Children across Missouri have voted, and the winner of the 2020 Missouri Building Block Award goes to “Dandy” written by Ame Dyckman and illustrated by Charles Santoso. About 8,700 preschoolers and kindergartners participated, choosing “Dandy” as their favorite.
“Dandy” is a laugh-out-loud story of a father desperate to destroy the dandelion marring his perfectly manicured lawn and his daughter’s fierce attempts to save it. When Daddy spots a solitary weed in his lawn, he’s appalled (along with all of his neighborhood friends). But his daughter Sweetie has fallen in love with the beautiful flower, even going so far as to name it Charlotte. Racing against time and the mockery of his friends, Daddy has to find a way to get rid of the errant dandelion without breaking his little girl’s heart.
Check out the official page of the Missouri Building Block Award to see past winners, get activity sheets and more!
Want to read more Missouri Building Block Award books? The 2021 Missouri Building Block Award Nominees have just been announced. The Nominees are:
- “I Want a Dog” written and illustrated by Jon Agee
- “Stomp” written by Ian Aurora and illustrated by Natalie Moore
- “Bad Dog” written and illustrated by Mike Boldt
- “Crocodiles Need Kisses Too” written by Rebecca Colby and illustrated by Penelope Dullaghan
- “Saturday” written and illustrated by Oge Mora
- “Bear Came Along” written by Richard T. Morris and illustrated by LeUyen Pham
- “The Book Hog” written and illustrated by Greg Pizzoli
- “One Red Sock” written and illustrated by Jennifer Sattler
- “The Farm that Mac Built” written by Tammi Sauer and illustrated by Jackie Urbanovic
- “The Pigeon Has to Go to School!” written and illustrated by Mo Willems
