I woke up to wonderful news! Runaway Smile has just been announced as the winner of the Gelett Burgess Children’s Book Award, in the Young Adult Fiction category. A lovely gold medal has been awarded (see below), and the book will be included in the Gelett Burgess Center’s educational outreach for the next year.
The Gelett Burgess Children’s Book Award
The Gelett Burgess Children’s Book Award highlights excellence in family-friendly books covering the broad expanse of a child’s existence, helping them grow socially, emotionally, ethically, intellectually, and physically. Each year Gelett Burgess Children’s Book awards are given to 40 books in 4 distinct classifications: Lifestyle, Arts and Letters, Society and Culture, and Education. The list of winners is promoted throughout the year with additional activity and lesson plan resources made available.
Parents, Educators, Librarians and Retailers trust the high mark of distinction the Gelett Burgess Foundation honors provide a product. Informed decisions about purchasing products designed for children and families can be made knowing they have passed the foundation’s stringent evaluation process. More information can be found at www.GelettBurgessCenter.com.
Who was Gellet Burgess?
Gelett Burgess
Frank Gelett Burgess was born January 30th, 1866 in Boston, Massachusetts. His most lasting contribution to the arts was probably the invention of the word “blurb” in 1917, when he humorously inscribed a book to Miss Belinda Blurb. From that day forward descriptive copy used for marketing purposes has been called a “blurb.” If you the word “blurb” isn’t part of your vocabulary, perhaps you’ve heard Burgess’ famous lines, “I never saw a purple cow, I never hope to see one; But I can tell you, anyhow, I’d rather see than be one.” (From Gelett Burgess’ poem, The Purple Cow)
In 1895, Burgess became founding editor of The Lark, a San Francisco-based magazine devoted to humorous poetry — which, in the 1890s, meant a healthy dollop of nonsense. He contributed a steady stream of quatrains in that genre, all accompanied by his uniquely-styled cartoons.
Goops by Gelett Burgess
Another of Burgess’ lasting creations was his Goops series, which brought humor to the subject of polite behavior and child rearing, and opened doors for many popular books and television series later in the century.
Frank Gelett Burgess died on September 18, 1951, in Carmel, CA. Since then, several important writers and illustrators have cited Gelett Burgess as an inspiration for their work, including Dr. Seuss:
Dr. Seuss’ mother fostered the pleasure her son took in the music of words when she presented him with Goops and How to be Them by Gelett Burgess as a child primer in etiquette: “Like little ships out to sea, I push my spoon away from me.” (Theodor Seuss Geisel by Donald E. Pease)
The Gelett Burgess Center for Creative Expression recognizes Burgess’ disctinct style in both writing and illustration, and holds this standard to the books and scholarship applicants we award.
A big thank-you to the kind people there and to all of you who believed in Runaway Smile!
Tweet This
So happy to hear this! December really was a red-letter month for you 😀
Yes, isn’t that fun? Especially since my ads pretty much flopped, so it was quite funny to watch.
That is fantastic, Nicholas! Congratulations 😀
Thank you so much! 🙂
Really brilliant news – what a perfect end to the old year/start to the new. Many, many congratulations.
Thank you so much, Sue! Yes, it sure was… 🙂
Congratulations! Well-deserved. 🙂
Thank you so much 🙂
Great news, Nicholas! Well done
Fantastic news. Well done, Nicholas!
Thank you so much, Graeme! 🙂
Read my copy of Runaway Smile two months ago – thought about sending it on to my niece – so unsure I would get it back that I kept it instead!
Congratulations!
Lol – thank you 😀
If she doesn’t mind an electronic copy, it’s free until the 30th 🙂
Congratulations and a very Merry Christmas,
Thank you so much, John. To you too 🙂
Fabulous! So happy for you. Well-deserved, Nicholas.
Thank you so much, Paula! 🙂
Fantastic, Nick! Congratulations and well done!
Thank you so much, Ali 🙂
That is just fab news Nick. Can you get the gold medal made into some extravagant bling and worn as a novelty earring maybe!
Ha ha – now, why would I do that, when it looks so good over my PJs (which is what I’ve been wearing ever since the wee one came into our lives)? 😀
Congrats, Nicholas! How wonderful! Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! ?
Thank you so much, Janice! Merry Christmas 🙂
Wonderful new! Congratulations on a well-deserved award. Merry Christmas to you and your lovely family.
Thank you so much, Michelle! Merry Christmas 🙂
Congratulations, Nicholas. It’s a well-deserved achievement.
Thank you so much, Connie! 🙂
Nicholas, congratulations! What happy news. This has been an amazing two months of celebrations for you and your family! Have a blessed Christmas! Chryssa
Thank you so much, Chryssa! Yes, so it has been.
You too 🙂
Brilliant, Nicholas! Congratulations! What a wonderful Christmas present…
Thank you so much 🙂
Wow! What a lovely thing to wake up to. Congratulations, Nicholas! Runaway Smile is a beautiful book and I’m so thrilled it’s getting recognized!!! 🙂
Thank you so much! 🙂
Congrats! I knew this was a good book but it is always nice to get public recognition
That is so sweet of you; thank you 🙂
That is FANTASTIC news!!!!!! Congratulations!!! What an awesome holiday surprise 🙂
Indeed it was! As the rest of my surprises come inside of diapers, this was really nice 🙂
What a lovely Christmas surprise for you, Nick – well done! 😀
Thank you so much, Jan! Yes, I’m thrilled 🙂
Wonderful! Congratuations. What a great holiday gift in more ways than one 🙂
Indeed it was! Thank you 🙂
What majestic news, Nicholas. Congratulations! I’m not surprised as it is the most enchanting tale.
That is such a sweet thing to say; thank you 🙂
Merry Christmas! 😀
You too! 🙂
Well done, Nicholas! So proud of you 🙂
Thank you so much, caz! 🙂
Fantastic. Congratulations, Nicholas
Thank you so much, Tess 🙂
You are more than welcome. 😀
Congratulations, Nicholas! Well-deserved!
Thank you so much, Julie 🙂
Very cool, congratulations.
Thank you, Craig 🙂
Congratulations on your success and also for sharing the information about Burgess. I came across the word “blurb” recently- in the context of emails-” send a blurb as to what you want posted to the group “.
Merry Christmas !
Thanks, you too 🙂
I was very surprised myself to come across this piece of information!
Congrats!
Thank you so much! 🙂
That’s wonderful news, Nicholas – congratulations 😀
Thank you so much, Catherine! 🙂
Wonderful!!!! Truly a high honor indeed, and well-deserved. Congratulations, Nicholas. I predict you’ll be honored again next year for Musiville. 🙂 Keep up the good work; you’re making my personalized copies worth more and more. LOL
Lol – that’s right, Sue. I’m working for you 😀
That’s awesome. Congrats on the win.
Thank you so much, Charles! Why does it feel so much easier to get awards for children’s books instead of fantasy?
Fantasy is very fringe. Look at how fantasy movies rarely get into the big film award shows and categories. Children’s books are kind of their own industry within the bigger industry. They run just a little differently than the rest.
Couldn’t have happened to a nicer person! I want to see a photo of you wearing that medal soon, Nicholas.
Very best wishes, Pete.
Lol – it would have to be over my PJs, as that’s pretty much all I’ve been wearing since the arrival of MN! 🙂
Congratulations, Nicholas, for winning the Gelett Burgess Children’s Book award for “Runaway Smile”. 🙂 — Suzanne
Thank you so much, Suzanne! 🙂
Brilliant Nicholas. Well deserved and from me too a very happy Christmas to you and yours.
Thank you so much, Philippa! Merry Christmas to you too 🙂
Fantastic news! Well done! 🙂
Thank you so much! 🙂
CONGRATULATIONS NICHOLAS 😀
Thank you so much, Chris! 🙂
Wow! Well-deserved!… Congratulations!
Thank you so much 🙂
Wow you are going to be famous. Congrats! Remember us when you are a super star 🙂
Lol – I’ve already bought a boat with the proceeds of my books. I keep it in the bathtub, for Mary Natalie to play with.
Congratulations, Nicholas! That’s wonderful! x
Thank you so much, Sue! 🙂
😉
Congratulation, Nicholas! That’s such a fantastic achievement! 🙂
Thank you so much, Sarah 🙂
Many Congratulations Nicholas. A Wonderful Christmas present. This really is excellent news.
HUGS
Thank you so much, David! Hugs 🙂
Brilliant – well done NIcholas – Blackheath Dawn Writers salute you.
And I salute you back. Thank you! 🙂
Fantastic well done!
Thank you so much! 🙂
this is such amazing complex and great words with elegance!
Thank you so much 🙂
This is amazing! Could you get a better Christmas gift? I’m so so happy for you! Runaway Smile definitely deserves all the praise in the world!
Aw, you! Thank you 😀