The winners of the 2008 Jane Addams Children's Book Award have been announced. With their mission to honor books that "effectively promote the cause of peace, social justice, world community, and the equality of the sexes and all races as well as meeting conventional standards for excellence," this award is one that aligns closely with Illumination Arts' purpose.

This year's winner in the "Books for Younger Children" category is The Escape of Oney Judge: Martha Washington's Slave Finds Freedom, written and illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully. According to the press release,

Mrs. Washington's declares that young Oney is just like one of the Washington's own children, but Oney is not fooled. On the night Mrs. Washington tells Oney she will not grant her freedom upon her death, Oney thinks quickly, acts courageously and flees. Expressive watercolors within this well-researched biography portray the bravery of Ona Maria Judge, an African-American woman who claimed, and fought for, the right to have "no mistress but herself."

This sounds like a terrific, complex picture book. Congratulations to Ms. McCully!

[via Fuse #8]