Eleanor Davis’ Stinky, which is published by Toon Books, was named an “Honor Book” (runner-up) for the 2009 Geisel Award.  The Theodor Seuss Geisel Award, named for the famed creator of the Dr. Seuss library of children’s books, is presented annually by the American Library Association to the author and illustrator of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English during the preceding year.  Mo Willems, who won in 2008 for There Is a Bird on Your Head, took home the award again in 2009 for Are You Ready to Play Outside?.   Willems, who created Sheep in the Big City for the Cartoon Network, uses a comic book style with word balloons to narrate the adventures of his protagonists, a cautious, pessimistic elephant and a reckless, optimistic pig.

Eleanor Davis’ Stinky is the first of the Toon Books’ graphic novels specifically designed for young readers to attain Geisel “Honor Book” status.  Comic pioneers Francoise Mouly and Art Spiegelman launched Toon Books in the spring of 2008 (see “Mouly & Spiegelman Launch Kids GN Line”).  Eva Volin, Supervising Children’s Librarian for the Alameda Free Library in California and a recent Eisner Award judge, reviewed Stinky for ICv2 and gave it “5 stars out of 5” (see “Review of Stinky”).