Cleveland Public Library (CPL) bills itself as a place for Clevelanders of all ages to dream, create and grow. To that end, a unique award championing youth-friendly biographies is encouraging children to discover more about the wonderful world around them.

The Norman A. Sugarman Children’s Biography Award, a biennial prize created by CPL in 1998, goes to writers and/or illustrators of biographical works for kids grades K-8. It also stands as the nation's only award of its kind, selecting U.S.-published winners based on original research and documentation, says Annisha Jeffries, youth services manager at CPL.

A Sept. 21-22 event at the main library recognizes this year winner, Anita Silvey, for her book, Untamed: The Wild Life of Jane Goodall, a colorful exploration of the famous scientist's early years leading to her tireless work with chimpanzees.

On Sept. 22, Cleveland Museum of Natural History curator Yohannes Haile-Selassie leads a workshop featuring interactive primate education followed by a reading from Silvey. Meanwhile, 2016 honorees Duncan Tonatiuh (Funny Bones) and Jacqueline Woodson (Brown Girl Dreaming) will be on hand for additional workshops and discussions. All three authors will relay their process in choosing to pen a biography during a Sept. 22 panel moderated by children's writer Tricia Springstubb.

Highlighting actual people or events through biographies allows Cleveland youth to learn subjects they may only be privy to in classrooms, Jeffries says.

"Normally, non-fiction books are set aside for school research," she says. "The great thing about a biography is that the person is real and someone kids can look up to. It's a chance to learn about someone on a level students may not have before."

The Sugarman Award was established by CPL supporter Joan Sugarman in memory of her husband, Norman, a Cleveland tax attorney. Presented in alternate years in celebration of National Library Week, the award's past winners including Buzz Aldrin and Wynton Marsalis. A nine-member, library-appointed committee led by Jeffries evaluated 50 to 80 nominees for 2016.

The hard work is worth it when placing biographies at the forefront of children's literature alongside well-thumbed novels about boy wizards and teenager-hating dystopias.

"The award supports literacy and kids in a really unique way," says Jeffries. "We're honored to do this every two years."