Nasreen’s Secret School Receives Prestigious Jane Addams Children’s Book Award

PRLog (Press Release) - Apr 28, 2010 -
Nasreen’s Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan, by Jeanette Winter, has been named the winner of the 2010 Jane Addams Children’s Book Award in the Books for Younger Children category. This annual award is given by the Jane Addams Peace Association, in collaboration with the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, to honor books with themes of peace, social justice, and world community.

Susan Griffith, chair of the Jane Addams Children’s Book Committee, calls Nasreen’s Secret School “a story that affirms the importance of women, girls and education in the struggle for equality and justice on an international level.”

Nasreen’s Secret School, the first illustrated Global Fund for Children book, tells the story of one grandmother’s determination to overcome obstacles and ensure that her granddaughter receives an education. Based on true events during the rule of the Taliban, this inspiring book narrates for a young audience the difficulties girls in Afghanistan face in obtaining an education. In a climate where many images from Afghanistan are negative or violent, Nasreen’s Secret School authenticates our shared humanity. The book has received a number of awards and accolades from diverse sources, from Parents’ Choice and The Horn Book Magazine to School Library Journal and a range of bloggers.

A portion of the proceeds from the sales of Nasreen’s Secret School supports an innovative community-based organization serving vulnerable children and youth in Afghanistan. Nasreen’s Secret School is published by Simon & Schuster in cooperation with The Global Fund for Children, whose book program promotes global understanding and helps young people become caring citizens of the world.

Previous winners of the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award include The Cay by Theodore Taylor (1969), Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor (1976), Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (1989), and Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez by Kathleen Krull (2004).

About The Global Fund for Children – The Global Fund for Children’s mission is to advance the dignity of children and youth around the world. GFC pursues its mission by making small grants to innovative community-based organizations working with some of the world’s most vulnerable children and youth. To date, GFC has awarded 2,677 grants valued at $15.92 million. These grants have supported and strengthened 376 community-based organizations in 73 countries. More than 1 million children have benefited from the work of The Global Fund for Children

About the Author – Jeanette Winter has written and illustrated many children's books based on real people and events, including the highly acclaimed The Librarian of Basra and Wangari’s Trees of Peace.