Monday, May 11, 2009

BUTT UGLY WINS ERIC HOFFER AWARD FOR BEST CHILDREN'S BOOK


"The Eric Hoffer award for short prose and books was established at the start of the 21st century as a means of opening a door to writing of significant merit. It honors the memory of the great American philosopher Eric Hoffer by highlighting salient writing, as well as the independent spirit of small publishers. The winning stories and essays are published in Best New Writing, and the book awards are covered in the US Review of Books."

Here is their review of the winning BUTT!

by Lynn Montgomery, illustrated by Terrie Redding
ZuZu Petals Books
reviewed by Wendy Thomas

"You see, I wasn't always a handsome dog. No siree. When I was born, everyone screamed..."

Move over Marley, Butt Ugly is the dog to cheer about!

Butt Ugly is the heart-tugging story of a pup born the runt in a litter of outstanding "Princesses" and "Fangs." One by one, his brothers and sisters get adopted, and Butt Ugly is left to achingly wonder why he is so unwanted by everyone, except his mother who thinks it is a "grand tooting" idea that he stays with her. Ultimately he discovers that his true self, and not the perception of others, is what's really important in life.

A story that is appealing to both children and adults, Butt Ugly humorously and compassionately teaches us that labels often do more harm than good. If we start looking at the individual and not the label, we may just find something unexpected. Sometimes, like in Butt Ugly, we find the proverbial diamond-in-the-rough. With this little green dog, once we remove the label, the pup is able to discover his true capabilities and worth. And it all culminates in a terrific ending for the pup formerly known as "Butt Ugly."

Butt Ugly has the added ecological advantage of being printed on 100% recycled, non-bleached paper, using vegetable based inks and renewable energy. A wonderful life-affirming message in an earth-friendly package—what parent or child could want for more? This title recently won the Eric Hoffer Book Award in the Children's Book category.