It seems like ages ago, but I can't let such a monumental evening go unblogged. I was honored to return as host for the 5th annual Children's Choice Book Awards. It was a fantastic evening, filled with literati, heartfelt acceptance speeches and for me—some full-circle moments.
 |
| I arrived early to rehearse a few bits. |
The show opened with a video I cooked up with Scieszka and some other kid lit pals:
Check out more photos and video below.
In my opening monologue, I got to poke fun of myself for not being nominated and Jeff Kinney, for being nominated every year, but never winning. Jeff ended up taking home the prize of Author of the Year. It' was nice to see things finally go his way. Good kid, that Jeff Kinney.
Aside from getting to introduce Marc Brown (who I wrote a fan letter to back when I was 19), I also had the great opportunity of introducing Jack Gantos. Jack visited my elementary school when I was in 3rd grade to discuss his new (at the time) picture book series, Rotten Ralph. Check out the clip below to hear my recounting of the encounter.
 |
| Mary Pope Osborne (or MPO as I like to call her), Jeff Kinney and I before the show. |
 |
| Brian Selznick took home the prize for Illustrator of the Year. |
 |
| Welcoming Mr. Gantos to the stage. |
 |
| Jeff with his Susan Lucci book. |
 |
| Welcoming Mr. Brown to the stage. |
 |
| I was relieved that my jokes didn't fall flat. And as I planned, nobody understood the football jokes. |
 |
| The fact that nobody in the room understood football pleased NY Giants' Justin Tuck to no end. I can now say I made a two-time Super Bowl Champion crack up. |
 |
| Robin Adeleson, director of the CBC and Every Child a Reader, who is the engine that makes it all happen! (I would have smiled with my teeth, but my mouth was full of cupcakes, brownies and chocolate-covered fruit.) |
 |
| Walter Dean Myers breaking the news that I was not nominated. |
 |
| Gina and I backstage. (For the record, Mrs. Krosoczka is standing by her dislike for my bow-tie.) |
One of the greatest perks of hosting was hanging out backstage with such literary greats.
 |
| Chris Raschka |
 |
| Jack Gantos |
 |
| Marc Brown |
 |
| S.E. Hinton (And yes, I did ask about Ralph Machio. The actor, not the pug.) |
 |
| MPO |
 |
| Andrew Clements |
 |
| WDM |
And not all of the footage of aircraft crashing and bombs exploding made it into the final entry video. So here are some deleted scenes:
In short, a magical evening that gets me giddy with excitement all these months later as I review these photos. Next year, you should totally go. Even though I plan on stepping out of the role of host, I plan on being a part of the festivities! It's an evening not to be missed!
That wasn't enough for you? Take a look at all of the behind-the-scenes photos here!
No comments:
Post a Comment