book named a Caldecott Honor Book. She said when the announcement was made, “I got hundreds of messages from everyone I know in the library and children's book worlds. And yes, we headed down to The Salty Dog for dinner and drinks with friends on the coast in Sarasota where we winter.”
She was breathless when she won the Caldecott and Maine awards, “They were Cinderella moments.” We asked about the thrill of seeing the silver Caldecott Honor Book sticker on her book. “I'm delighted by that shiny silver sticker each time I sign a copy of the book. I wish that all those years ago, sitting in Dr. Sidney Warschausky's creative writing class , I'd have had a peek forward to see where it would all lead!”
Toni graduated from the College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters (CASL) with a B.A. in English language and literature. She has authored more than 19 books for children and 11 for educators and librarians. One of her very first books, “The Sea Chest,” was illustrated by Mary GrandPre, the same artist who illustrated the American editions of the “Harry Potter” series.
Finding a quiet place to write is essential for many authors. After hearing some friends talk about the benefits of their writing cottages, Toni became convinced that she needed one, too. She persuaded her husband, Ken, to help make her dream come true. Working together with their friend, Jim Shula, Toni’s writing cottage became a reality. Not too large, not too small, it’s just right! Toni talks about her writing cottage in a short YouTube video.
To learn more about Toni and her books, check out her website at tonibuzzeo.com.
Congratulations, Toni!
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