May 2, 2015

It All Starts Here . . . Buckeye Book Award Reading Challenge 1982




Let the challenge begin!  As stated in a previous post, my librarian friend Ashley Lambacher of the Book Talker and I are hosting the Buckeye Book Award Reading Challenge.  Our goal is to read all the past winners from the children’s book category in chronological order from 1982 to the present.  I will read the K-2 picture book winners and Ashley will read the 4-8/3-5 chapter book winners.  Today I start this challenge by reading the first winner of the K-2 Buckeye Book Award in 1982, The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree by Stan and Jan Berenstain.

The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree is a classic tale from my childhood.  I can remember reading this book in my youth.  It was first published in 1978 but won the Buckeye Book Award in 1982.  The Berentain Bears were very popular in the 80s.  There was a cartoon and a wide variety of story books.  What I love about The Spooky Old Tree is its rhyming text and suspense.  It reads like a Dr. Seuss book and feels like an episode of Scooby Doo.  Even though today’s children don’t adore the Berenstain Bears like I did as kid, the story stills holds up and can be appreciated by today’s beginning readers.  I read it to my daughter and she loved the spooky suspense even though she’s unfamiliar with the Berenstain Bears.  I can remember voting for the Buckeye Book Awards as a child and I’m certain I voted for The Spooky Old Tree in 1982.  Its quality literature worthy of this award and remains a classic to this day.

Ashley, what Buckeye Book Award winner are your currently reading?  Can’t wait to hear your take on the first chapter book winner.

Would you like to join Ashley and I as we read through Ohio’s award winning books?  We welcome any and all who are interested in participating in this fun reading challenge.  For more information, see my post on 4/27/15.

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