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THE RECENT PRESENTATION of the inaugural NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature to Mildred D. Taylor marked an auspicious moment in the world of contemporary children's literature. This new prize is an off-shoot of the prestigious Neustadt International Prize for Literature, which has honored eighteen writers in its distinguished thirty-five-year history, including such authors as Gabriel Garcia Marquez of Colombia (1972), Assia Djebar of Algeria (1996), and Adam Zagajewski of Poland, the 2004 laureate. Now with the NSK Prize, two influential "Neustadt" prizes will have an impact on the world of literature in alternating years.
Nancy Neustadt Barcelo, Susan Neustadt Schwartz, and Kathy Neustadt Hankin-the daughters of Walter Jr. and Dolores Neustadt and the granddaughters of Walter Sr. and Doris Westheimer Neustadt, longtime benefactors of the University of Oklahoma-dreamed of establishing the NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature. With the NSK Prize, the Neustadt daughters hope to enhance the quality of children's literature by recognizing writing that contributes to the quality of children's lives. In describing their vision for the NSK Prize at the 2003 award banquet, the three brought a personal note to their comments on the importance of books to them as children. According to Nancy, "I grew up reading almost every waking hour, and much of who I am today is because of the lessons learned from the authors and characters that, to me, were as real as any living person. I learned the vast potential of human possibilities-intellectual, spiritual, and emotional-in this powerful world of children's literature, and the authors and characters became my teachers." Susan spoke of the crucial place of Mildred Taylor's novels in her own education, and Kathy also touched on the importance of books while growing up in her parents' home in Ardmore, Oklahoma.
Books have always had a presence in my life. Growing up, our den was lined with filled bookshelves. Mom and Dad had leather-bound volumes of Charles Dickens and Charles...