Nominees for 2014 WNBA Pannell Award Announced

The Women’s National Book Association has announced the nominees in the children’s and general bookstore categories for the 2014 WNBA Pannell Award. Presented annually at BookExpo America’s Children’s Book and Author Breakfast, the WNBA Pannell Award honors bookstores that enhance their communities by using exceptional creativity to foster a love of reading in their young patrons.

Nominations for the award were submitted by customers, sales reps, store personnel, and others who were impressed with the work of these independent bookstores.

This year’s nominees are:

Children’s Bookstore

• 4 Kids Books & Toys, Zionsville, Indiana
• Bank Street Bookstore, New York, New York
• Books & Cookies, Santa Monica, California
• Books of Wonder, New York, New York
• Children’s Bookshop, Brookline, Massachusetts
• Children’s Book World, Los Angeles, California
• Hooray for Books!, Alexandria, Virginia
• The Voracious Reader, Larchmont, New York

 General Bookstore                                                                     

• Aaron’s Books, Lititz, Pennsylvania
• Avid Bookshop, Athens, Georgia 
• Book Passage, Corte Madera, California                      
• Bookshop Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California
• Byrd’s Books, Bethel, Connecticut                           
• Changing Hands Bookstore, Tempe, Arizona     
• Charis Books and More, Atlanta, Georgia         
• Community Book Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
• Devaney Doak & Garrett Booksellers, Farmington, Maine
• Forest Books, Locust Valley, New York
• MainStreet BookEnds of Warner, Warner, New Hampshire
• Maple Street Book Shop, New Orleans, Louisiana
• Newtonville Books, Newton, Massachusetts
• Octavia Books, New Orleans, Louisiana
• Page & Palette Bookstore, Fairhope, Alabama
• Park Road Books, Charlotte, North Carolina
• Porter Square Books, Cambridge, Massachusetts
• Riverwalk Books, Chelan, Washington
• University Bookstore, Seattle, Washington
• Vroman’s Bookstore, Pasadena, California
• Watchung Booksellers, Montclair, New Jersey
• Watermark Books, Wichita, Kansas   

Nominated stores are asked to put together an electronic submission with a description of activities, goals, and other contributions to their local communities that involve young people and books. Photos, media coverage, letters from customers, or anything else that transmits the degree of contribution can be included in the submission. The deadline for submissions is March 31, 2014.

The Pannell Award jurors for 2014 are:

• Cheryl Willis Hudson, vice president and editorial director, Just Us Books
• Andrew Karre, editorial director of Carolrhoda, an imprint of the Lerner Publishing Group
• Lisa von Drasek, curator of Children’s Literature Research Collections, University of Minnesota
• Emma D. Dryden, children’s editorial and publishing consultant, drydenbks
• Kelli Chipponeri, executive editor/children’s, Chronicle Books

The winners will be chosen by late April. Each will receive a $1,000 check and a framed signed original piece of art by a children’s illustrator.

Penguin Young Readers Group co-sponsors the WNBA Pannell Award.