Hope is Here! Top Honors winner for the Lumen Award, given for “excellence in nonfiction for young readers.”

Hope is Here! Top Honors winner for the Lumen Award, given for “excellence in nonfiction for young readers.”

by | Dec 30, 2019 | Hope is Here!, Society

For Immediate Release
Children’s Literary Classics

http://www.clcawards.org/2015_Book_Awards_Winners.html

We’d like to be the first to congratulate you on your literary success! It is with great pleasure that we announce the 2015 Literary Classics Book award honorees.
You can be very proud to be in such esteemed company. Our judges were thoroughly impressed by the level of excellence demonstrated by this year’s entries.

You are our Top Honors winner for the Lumen Award, given for “excellence in nonfiction for young readers.” Award recipients were selected from entries
received from around the globe. Top Honors award recipients will receive Top Honors award images and further instructions in a separate email.

The 2015 Literary Classics book award recipients will be recognized during an awards presentation to be held on April 2, 2016 at the Los Angeles Convention
Center. Literary Classics, an organization dedicated to furthering excellence in literature, takes great pride in its role to help promote classic literature which
appeals to youth, while educating and encouraging positive values in the impressionable young minds of future generations.

Judging is based upon the
criteria set forth by Literary Classics’ highly selective awards committee which honors books promoting character, vision, creativity and learning, through
content which possesses key elements found in well-crafted literature. The Literary Classics judging committee is comprised of experts with backgrounds in
publishing, writing, editing, design, illustration, and book reviewing.

We’d like to invite you to the Literary Classics Book Awards presentation and private authors’ reception to be held on April 2, 2016 in Los Angeles. –As a 2015
Literary Classics Top Honors Book Award recipient, you will receive one full complimentary pass to attend the AWP Conference. Award recipients were
selected from entries received from around the globe.

Congratulations again!

Literary Classics
P.O. Box 3362
Rapid City, SD 57709
www.clcawards.org

Hope is Here! by Cristina Kessler, earns the Children’s Literary Classics Seal of Approval

Hope is Here! by Cristina Kessler, earns the Children’s Literary Classics Seal of Approval

by | Dec 30, 2019 | Hope is Here!, Society, St. John

“I am excited and proud to share this good news with all my family and friends. I received it while in Africa and hope to have the press release go out next week. I am honored that HOPE IS HERE! has received this recognition. Yahoo!”

For Immediate Release
Children’s Literary Classics

http://www.clcreviews.blogspot.com/2015/06/hope-is-here-by-cristina-kessler-earns.html

Children’s Literary Classics is pleased to announce that the children’s picture book, Hope is Here!, written by Cristina Kessler and illustrated by Marcos Castillo, has been selected to receive the Children’s Literary Classics Seal of Approval. The CLC Seal of Approval is a designation reserved for those books which uphold the rigorous criteria set forth by the Children’s Literary Classics review committee, a team comprised of individuals with backgrounds in publishing, editing, writing, illustration and graphic design.

Hope is Here! is the fascinating story of a small migratory bird called Hope. Hope is a Whimbrel, a bird about the size of a duck, which was implanted with a solar antenna for the purpose of scientific research. It is the research team’s intent to learn the migratory patterns of these birds to help protect the eco-system upon which they depend. The story, as told by a teacher to her students, recounts the incredible journey made by Hope each year from Canada all the way to her breeding grounds in the Caribbean. Over a four year period, Hope provided valuable data which will help ensure that more of her kind will continue to thrive in the many places they call home.

The book includes photographs and colorful illustrations along with a glossary and even suggestions on how to help protect Hope’s delicate eco-system.

Hope is Here! is well written and provides a great deal of information to keep young readers engaged. This book is recommended for classroom reading, and for home and school libraries.

Children’s Literary Classics, an organization dedicated to furthering excellence in children’s literature, takes great pride in its role to help promote classic children’s literature which appeals to youth, while educating and encouraging positive values in the impressionable young minds of future generations.

To learn more about Children’s Literary Classics, you may visit their website at www.clcawards.org or www.childrensliteraryclassics.com

Field biologist Fletcher Smith visited the Virgin Islands as the Celebrity Scientist with the UVI program EPSCoR

Field biologist Fletcher Smith visited the Virgin Islands as the Celebrity Scientist with the UVI program EPSCoR

by | Dec 30, 2019 | Hope is Here!, St. John

“I wanted the students to meet a scientist who loves what he does, who is really excited about his job,” said Kessler. “Maybe it will inspire some of them to want to be scientists themselves.”

The week of March 14 – 20, 2016 was a busy one for field biologist Fletcher Smith. Fletcher visited the Virgin Islands as the Celebrity Scientist with the UVI program EPSCoR. It took almost two years for me to arrange this visit, but the wait was well-worth it. We visited 7 schools on 3 islands in 5 days. There were also bird walks on St. John and St. Croix, plus an evening presentation for adults on those two islands.

Fletcher presented to over 750 students, and it was truly a success. The reason I proposed this program to EPSCoR is because I thought it would be good for the kids to hear about the life of a true scientist who spends 80% of his time in the field. He’s traveled from the Arctic in NW Canada, to St. Croix, just tracking Hope the Whimbrel, the star of my book HOPE IS HERE!

It was very obvious by the quality and quantity of questions from the students that they were fully engaged in Fletcher’s presentation. His show included slides, videos, maps and a few graphs. Some kids even stayed after the class to ask individual questions. I would say that there are many budding scientists on the three islands as a direct result of hearing and seeing what an interesting and important contribution Fletcher’s field work makes.

I sincerely thank Fletcher for his hard work in making so many presentations and know for sure that he was an inspiration to the kids. And a big thanks to St. John Rotary and the Audubon Society of St. John that generously presented Fletcher with honorarium checks. Having community support like this is great, so thanks again to the Audubon Society on St. John, St. John Rotary and EPSCoR.

Learn more about Fletcher’s visit on this featured article in the St. John Source.

Excerpt from the article:

This month Fletcher Smith, an ornithologist working out of the College of William and Mary in Virginia, visited schools across the V.I. to talk to students about what he and his research team have learned while tracking Hope and other whimbrels. On Monday and Tuesday, Smith visited St. John, where he spoke with students at Gifft Hill and Julius E. Sprauve Schools.

Smith was accompanied by award-winning children’s author and St. John resident Cristina Kessler, who published a book about Hope in 2013. The two also visited schools on St. Thomas and St. Croix.

Gifft Hill School Students listening to a presentation from Fletcher Smith.
Fletcher Smith talking to students after his presentation at Julius E. Sprauve School.
EPSCoR has embraced HOPE IS HERE!

EPSCoR has embraced HOPE IS HERE!

by | Dec 29, 2019 | Hope is Here!, Society

It is exciting to announce that EPSCoR has embraced HOPE IS HERE! by placing a large order to share with local kids.

According to Assistant Director, Nicholas Drayton, “The Virgin Islands Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (VI-EPSCoR) is a Territorial
program, whose aim is to build the Territory’s scientific capacity by improving our strengths in marine and environmental research, policy and decisionmaking, education and outreach, in order to more effectively address issues of vital importance to a healthy and sustainable future for the Virgin Islands.

We are impressed with the publication “Hope is Here!”. It is expertly crafted, and will contribute significantly to the accomplishment of some of our program’s
goals, especially with regard to the elementary school student sub-group. We have bought 500 copies for free distribution to students of elementary school age, as a motivator to stimulate their interest in science and the environment. This book will be distributed across the Territory at various local events throughout the year.”

Thanks EPSCoR for supporting my new book, and encouraging kids in the VI to get out and enjoy nature and become birdwatchers! I hope they all enjoy this
book that I like to call “science with a heart!

2015 Lumen Award Winner for Literary Excellence in Non-fiction for Young Readers

2015 Lumen Award Winner for Literary Excellence in Non-fiction for Young Readers

by | Dec 14, 2019 | Hope is Here!, Lumen Award

On April 2 , 2016 I went to Los Angeles for the award ceremony of Literary Classics. HOPE IS HERE! is the recipient of one of the four Top Honors Award. The Lumen Award is given for Literary Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Readers.

On April 1, I did a book signing, and on April 2, there was an afternoon ceremony and an evening reception. I am proud to be the Lumen Award winner!

Thanks Literary Classics.