Approximately every two years, a very special award is presented to an author and illustrator of a children’s fiction book which portrays persons with disabilities in a positive, appropriate way.
A little about the Dolly Gray Award…
This award, called the Dolly Gray Award for Children’s Literature, is the combined effort of several important groups established for the benefit of children with disabilities: The Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD), the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) and Special Needs Project. The winner is selected based on the sensitive portrayal of a character with a developmental disability, and the quality of both text and illustrations. This year, at a Kona, Hawaii conference on February 1, 2007, the Dolly Gray Award was presented to Sharlee Glenn and Dan Andreasen, for their delightful picture book, Keeping Up With Roo.
A little about Dolly Gray…
Dolly Gray, born in New York City in September of 1971, was a red-headed girl with a sweet countenance and tremendous desire to rise above her challenges. Born with severe quadriplegic athetoid cerebral palsy, her prognosis was grim. But despite being nearly blind, she learned to read. And she surprised everyone by doing grade-level work at home on a special computer. Dolly loved books, especially books with characters she could relate to—specifically those with disabilities of all kinds. Dolly died of a respiratory condition just before her eighteenth birthday. She was so well-liked and inspirational to others that this award was given her name.
A little about Sharlee Glenn…
I am particularly thrilled with this selection, because Sharlee Glenn is a personal friend and fellow-author whose work I greatly admire. Sharlee and I recently presented together at a writer’s workshop where we discussed “How to Write When Life Gets in the Way.” I promise you, there is not a kinder, more genuine person out there. She is a wife, mother, and a talented writer who is truly deserving of this award. Although I do not know Dan Andreasen personally, his illustrations were both charming and sensitive, perfectly suited to Sharlee’s tender story.
I am so fond of the book Keeping Up With Roo that I have already written a blog about it, which you can read by clicking here. I also own the book, and it’s one of my daughter’s favorites. As parents of special needs children, we must applaud books that portray persons with disabilities and challenges in a way that promotes understanding and tolerance. Keeping Up With Roo would be an asset to an child’s library, and I highly recommend it. To purchase the book via Amazon.com, click here.
Congratulations, Sharlee and Dan!