Written by Jen Bryant and illustrated by Melissa Sweet, A River of Words was honored with a Caldecott Medal by ALSC, a division of the American Library Association and the world's largest organization dedicated to the support and enhancement of library service to children.

"Sweet's mixed-media collage and primitive watercolors flow seamlessly with Bryant's prose to reveal the important bits and pieces of Williams' ordinary, yet extraordinary, life as a doctor and poet," ALSC officials said.

Meanwhile, three of the five finalists for the 2009 Michael Ramsey Prize (MRP) are Eerdmans titles. Imitating Jesus by Richard Burridge, Hermeneutics of Doctrine by Anthony Thiselton and Jesus and the Eyewitnesses by Richard Bauckham were among the finalists for the MRP--awarded biennially, recognizing the best contemporary theological writing.

The winner of the MRP, who will also receive a cash prize, will be announced May 28 during The Guardian Hay Festival in Wales. The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams launched the MRP in 2005 to commemorate Michael Ramsey, a former archbishop of Canterbury who sought to increase the breadth of theological understanding of people in general.

For a complete list of 2009 ALSC award winners, visit http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmedal/caldecotthonors/caldecottmedal.cfm.