Pannell Winners Announced

This year's winners of the Lucile Micheels Pannell Award for Excellence in Children's Bookselling, announced by the Women's National Book Association (WNBA) on May 2, are Books & Books in Miami and Coral Gables, Florida, in the general bookstore category and Wonderland Books & Toys in Rockford, Illinois, in the children's specialty category. The awards will be presented by Mary Grey James, WNBA Pannell chair, at the Celebration of Bookselling on the evening of Thursday, May 31, at Hotel ABA in Brooklyn.

The Pannell Award, given annually since 1983, recognizes retail bookstores that excel at creatively bringing books and children together and inspiring children's interest in books and reading.

Former ABA President Mitchell Kaplan's Books & Books was commended by the Pannell jury for "reaching out to the growing young adult market with its High School Photography Exhibit, a rock concert tie-in to Laurie Halse Anderson's Twisted, and fencing/ballet/drumming/yoga workshops -- all related to making books accessible to young people."

Emily D'Amour, Books & Books' children's events and marketing coordinator, told BTW that she started screaming into the phone when she was notified. "I had to apologize. We were just so excited. We had a little celebration here and everyone was running around and jumping up and down. We had been waiting with bated breath that we would get the call."

Erin Taylor, owner of Wonderland Books & Toys, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this September, said, "I feel undeserving but very excited.... We are just so incredibly honored."

The jury recognized the store for its "overall commitment to community outreach as actual 'good works' beyond typical store marketing or promotional motivation, such as their work with Head Start and their programs aimed at developmentally delayed children."

"We do try to reach out to the community," said Taylor. "It feels very special to be recognized for trying to bring the community together with books."

Each winner will receive a check for $1,000 and a framed piece of original art.

The Pannell committee also commended five other booksellers as "good candidates for making a difference in their communities": All for Kids Books & Music in Seattle; Little Shop of Stories Atlanta; Tome on the Range in Las Vegas, New Mexico; Vroman's of Pasadena, California; and Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza in Albany, New York.