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Honoring the Legacy of Zena Sutherland

Professor Zena Sutherland was among the world’s most influential and prolific scholars of young people’s literature. She wrote nineteen books and reviewed more than 30,000 children’s books over the course of more than forty years as a critic.

The legacy of Zena Sutherland is commemorated annually at the Zena Sutherland Lecture, held jointly between the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools and Chicago Public Library, as well as the Zena Sutherland Award for Excellence in Children's Literature, one of the few child-selected book awards in the United States.

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2025 Zena Sutherland Lecture by Renée Watson

Join us in honoring Zena Sutherland’s legacy and celebrating the power of children’s and young adult literature with bestselling and acclaimed author Renée Watson. 

Chicago Public Library
Harold Washington Library Center
400 S. State Street, Chicago, Illinois 60605
Friday, May 2 | 7:30 p.m.

Renée Watson is a #1 New York Times bestselling author who, over the past decade, has written twenty books for young readers. She has received high praise for her work, including a Coretta Scott King Award and a Newbery Honor for the novel  Piecing Me Together. 

There will also be a free reception afterward with refreshments and conversation for in-person guests—an opportunity to meet the author, engage with fellow book lovers, share ideas, and build lasting connections. Please note there will be no book signing or book sales.
 

Register Here to Attend

The Sutherland Lecture honors the late Zena Sutherland, Professor Emeritus and retired editor of the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. 

WHY: At its heart, this gathering celebrates leading voices in children’s and young adult literature while strengthening the vibrant community that makes it all possible.  

WHO: This special annual event provides a space for connection, learning, and community, bringing together children’s literature professionals, educators, families, and fans.  

While the lecture is designed for adults, all are welcome!  

Check out past Zena Sutherland Lectures on our YouTube playlist. 

The annual Zena Sutherland Lecture is co-sponsored by the Chicago Public Library, the Zena Sutherland Lecture Committee, and The University of Chicago Laboratory Schools.

Chicago Public Library
 
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Zena Sutherland Awards for Excellence in Children's Literature

The Zena Sutherland Award for Excellence in Children’s Literature has been granted annually since 1995. The award was established by former teachers Philip Matsikas and Karent Putman, along with former librarians Donna Schatt and Mary Ogilvie, as a response to student dissatisfaction with picture-book awards judged by adults. The award allows Lower School and Middle School students to become literary critics in the spirit of Professor Zena Sutherland.

The Zena Sutherland Award for Excellence in Children's Literature is one of the few child-selected book awards in the United States. It has grown an international reputation and is granted annually to three recipients: Best Text, Best Illustrations, and Best Overall. Archive list of Sutherland Award recipients.

Learn more about the 2025 Sutherland Awards

More about Zena Sutherland

As an associate professor in the University of Chicago’s Graduate Library School from 1972 to 1986, Sutherland taught the courses Children’s Literature and Literature for Young Adults. Sutherland edited the University’s Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, wrote the monthly “Books for Young People” column for Saturday Review from 1966 to 1972 and served as the children’s books editor at the Chicago Tribune from 1972 to 1984. Her textbook Children and Books is considered a classic in the field of library science.

Over the course of her career, she reviewed more than 30,000 children's books for the Bulletin, as well as for Saturday Review and Chicago Tribune. She authored six editions of Children and Books.

Sutherland served on numerous book award juries, including the National Book Award, the Hans Christian Andersen Award, the Jane Addams Book Award, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, the Caldecott Award, and the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, of which she was the permanent chair. 

As a member of the American Library Association, she was a jurist and member of the Newbery and Caldecott award committees. Sutherland also served on the United States Board on Books for Young People, acting as a children's literary ambassador in South Africa, China, and other countries.

Learn more about Zena Sutherland by exploring The Sutherland Papers. This University Special Collection consists of materials from her work in the Graduate Library School, papers regarding her service on the Newbery, Caldecott, and other children's literature award committees, speeches and writings, biographical materials, and correspondence related to her professional work at the University and as an editor and author of children's literature.

Zena Sutherland

Zena Sutherland, professor in the Graduate Library School of the University of Chicago, editor of the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, and author of books on children's literature. Photograph by Matthew Gilson, 1996