'Johnny's Pheasant' by Ojibwe writer Cheryl Minnema wins prestigious picture book award

Books by Minnesota writers and artists have been honored by the Charlotte Zolotow Awards committees.

"Johnny's Pheasant" by Cheryl Minnema, illustrated by Julie Flett, has won the 23^rd annual Charlotte Zolotow Award for outstanding writing in a children's book. Minnema is a member of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe and Flett is a Cree-Metis artist. The book was published by the University of Minnesota Press.

There were also five honor books, including "A Map into the World," written by St. Paul writer Kao Kalia Yang and illustrated by Seo Kim. That picture book was published by Carolrhoda Books of Minneapolis.

The other honor books are: "Fry Bread," by Kevin Noble Maillard, illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal; "Pokko and the Drum," written and illustrated by Matthew Forsythe; "Saturday," written and illustrated by Oge Mora; and "Truman," written by Jean Reidy and illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummins.

The Charlotte Zolotow Award recognizes the work of Charlotte Zolotow, an editor for 38 years with Harper Junior Books and herself the author of more than 70 picture books.

(Pictured above: Illustration from "Johnny's Pheasant" by Julie Flett.)