New York, NY, June 28, 2024 — LEE & LOW BOOKS INC. is the recipient of the 2024 ALAN Award, marking the first time a publishing company has been honored.
Established in 1974 by the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of NCTE, the ALAN Award celebrates those who have made outstanding contributions to the field of adolescent literature. Members of the 2024 ALAN Award Committee are Tracey Flores, Shalonda Foster, Morgan Jackson, Karimah Marsh, and Chair Dr. Rob Bittner.
“Over the decades since they were founded, Lee & Low has pushed for industry change in remarkable ways and established inventive and sustainable initiatives to support and nurture many authors and illustrators, increasing diversity in the literature available to librarians, educators, and most importantly, young readers,” remarked Bittner.
Lee & Low is the largest independent multicultural children’s book publisher in the United States. The family-run and certified 100% Minority Owned Business Enterprise (MBE) produces award-winning, high-quality books that are about everyone, for everyone — from picture books to middle grade and young adult novels as well as a wide selection of bilingual and Spanish language titles. The company’s commitment to greater representation in the publishing industry is reflected in the often-cited Diversity Baseline Survey and in the writing contests for unpublished writers of color or Indigenous/Native writers: New Voices Award and New Visions Award.
“We are grateful to be the first company chosen to receive the ALAN Award,” said Jason Low, Co-owner and Publisher. “For years, our work has been focused on increasing the number of diverse books in the world and dreaming up new ways to talk about inclusion. We like to think that we were part of the various converging movements that laid the foundation for many of the equity practices that are in place today.”
Low will accept the ALAN Award and offer remarks on behalf of Lee & Low at the upcoming National Council of Teachers of English annual conference in November in Boston, MA.