The Pennsylvania Center for the Book is celebrating its 25th anniversary at Penn State, and the 22nd anniversary of a special booklist — the Baker’s Dozen: Thirteen Best Books for Family Literacy.
The Baker’s Dozen booklist was created in 2003 by the center’s first Penn State director, Steven Herb, education librarian emeritus, and his wife, Sara Willoughby-Herb, professor emerita of early childhood education at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania.
“Baker’s Dozen books are surefire hits with kids,” says Ellysa Stern Cahoy, Penn State education librarian and current director of the center.
She says the books must have high interest for children between ages 3 and 6, and be suited to their developmental needs. “We’ll say, would a child want to read this book again?”
A selection jury assesses more than 800 children’s picture books published during the previous year to obtain the list of 13. James McCready, a Penn State library services specialist, assists the center with data analysis to create spreadsheets and make the process faster and more efficient.
“It’s very hard to find a book that meets all the criteria,” Cahoy says. “We test these books with preschool audiences to see how the kids respond. … There were some books this past year that almost made it to the end. And then, based on the feedback from the kids, we realized that certain titles weren’t right.
“They’re family literacy books,” she says. “We strive to get books that an adult can read and enjoy easily with a child. … They are incredible books for birthday or holiday gifts.”
The Pennsylvania Center for the Book is an affiliate of the Library of Congress, with staff, office space, and other resources provided by Penn State University Libraries. The center was originally based in the State Library of Pennsylvania from 1984 to 1994. Herb negotiated its transfer to Penn State, where it reopened in 2000.
Like the other 56 Centers for the Book in U.S. states and territories, the Pennsylvania center participates in Library of Congress programs, including the National Book Festival and the Great Reads from Great Places program, as well as its own unique initiatives and awards.
Casey Sennett, the center’s outreach and social media coordinator, says that each year for the Great Reads program, the Pennsylvania Center for the Book chooses one children’s book and one adult book from the previous two years in which the author has a connection to Pennsylvania, or the book includes a Pennsylvania topic.
The 2025 Pennsylvania Great Read for adults is a short-story collection, “Sidle Creek,” by Jolene McIlwain. The title for young readers is a romantic comedy for young adults, “With or Without You,” by Eric Smith.
The center’s oldest award recognizes excellence in children’s poetry books. “The Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award existed before it was in the Pennsylvania Center for the Book,” Cahoy says.
According to the center’s website, the first award was presented in 1993. The prize honors Hopkins, a poet, educator, and advocate for children’s poetry. Eligible books must have been published in the previous year by Canadian or U.S. poets writing for children.
The winner of the 2025 Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award is “Counting Winter,” written by Nancy White Carlstrom and illustrated by Claudia McGehee. Carlstrom won a cash prize, and her online interview with Hopkins jury chair Karla Schmit will be posted on the website of the Pennsylvania Center for the Book in fall 2025.
The honor book for the Hopkins poetry award is “Black Girl You Are Atlas,” written by Renée Watson and illustrated by Ekua Holmes.
The center’s newest award, the Lynd Ward Graphic Novel Prize, was first presented in 2011. The competition is open to Canadian and U.S. graphic novels published in the prior calendar year for ages 13 and older.
“It’s very much about the relationship between the art and text. They have to work together symbiotically,” says Cahoy.
The 2025 Lynd Ward Graphic Novel Prize winner is “Tender” by Beth Hetland, and the two honor books are “The Jellyfish” by Boum, and The Field by Dave Lapp. Hetland won a cash prize, and all three will receive a set of Ward’s books and a framed certificate. Hetland will visit Penn State to give a book talk and signing in the Foster Auditorium of Paterno Library on Oct. 24 at 4 p.m.
Sennett keeps the public informed about award winners, center resources, and events like author readings with her posts and videos on YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, BlueSky, and Instagram.
Instructional designer Erica King creates free online educational resources for teachers and families. She and James McCready maintain and, with center faculty and staff, add to the center’s two in-depth online educational resources, the interactive Literary and Cultural Heritage Maps of Pennsylvania, and the Pittsburgh Hill District Learning Tool. Cahoy says during her first two years as director, the center has worked hard to refine its focus and mission. “My hope for the future is that we continue to do what we do best, and we continue to help the residents of Pennsylvania connect with great books.” T&G
Karen Dabney is a freelance writer in State College.
2025 Baker’s Dozen: Thirteen Best Books for Family Literacy
“Bookie & Cookie” by Blanca Gómez
“A Friend for Eddy” by Ann Kim Ha
“Go and Get with Rex” by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka
“Home in a Lunchbox” by Cherry Mo
“I Quit” by Kristen Tracy, illustrated by Federico Fabiani
“Just Like Millie” by Lauren Castillo
“Lucky Duck” by Greg Pizzoli
“The Man Who Didn’t Like Animals” by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by LeUyen Pham
“The Mango Tree / La Mata de Mango” by Edel Rodriguez
“Towed by Toad” by Jashar Awan
“Trunk Goes Thunk! A Woodland Tale of Opposites” by Heather C. Morris, illustrated by Chantelle Thorne and Burgen Thorne
“Up High” by Matt Hunt
“The Yellow Bus” by Loren Long
