The Blueberry Awards Bear Fruitful Leads on Nature-Focused Kids' Lit

The Honors Issued By Evanston Public Library Cover Wide Range of Genres

Books honored by Evanston Public Library's The Blueberry Awards were on display at a luncheon briefing held March 21, 2025 at suburban Chicago's Prairie Grass Cafe. Photo by Bob Benenson

Since 2021, Evanston Public Library in suburban Chicago has annually given out The Blueberry Awards to honor children’s literature that strengthens the connections of children with nature and fosters action for the planet. 

To me, this is complementary to the efforts in the local food sector by forward-looking non-profits such as Pilot Light and The Evolved Network to instill Good Food values and use food as a teaching tool across schools’ curriculums. 

I had the pleasure recently to attend a briefing on the Blueberry Awards for books published in 2024, which were publicly announced on March 21. The luncheon event was hosted by Chef Sarah Stegner at her Prairie Grass Cafe in suburban Northbrook. 

The following is a list of the books cited by the awards committee, with photos of Blueberry Awards Committee members who led the briefing event. There is a brief description of the top award winner, and each book’s title is linked to its page on its publisher’s website. 

You can also click the button below to access the program for the 2024 Blueberry Awards, which has capsule descriptions of each book.

READ ABOUT THIS YEAR'S AWARD WINNERS

Keep scrolling after the rundown for an overview of the delicious lunch we all enjoyed. 

Photo by Bob Benenson

2024 Blueberry Award Winner 

The Great Lakes: Our Freshwater Treasure 

by Barb Rosenstock/Illustrated by Jamey Christoph 

A deep dive (literally!) into the Great Lakes, their history, present, and future. Learn everything you ever wanted to know about their six quadrillion gallons of freshwater and how vital they are to the world. Best for ages 4 -8 years. 

Photo by Bob Benenson

Board Books 

• Songs of the Birds: A Guide to North American Bird Calls and Songs 

By Isabel Otter 

• Welcome to the Cactus Hotel 

By Brenda Z. Guiberson 

• Who Laid These Eggs? 

By Laura Gehl 

Martha Meyer, Evanston Public Library assistant and founder of The Blueberry Awards. Photo by Bob Benenson

Picture Books 

• A Flicker of Hope: A Story of Migration 

By Cynthia Harmony 

• Look! Look! 

By Uma Krishnaswami 

• The Pelican Can! 

By Toni Yuly 

• A Terrible Place for a Nest 

By Sara Levine 

• What’s New, Daniel? 

By Micha Archer 

Poetry 

• Climbing the Volcano 

By Curtis Manley 

• The Mighty Pollinators 

By Helen Frost 

Betsy Bird, Evanston Public Library collection development manager and School Library Journal blogger. Photo by Bob Benenson

Fiction 

• Gracie Under the Waves 

  By Linda Sue Park 

• The Long Way Around 

  By Anne Nesbet 

• The Mailbox Tree 

  By Rebecca Lim 

• The Secret Language of Birds 

  By Lynne Kelly 

Graphics 

• Ant Story 

  By Jay Hosler 

Julie Rand, retired adult librarian, master gardener and international birder. Photo by Bob Benenson

Nonfiction Picture Books 

• The Bee Mother 

  By Brett N. Huson 

• Cactus Queen: Minerva Hoyt Establishes Joshua Tree National Park 

  By Lori Alexander 

• City of Leafcutter Ants: A Sustainable Society of Millions

  By Amy Hevron 

• Clever Crow 

  By Christine Butterworth 

• Life After Whale: The Amazing Ecosystem of a Whale Fall 

  By Lynn Brunelle 

• Log Life  By Amy Hevron 

  
  

• The Noisy Puddle: A Vernal Pool Through the Seasons 

  By Linda Booth Sweeney 

• Planting Hope 

  By Philip Hoelzel 

• Up, Up, Ever Up!: Junko Tabei, A Life in the Mountains 

  By Anita Yasuda 

Bessie Mbadugha, freelance writer and educator. Photo by Bob Benenson.

Nonfiction for Older Readers 

• Animal Climate Heroes! 

  By Alison Pearce Stevens 

• Chasing Guano: The Discovery of a Penguin Supercolony 

  By Helen Taylor 

Photo by Bob Benenson

Potato-Spring Green Garlic Soup (green garlic and wood sorrel garnish from Three Sisters Garden, Kankakee, Illinois).

Vegan entrée with local black beans; salad of mango, cilantro, cucumber, jicama & avocado; plaintain croquette

And blueberry pie, a most appropriate dessert for The Blueberry Awards event.

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4th Birthday Campaign: 20% of New Subscriptions Go To Farmers Rising

Help Local Food Forum Grow While We Help This Farmer Education Non-Profit

Local Food Forum is marking its 4th anniversary (April 1) by asking you to become a paid subscriber and help make this unique, mission-driven publication more self-sustaining. It is the honor of a lifetime to be of service to the community of people working to build a better food system.

But this isn’t just a subscription campaign. It’s a fundraiser: 20 percent of the proceeds from all subscriptions initiated through April 30 will go to Farmers Rising, the farmer education non-profit based in the north-central Illinois community of Caledonia.

For each new $50 Local Food Forum subscription, Farmers Rising receives $10

For each new $100 premier subscription, Farmers Rising receives $20

For each new $5 monthly subscription, we will multiply by 12 to assume a $60 full-year commitment and send $12 to Farmers Rising

Want to get even more involved with Local Food Forum while providing greater benefits to Farmers Rising? There’s a link in the article to contact me to discuss.

I am a longtime admirer of Farmers Rising (known as Angelic Organics Learning Center until its 2023 rebranding), which plays such an important role in helping new and early-stage small farms build their businesses and grow. I have been happy to support its efforts in many ways.

Naturally Chicago and Farmers Rising will truly appreciate any and all support. Please join us in standing for small farmers and working together to build a better food system.

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