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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 15, 2009
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Leeann Lavin: 718-623-7289, leeannlavin@bbg.org
Kate Blumm: 718-623-7241, kateblumm@bbg.org
Brooklyn Botanic Garden's The Tree Book for Kids and Their Grown-ups Author & Illustrator, Gina Ingoglia, Is Named Silver Award Winner for Illustration by the Garden Writers Association
Brooklyn, New York—MAY 15, 2009—Gina Ingoglia, author and illustrator of Brooklyn Botanic Garden's (BBG) first hardcover publication for children, The Tree Book for Kids and Their Grown-ups, garnered the prestigious Illustration for Book honors for that book from the Garden Writers Association (GWA) Media Awards Program. The association's April newsletter, Quill & Trowel, announced the winners of the 2009 Silver Award of Achievement, which is presented in seven categories, including writing, photography, and graphic design. The winners are now eligible for consideration for a Gold Award of Achievement. Recipients of the Gold Award will be announced at the GWA awards banquet and annual meeting in September.
According to Denise Cowie, the GWA's 2009 awards chair, "For over 25 years, the GWA has conducted an annual awards program for talent and products published or aired in the field of garden communications. The purpose of the program is to provide recognition for the vast talents of the GWA membership in the area of writing, photography, graphic design, illustration, and electronic media such as radio, television, and internet programming. It is a means of showcasing the many exceptional works created and/or published every year.”
Continuing BBG's nearly century-long practice of opening up the natural world to children through botany, The Tree Book captures the quiet yet compelling power of trees in a meticulously compiled, gloriously illustrated hardcover guide. The Tree Book comprises a unique combination of botanical facts and one-of-a-kind full-color artwork to dazzling effect, and offers a rare opportunity to learn about the often little-known world of trees.
Researched at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, The Tree Book features illustrations and informative text about each tree's history, native habitat, growth habit, and role in everyday life. A charming way for both children and adults to learn about and celebrate nature, the 96-page Tree Book begins with an introduction to trees, including how they grow, why leaves change color, and details about bark and other characteristics that help with tree species identification. The book profiles 33 North American trees that can be found growing from rural Georgia to neighborhoods in New York City to the suburbs of California. Each profile includes a watercolor of the mature tree as it appears in a particular season and life-sized images of its leaf, leaf bud, flower, fruit, and seed.
"I am honored to receive the Illustration Silver Award of Achievement from the Garden Writer's Association,” said Ingoglia. "With a background in landscape architecture, it was important for me to put together a book for children and their families that would foster an awareness of trees and inspire them to examine the natural world with curiosity, awe, and a desire for knowledge. I'd hoped that my watercolors would engage readers of all ages and help them to appreciate the importance of trees and to nourish a lifelong bond with them. So I am especially delighted that my artwork has been recognized for garden communications by the GWA.”
Gina Ingoglia is the author of more than 80 books for children. She is a graduate of Dickinson College and holds an MA in publishing from New York University. She graduated a George H. Cook Scholar in landscape architecture from Rutgers University and has a private practice in residential landscape and garden design. In 1996, she was awarded an honorary doctorate in humanities from Dickinson College. She is vice president of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Florilegium Society, and her botanical art has been exhibited with the society in the United States and abroad. From 1987 to 1995 she wrote and illustrated the "Budding Gardener" column for Brooklyn Botanic Garden's periodic publication, Plants & Gardens News. She lives in Brooklyn Heights, New York, with her husband, Earl Weiner. They have a son, daughter, and two grandchildren. The Tree Book took many years to research and write, and the author credits her grandson, Davey as the inspiration for the completion of the book. Ingoglia not only thanks Davey in the acknowledgements, but dedicates the book to him and his sister, Lily.