For many years children in Grades 4, 5 and 6 have had the opportunity to help select a book to receive the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award. This year's award will be selected by children across Arkansas who have been participating in reading these books, and hearing them read aloud by teachers and library media specialists. This is an opportunity to get your children engaged in reading carefully selected books from this year's list. Please note that children in Grades 4,5 and 6 should have read or heard read at least three of the books from the 1998-99 list in order to vote.
Attached is a ballot (Form1) to be reproduced by your school and used by the students to vote. The votes should then be tallied in each school and totals of each title should be indicated on Form 2. Then Form 2 should be mailed to the address shown on the form and be postmarked no later than Friday, April 16, 1999. Form 3 has been enclosed for you to submit titles to be considered by the Charlie May Simon Reading Committee for the 200-2001 reading list. The copyright date must be 1998.
The 1999-2000 CMS Children's Book Award Reading List of books published in 1997 is enclosed for your convenience in ordering this year. Please be aware that all future communication about the award will only be available as a Director's Memo on the Arkansas Department of Education Web site http://arkedu.state.ar.us.
This is a voluntary activity in which the individual schools should select books based on the local district selection policy. Additional information will be available in May on this year's winners.