Local Voices
Author Bea Birdsong, Greensboro, Wins a 2026 Christopher Award
The book, "How to Grow a Family Tree," is one of 10 honored
Greensboro, N.C.-based author Bea Birdsong has been honored with a Christopher Award for How to Grow a Family Tree, (Neal Porter Books/Holiday House, ages 6 and up). The winning book, illustrated by Jasu Hu, is one of 10 for adults and young people as the Christopher Awards program marks its 77th year.
The Awards celebrate authors, illustrators, writers, producers and directors, whose work “affirms the highest values of the human spirit” and reflect the Christopher motto, “It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness” which also guides the organization’s publishing and radio programs. Christopher Awards were also given to creators of nine TV/Cable shows and feature films.
The book is about a child with no known relatives beyond her mother. She stresses over a class assignment to list all her family members until she realizes that her close neighbors and friends fill that role in her life.
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Bea Birdsong is also the author of “I Will Be Fierce!,” “Sam’s First Word,” “How to Spot a Best Friend,” “Boop!,” “Goat Is the G.O.A.T.,” “You Did It!,” and “That Is Not a Dog!” She expects to publish “Me Too!” next year. She is a former teacher who believes in the awesome power of books to educate, entertain, and empower.
In addition to “How to Grow a Family Tree,” Jasu Hu is the illustrator of “All You Need,” written by Howard Schwartz, and “Wintergarden,’ written by Janet Fox. The Nanjing, China-based illustrator’s work has appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, and The Washington Post, among other major outlets. She lives in a quiet place with nature, books, and two cats.
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Tony Rossi, The Christophers’ Director of Communications, said, “Mother Teresa once observed, ‘If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.’ That sense of ‘belonging to each other’ is reflected in our award-winning stories of selflessness, sacrifice, faith, and kindness that can lead us to a better, more peaceful tomorrow.”
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.More information about The Christophers is available at www.christophers.org.Social media: #ChristopherAwards, Facebook: The Christophers / X: @ChristophersInc