CHANDLER, AZ (June, 2016) – Winners of the 2016 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards have been announced by Five Star Publications, Inc. Fabulous Me, Piper Lee and the Peanut Butter Itch by Tolya L. Thompson and illustrated by Terence Gaylor has earned this year’s $300 Grand Prize as well as a First Place designation in the Best Illustrations and Health categories. Fabulous Me Piper Lee and the Peanut Butter Itch is the first release featuring Piper Lee in the existing line of Smarties Books. Guided by her inner voice, MeMe, Piper Lee struggles to resist the temptation of eating peanut butter even though she knows she is allergic to peanuts. The itch to taste, and the total body itch that follows, provide an unforgettable lesson on food allergies.

The winner of this year’s $100 drawing is Billie Holladay Skelley, author of Luella Agnes Owen: Going Where No Lady Had Gone Before. Skelley earned First Place awards in the Biography and Historical Nonfiction categories.

Additional first-place winners include: A Mommy's Promise by Connie Cabrina; Cody, The Teeny, Tiny Alpaca by Amber Isaac; The Day Dad Blew Up the Cowshed by Jennifer Somervell, illustrated by Margery Fern; The Grumpy Unicorn by Jennifer Hodge; Daddy's Heart, My Heart, The Purple Heart by Angela Kohout, Madeline Murillo, and Elizabeth Sagi, illustrated by Michael Ryan; Star Sapphire and the Land of Gems by Anthony Pardoe; Liv on Life series by Elizabeth Gorcey, illustrated by Kajiah Jacobs; Don't Play With Your Food: Fu-Fu's Bistro by Giddy Gragert, illustrated by Christina Mattison Ebert; Sammie Street Adventures: Stormy Saturday by Jennifer Blyth, illustrated by Kathy Kerber; The Rabbit Rescuers by Cindy Howard, illustrated by Nancy Lane; Why Can't You Just Like Me? by Cathy A. Carroll; If You Love Honey by Martha Sullivan, illustrated by Cathy Morrison; Mighty Mole and Super Soil by Mary Quattlebaum, illustrated by Chad Wallace; One Minute Mysteries: 65 Short Mysteries You Solve With Math! by Eric Yoder and Natalie Yoder; The Legend of the Colombian Mermaid by Janet Balletta, illustrated by Estella Mejia; Where is My Grandma? by Niyati Desai-Kadakia, illustrated by Deepa Shah-Chordia; "Why Did Grandma Put Her Underwear in the Refrigerator?" An Explanation of Alzheimer's Disease for Children by Max Wallack and Carolyn Given; Tales for Your Monkey's Mind by Steve Michael Reedy, illustrated by Tom Fee; Bee in the Sea by Adam Reed, illustrated by Izzy Bean; Green is Good by Elizabeth Gorcey, illustrated by Kajiah Jacobs; Grandma's Garden by Julie Ann Dolle', illustrated by Gaston Hauviller; Cole's Perfect Puppy - Perfect Puppies - Book One by Frances Crossno; Star Sapphire and the Land of Gems - Book Two: The Raging Torrent by Anthony Pardoe; The Rain of Blood by S.P. Kumar; Goodnight, Campsite by Loretta Sponsler, illustrated by Olga Shevchenko; Going to the Park by Elizabeth Gorcey, illustrated by Kajiah Jacobs; Max and Bear by Pam Saxelby, illustrated by Stephen Adams; Narla and the Hidden Treasure by Lisa Domeny; Beasties by Pat Hall, illustrated by Emmeline Hall Forrestal; Escape into the Mall by Donna LeBlanc, illustrated by Anton Servetnik; My Forgotten Self: A Story About a Girl, A Powerful Encounter, and a Universal Message by Lynyetta G. Willis, Ph.D; Mystery of the Giant Masks of Sanxingdui by Icy Smith, illustrated by Gayle Garner Roski; Somebody Cares: A Guide for Kids Who Have Experienced Neglect by Susan Farber Straus, PhD, illustrated by Claire Keay; What a Bragger! by Lee Ann Mancini, illustrated by Dan Sharp; Dinosaurs Living in My Hair by Jayne M. Rose-Vallee, illustrated by Anni Matsick; Ms. Abrams' Everything Garden by Lisa and Samantha Colodny, illustrated by Ashley Scott; The Alien Logs of Super Jewels by BK Bradshaw, illustrated by Travis Hanson; Inside the Palisade by K.C. Maguire; Let's Change That! If Animals Can, We Can, Too! by Dr. Bashar Salame, illustrated by Rainer M. Osinger; Once Upon A Zombie Book One: The Color of Fear by Billy Phillips and Jenny Nissenson; and The Phantom of Faerie Mountain by E.M. McIntyre.                 

"We had a very tight competition this year and our judges definitely had their work cut out for them," says Linda F. Radke, president of Five Star Publications, Inc. “I want to extend my sincerest congratulations to all of our winners.”

The next Purple Dragonfly Book Awards contest is already underway. The early bird deadline is March 1, 2017. Final deadline for submissions is May 1, 2017.

The early bird deadline for the Royal Dragonfly Book Awards contest, which recognizes outstanding literature in all genres, is August 1, 2016. The final deadline is October 1, 2016.

For complete rules and submission forms for these contests, visit DragonflyBookAwards.com and click on the contest of choice. For more information about the other programs Story Monsters LLC offers, please visit www.StoryMonsters.com or call 480-940-8182.

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