“I Know How to Draw an Owl,” written by Hilary Horder Hippely and illustrated by Matt James, is the winner of the 2025 Charlotte Zolotow Award for outstanding writing in a picture book.
The award is presented by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC), a library within the UW–Madison School of Education. “I Know How to Draw an Owl” was edited by Neal Porter and published in the United States in 2024 by Neal Porter Books, an imprint of Holiday House.
In addition to this win, two honor books and ten highly commended titles were also named.
In the story, when Belle’s teacher praises her drawing of an owl and asks how Belle made it look so alive, Belle simply shrugs and replies, “I know, but I don’t want to tell.” Belle and her mother once had their “own home, too — with a table and chairs and a sleepy cat,” but currently they live in their old blue car, sleeping in a park where an unseen owl sings a “hooty lullaby” every night. Her mother remarks, “‘We’re lucky, Belle,’” adding that the owl is “keeping an eye on you and me.” One night, Belle finally sees the owl when it alights on a nearby branch. Exclaiming, “Oh! He was big and wild, that owl…” Belle looks into “his two wise eyes,” and the owl seems to stare right back at her. It tells her, “He stayed with me for a long, long time, I think to say — I’m glad you’re here. I like sharing my home with you.”
Presented on her own terms without romanticizing or catastrophizing her situation, Belle’s experience is rendered in a quiet, eloquent narrative that centers on empathy and resilience. Though Belle initially intends to keep her experience private, everything changes when she sees a new boy arriving at school in an old blue car, looking tearful. Remembering her owl, Belle shows the boy around as if to say, “I’m here. I understand. I’ll keep my eye on you.”
The two 2025 Charlotte Zolotow Award Honor Books are:
“Emergency Quarters,” written by Carlos Matias, illustrated by Gracey Zhang, edited by Caitlin Johnson, and published by Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins (2024). In this vibrant narrative, Ernesto endures five days that test his willpower as he walks to and from school, each day with an additional quarter in his pocket. His mother advises, “‘For emergencies, Ernesto, if you need me, look for a pay phone.’” Ernesto navigates temptations at local stores and finally recounts an “emergency at the barbershop” with a grin on his face.
“Noodles on a Bicycle,” written by Kyo Maclear, illustrated by Gracey Zhang, edited by Ann Kelley, and published by Random House Studio, an imprint of Random House (2024). Told from the perspective of a group of children in Tokyo, the book captures their admiration for the noodle deliverymen, who “sit outside / and watch / and wait / for the flicker of pedal and wheel.” The children mimic the deliverymen and eagerly anticipate a meal of “soupy, slurpy noodles. / Thin, long, belly-filling noodles. / Cold, chewy noodles made for dipping,” joyfully calling their delivery daddy “Papa” as they join him for dinner.
The ten 2025 Charlotte Zolotow Award Highly Commended titles are:
- “Big Bear and Little Bear Go Fishing,” written by Amy Hest and illustrated by Erin Stead (Neal Porter Books / Holiday House, 2024)
- “Chooch Helped,” written by Andrea L. Rogers and illustrated by Rebecca Lee Kunz (Levine Querido, 2024)
- “The Fish of Small Wishes,” written by Elana K. Arnold and illustrated by Magdalena Mora (Roaring Brook Press, 2024)
- “Joyful Song: A Naming Story,” written by Lesléa Newman and illustrated by Susan Gal (Levine Querido, 2024)
- “Just Like Millie,” written and illustrated by Lauren Castillo (Candlewick Press, 2024)
- “Let’s Go! / haw êkwa!,” written and illustrated by Julie Flett (Greystone Kids, 2024)
- “No More Señora Mimí,” written by Meg Medina and illustrated by Brittany Cicchese (Candlewick Press, 2024)
- “Terrible Horses: A Story of Sibling Conflict and Companionship,” written by Raymond Antrobus and illustrated by Ken Wilson-Max (Candlewick Press, 2024)
- “Touch the Sky,” written by Stephanie V. Lucianovic and illustrated by Chris Park (Carolrhoda / Lerner, 2024)
- “We Are Definitely Human,” written and illustrated by X. Fang (Tundra Books, 2024)
Established in 1998, the Charlotte Zolotow Award honors the distinguished work of Charlotte Zolotow, a children’s book editor with Harper Junior Books for 38 years and an author of more than 70 picture books, including classics such as “Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present” (Harper, 1962) and “William’s Doll” (Harper, 1972). Zolotow attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison on a writing scholarship from 1933 to 1936, studying with Professor Helen C. White, and passed away in Nov. 2013 at the age of 98.
The annual award is given for outstanding writing in a picture book for children in the birth-through-seven age range, published in the United States or Canada. This marks the 26th time the award has been presented. The 2025 award will be formally presented at an award ceremony in Madison on May 3, 2025.
Members of the 2025 Zolotow Award committee were:
- Madeline Tyner Freimuth, chair (Librarian, Cooperative Children’s Book Center)
- Nancy Engle (Library Media Technology Specialist, Dr. Virginia Henderson Elementary School, Madison, Wisconsin)
- Marissa Gehrke (Community Engagement Librarian, Verona Public Library, Verona, Wisconsin)
- Merri Lindgren (Librarian, Cooperative Children’s Book Center, Madison, Wisconsin)
- Paula Zipperer (former Director, Eagle’s Wing Child Care and Education Programs, UW–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin)
The Cooperative Children’s Book Center is a non-circulating library for adults with professional, career, or academic interests in children’s and young adult literature. The Friends of the CCBC, Inc., cosponsor of the award event, is a nonprofit organization offering lectures, book sales, and other benefits for its members, in addition to supporting the work of the CCBC.