WASHINGTON, DC, Dec 10 – This holiday season give the kids in your life a meaningful gift—like a memorable read, according to education advocate David Bruce Smith.

“Books are ammunition for imagination—and a contributor to one’s success, especially when they propel us to learn the hows and whys of the past. Books teach young people how to think; they spur ideas, and develop the art of decision making,” says Smith.

The author and publisher has devoted part of his life to helping children learn about who they are, where they come from, and how to learn about all the possibilities that await them. That is why he, and the late Dr. Bruce Cole, former chairman of the National Endowment of the Humanities, co-founded the Grateful American Book Prize.

Their purpose was to initiate an early love of historical fiction and/or non-fiction, so that students would have an early understanding and appreciation about their past.

“The Prize has certainly had an impact in encouraging authors and their publishers to produce works like this since we inaugurated the award in 2015,” notes Smith. He offers a few old/new book recommendations that might prompt a “gee whiz” moment in young people, which also include all of the winners and runners-up of the Grateful American Book Prize:

 

 
NOTE TO EDITORS: Historically accurate books of fiction and nonfiction for children 11 to 15 years of age, published between July 1, 2018 and July 31, 2019, are eligible for the 2019 Prize. Submissions will be accepted from January 1, 2019 through July 31, 2019.