Ozzy Ox Stands Against Socks wins children's book award!
Ozzy Ox Stands Against Socks is now a Purple Dragonfly Children’s Picture Book Award Winner! The Purple Dragonfly Book Award is a worldwide competition to celebrate the best in children’s books. Ozzy Ox Stands Against Socks won this distinction based on scoring by industry experts ----including the "real" experts: children!
Dragonfly Awards are granted to books based on content, originality, overall readability and design/illustration. It is SO rewarding to see this book, inspired by a grandson who refused to wear socks in his toddler life, be commended. Here's a sample:
“Oh no!” wailed Ozzy, in a fit.
“Will I wear socks? No NO! I’ve quit!
I just hate socks, you know that’s true.
They bind my hooves and make them blue!”
“I never find a matching pair.
One disappears, right in thin air!
And what is worse than any ox
Who goes without at least one sock?"
Ozzy's sock story won in the category of Picture Books for Ages Six and Up. Surprising, since I, as an author, have heard from parents of children as young as 18 months that their children request Ozzy Ox over and over. One father even hid Ozzy Ox Candy Stash from his three-year-old because he had read it on repeat over months and months at the request--no, demands--of his son!
Kudos and THANK YOU to Illustrator Emily Hagen on the appeal of her beautiful artwork. I always say: the PICTURES in a picture book are the most critical component! They were absolutely critical to the Purple Dragonfly Award. Ozzy Ox Stands Against Socks wouldn't be an award winner--and wouldn't even be a book--without the marvelous talent of Emily Hagen! Emily, thank you SO much for bringing Ozzy to life!
