Smithville Author is Finalist for National Award

An author from Smithville is a finalist for a national award.

Olga D’Agostino is a finalist in for The Children’s Literature Independently Published Principals’ Award (CLIPPA) for her book, The Trees Have Hearts.

The CLIPPA honors outstanding children’s books that offer fun, learning and creativity and were self-published by independent authors.

Entries were judged on originality, learning quality and use of language standards by a judging committee comprising nine elementary school principals, educators and authors from across the country.

The CLIPPA is sponsored by Kabuki Helps (www.kabukihelps.com), a community of parents and teachers committed to making learning fun.

“We created these awards to recognize and encourage independent authors, who face many challenges in getting their stories into the hands of young readers,” Lisa Hayes, President of Kabuki Helps, said in a release issued Monday night.. “There is a long, honored tradition of self-publishing in children’s literature. In fact, some of our greatest children’s books, like ‘The Tale of Peter Rabbit,’ would have not exist if the author had waited for a traditional publisher to accept them.”

D’Agostino is one of just 10 selected for the CLIPPA, which will be announced on Oct.1. There are two categories: children’s books for Grades K-2 and children’s books for Grades 3-4.

The two award winners’ books will be featured on the Kabuki Helps website and the authors will receive a variety of cash and other prizes, including support in promoting their books.

The Tree Have Hearts tells the story of a lonely little girl in a new home and a new school. She creates an imaginary world, in which the trees are her friends, to cope with her loneliness. She uses nature as a bridge to make friends and cope with her surroundings.

D’Agostino, whose pen-name is Mrs. D, was born in the Ukraine and immigrated to the U.S. in 1992. She has been writing since 2011 and has authored several other children’s books.

For more about the prizes and a list of the judges, visit http://www.clippaward.com.