Wilder Award Recipients
Wed, 10/06/2021 - 2:23pm
admin
The Laura Ingalls Wilder Children's Literature Festival Committee is pleased to announce the 2021 recipients of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Children's Literature Award. These awards, given for excellence in children's literature and illustration, will be presented during the Laura Ingalls Wilder Children's Literature Festival to be held November 4th and 5th in Mansfield, MO.
The recipient for excellence in children's literature is K.D. McCrite. When told that she would be the recipient, she responded: "As a born-and-bred Mansfield girl, I cannot begin to express how honored I am to receive this award. Mrs. Wilder's books are a precious commodity to the world, and for me to receive any accolade in her name is amazing. Thank you so much. I am humbly grateful."
The recipient for excellence in illustration is Chuck Todd. When contacted about being chosen for this award, he replied: "I'm deeply humbled and extremely jazzed to receive this honor for my illustration work, and I'm very thankful to the committee for selecting me for this award. As a kid raised in the Missouri Ozarks I was encouraged by my parents and teachers to chase my dreams. I was inspired by the many illustrators whose work I saw in comic books, children's books, and magazines to make my own artwork. So, this is a full circle moment for me to come back home, and to celebrate my love of illustration with other rural kids like I once was. Thank you!"
"Chuck is a 1985 graduate of Willow Springs High School and in 1989 received a BFA in Image Production from Missouri State University (Springfield, Mo.). Chuck also has an M.F.A. in illustration from the Academy of Art University (San Francisco, 1999). Chuck's career as a newspaper artist and presentation editor included stints at the Springfield News-Leader and Contra Costa Times/Bay Area News Group. Chuck now works from his home studio in Concord, CA creating illustrations for children's books, magazines, websites, and comics. During a two-decade partnership with author Gary Bogue, Chuck illustrated four children's nature books including "Is That a Skunk?" published by HeyDay Books."