Toppenish, Wash., Illustrator Bethany Stancliffe Wins a Christopher Award

Toppenish, Wash-based illustrator has been honored with a Christopher Award for “A Teddy Bear for Emily – and President Roosevelt, Too,” (Albert Whitman & Company, Preschool and up). The winning author is Nancy Churnin. The book is one of 10 for adults and young people as the Christopher Awards program marks its 77^th 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 9 TV/Cable shows and feature films.

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According to the website, Rose Katz and Morris Michtom grew up in Russia during a period of persecution against Jewish people. Hoping to find kindness and opportunity in another country, they emigrated to the United States, where they got married and opened a candy shop. In 1902, they read a newspaper article about President Theodore Roosevelt sparing a bear on a hunting trip. To the delight of their daughter, Emily, the Michtoms created a small, stuffed version of the animal and named it Teddy’s Bear. Before long, this cuddly symbol of one man’s act of compassion became a beloved toy that continues to delight children all over the world.

Stancliffe began illustrating books in 2018 after studying illustration at Brigham Young University–Idaho. Growing up, she spent many summers on her grandparents' farm in Teton Valley, Idaho, where she nurtured a love of reading, drawing, and spending long hours playing outside. She now lives in the Pacific Northwest countryside with her husband and three children.

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