Schoolchildren came from all over the state on Saturday to celebrate the 56th annual William Allen White Book Awards.
The day’s activities began on the ESU campus on Saturday morning, with a lunch and book signings in the Memorial Union. Just after noon, the students took part in a parade down Commercial Street and to W. L. White Auditorium.
At the auditorium, the two winning authors accepted their awards and spoke to the students about their books and about the importance of developing a love of reading.
“I am honored to be here today to be part of an entire festival devoted to the celebration of reading and children’s books,” said Ann Martin, author of “A Dog’s Life.”
“... Everyone in my family loved to read,” Martin said, explaining her development as a reader. “We were given books as gifts. We went to the public library every week and I went to the school library almost every day. I woke up early so I could read in bed before I went to school, and I went to bed early so I could read before I fell asleep. ... And from this love of books came a love of writing.”
“A Dog’s Life” is about the adventures of a stray puppy named Squirrel.
“The story of Squirrel is one I have wanted to tell for a long time,” Martin said, “but I wasn’t sure how to tell it. What sort of voice should I give to Squirrel, a dog? How would Squirrel talk about her experiences? I thought about dogs. I thought about stray dogs. I thought about my own dog, Sadie, who was the inspiration for the book. And I thought about you, my readers.”
L.D. Harkrader, author of “Airball: My Life in Briefs,” spoke next.
“Winning an award is always really exciting, but to me the William Allen White Award is very special,” Harkrader said.
She grew up in Tonganoxie, and participated in voting for the awards as a child.
“I don’t think there was a time in my life when I didn’t love books,” Harkrader said. “Even before I learned to read, my parents would read to me, and I’d force them to read my favorite stories over and over again until I had them memorized.
“... Once I did learn to read, you could not pry the book out of my hands.”
Harkrader said she read so much that it sometimes got her into trouble.
“Have you ever gotten into trouble for trying to read at the dinner table?” she asked. “Have you ever gotten into trouble for reading under the covers with a flashlight when you were supposed to be asleep? Have you ever crashed your bike on the way home from the library because you were trying to read with the book on the handlebars?
“If you haven’t done that, don’t try it. It’s really not a good idea.”
“Airball: My Life in Briefs” is the story of Kirby, a seventh-grade boy who isn’t very good at basketball, but goes out for the sport to meet the basketball star who he thinks is his father. The team the boy plays on is so bad that the coach buys new uniforms to improve the team, and soon Kirby finds himself playing in his underwear.
Harkrader explained that she started the story based on the fairy tale “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” but as she kept writing and revising, the story evolved and took on a life of its own.
She said that even as early as third grade, she had already decided to be a writer.
“This little idea popped into my head: Wouldn’t it be cool if one of these days, one of my books were on the list?”
After the acceptance speeches, students lined up for another chance to have copies of the books signed.
The William Allen White Book Awards are chosen each year by Kansas students from a list of 30 books. The award started in 1953, and its purpose is to honor White’s love of reading and to encourage children to learn about the magic of books.