Second Annual Green Earth Book Awards Presented April 19

SALISBURY, MD---The National Green Earth Book Awards, sponsored by the Newton Marasco Foundation (NMF), are presented at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 19, in Holloway Hall Auditorium at Salisbury University.

The public is invited to the ceremony, which takes place during SU’s Children’s Literature Festival.

Author Anthony D. Fredericks and illustrator Jennifer DiRubbio receive this year’s Green Earth Book Award in the picture book category for their book Near One Cattail: Turtles, Logs and Leaping Frogs. Author Carl Hiaasen  receives the award in the young adult  category for his book Flush.

“The book award is one of the Newton Marasco Foundation’s most exciting initiatives and embodies our goal of instilling environmental awareness in children,” said Amy Marasco Newton, president of the Newton Marasco Foundation, a national organization advocating stewardship of the environment. “The winning authors were chosen for their efforts to inspire children to value the environment and to help educate a new generation on the importance of protecting our environment.”

Near One Cattail: Turtles, Logs and Leaping Frogs was selected for the children’s category. Through poetry about the many creatures of the wetland, the book focuses on the ecology of a wetland ecosystem and encourages stewardship. Flush was selected for the young adult category. It follows the detective work of young adults in discovering the dangers caused by a casino boat illegally dumping raw sewage into the Florida Keys.

Review of the nominated books and selection of the winners is conducted by a diverse panel of professionals, including college-level professors, environmental professionals, environmentalists, and children’s literature professionals. Winners receive $2,500. NMF launched the Green Earth Book Award in partnership with SU in 2005.

Laurence Pringle, author of numerous science-related trade books including An Extraordinary Life: The Story of A Monarch Butterfly, will be the keynote speaker following the award presentation. For more information on the ceremony call 410-543-6030 or visit the SU Web site at www.salisbury.edu. For more information on the Newton Marasco Foundation visit www.newtonmarascofoundation.org. "