Congratulations to Rachel Wada who illustrated the 2022 Irma Black Award contender FROM THE TOPS OF THE TREES by Kao Kalia Yang (Carolrhoda Books)! The Irma Simonton Black and James H. Black Award for Excellence in Children’s Literature (Irma Black Award) goes to an outstanding book for young children—a book in which text and illustrations are inseparable, each enhancing and enlarging on the other to produce a singular whole. The Irma Black Award is unusual in that children are the final judges of the winning book. The Irma Black Award will be presented during the award breakfast ceremony at Bank Street College in May.
About FROM THE TOPS OF THE TREES:
Young Kalia has never known life beyond the fences of the Ban Vinai Refugee Camp. The Thai camp holds many thousands of Hmong families who fled in the aftermath of the little-known Secret War in Laos that was waged during America’s Vietnam War. For Kalia and her cousins, life isn’t always easy, but they still find ways to play, racing with chickens and riding a beloved pet dog.
Just four years old, Kalia is still figuring out her place in the world. When she asks what is beyond the fence, at first her father has no answers for her. But on the following day, he leads her to the tallest tree in the camp and, secure in her father’s arms, Kalia sees the spread of a world beyond.
Kao Kalia Yang’s sensitive prose and Rachel Wada’s evocative illustrations bring to life this tender true story of the love between a father and a daughter.
Rachel Wada was raised between Japan and Hong Kong and is currently based in Vancouver, British Columbia. She has created illustrations for magazines, newspapers, advertising, and even a mural. Her first children’s book project, The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota’s Garden, was recognized with the Freeman Award for Children’s Literature. Her second children’s book, From The Tops Of The Trees, is expected to be published in the fall of 2021. Visually, Rachel’s works are characterized by the use of rich colours, textures, and fine details through both digital and traditional mediums. Rachel is represented by Amy Tompkins.
See the full list of nominees here: https://www.bankstreet.edu/library/center-for-childrens-literature/irma-black-award/frequently-asked-questions/