About TBA
Any participating school or public library must submit an annual registration fee of $15. This fee covers postage and printing costs associated with the Texas Bluebonnet Award.
- Register Online (pay by credit card)
- Printable Form (pay with check)
Texas Bluebonnet Award Program supplies can be ordered through the TLA/TBA Store on this website.
- Order Online (pay by credit card)
- Printable Form (pay with check)
Voting takes place in January of each year and tallies must be submitted before midnight on January 31.
The Texas Bluebonnet Award (TBA) reading program was established in 1979 to encourage Texas children to read more books, explore a variety of current books, develop powers of discrimination, and identify their favorite books. Two committees within the Texas Library Association (TLA) have the responsibility for selecting and publicizing the books eligible for this annual award. They are the Texas Bluebonnet Program Committee and the Texas Bluebonnet Selection Committee. Together these two committees create and coordinate the activities associated with the TBA Program, which is jointly sponsored by the Children’s Round Table (CRT) and the Texas Association of School Librarians (TASL).
The work of the two committees is directed by the Texas Bluebonnet Coordinator and the TLA Executive Board. more
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All school libraries, public libraries, and home school associations are encouraged to participate in Texas Bluebonnet Award. The program is aimed at students in grades 3-6. Participating students must read a minimum of five books from the current master list before they may vote for their favorite title. Teachers and parents are encouraged to read some of the books aloud. The author of the book receiving the most votes statewide is declared the winner of the Texas Bluebonnet Award. At the TLA annual conference, ten children, selected randomly, who participated in the reading and voting present the author with the Bluebonnet Award.
Librarians, teachers, and parents may develop original ideas to enrich the TBA reading program. It is recommended that school and public libraries cooperatively supply the master list books and promote the award program. To assist with various promotional activities, the TBA committee sells an entertaining video, bookmarks, book seals, certificates, pencils, and other promotional materials.
The Texas Bluebonnet Award committee is responsible for selection of the books on each year's Master List. Suggestions are solicited from librarians, teachers, parents, students and other interested persons. A new list of no more than twenty books is released each year by November. In selecting titles, the committee considers student interests, relevant content, reputable reviews, and literary quality. Both fiction and nonfiction books are represented. The author must be a living U.S. citizen or an author who resides and publishes in the United States. Books considered for the master list must have been published in the United States. Only titles published within the three years prior to the master list release date are considered. Textbooks and new editions of existing titles are not eligible.