Mark Shriver Wins Second Christopher Award for "10 Hidden Heroes"

Bethesda, Md-based author Mark Shriver and illustrator Laura Watson, from Toronto, were honored with #ChristopherAwards for the book 10 Hidden Heroes, (Loyola Press], for children in kindergarten and up. It is one of 12 books for adults and young people recognized as the Awards mark their 73rd year. The authors join writers, producers and directors of 10 winning TV/cable and feature films. This is Shriver's second Christopher Award. The first was for A Good Man: Rediscovering My Father, Sargent Shriver, in 2013.

The seek-and-find book invites children to identify the everyday heroes around them, recognize the importance of helping others, and focus on being kind themselves. It also helps children develop counting skills and learn how they too can be heroes in day-to-day life whether through teaching, caring for animals, protecting the environment, or keeping others from harm.

Mark K. Shriver is the president of Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School and the former president of Save the Children Action Network in Washington, D.C. Shriver created the Choice Program and is a former Maryland state legislator. A Good Man: Rediscovering My Father, Sargent Shriver was a New York Times and Washington Post bestselling memoir.

As a freelance illustrator working in Toronto, Laura Watson creates whimsical illustrations for children's books, toys and puzzles, educational materials, magazines, and packaging. She is a graduate of Fine Arts at York University and Interpretive Illustration at Sheridan College.

The celebrated authors, illustrators, writers, producers, and directors, whose works exemplify this Chinese proverb “It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness,” also “affirm the highest values of the human spirit,” said Tony Rossi, The Christophers’ Director of Communications. “After the hardships and suffering we’ve witnessed and endured in the last two years, we need stories of hope, light, and unity to lift our spirits and guide us toward a brighter path,” he said.

The Christophers, a nonprofit founded in 1945 by Maryknoll Father James Keller, is rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition of service to God and humanity. The ancient Chinese proverb—“It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness”— guides its publishing, radio, and awards programs. More information about The Christophers is available at www.christophers.org.