"Since an award is an indication that someone believes a book is superior or significant in some respect, knowledge of literary prizes is of obvious value to a librarian responsible for the selection of suitable books to meet patrons' needs and interests. With this in mind I have undertaken a study of the annual book award of the Friends of American Writers. The purpose of this paper is to describe the prize and the F.A.W. Award books since 1948, when a change in policy raised the annual book award to $1,000, to examine the prize-winning books in relation to the opinion of the critics, to determine the meaning of 'high ideals' as expressed by the group offering the award, and to find how the prize-winning selections are chosen"--Introduction. / Typescript. / "June, 1960." / "Submitted to the Graduate School of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts." / Advisor: Sarah Rebecca Reed, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 34-40).

This study was designed to answer the question: What are the similarities and differences between the portrayal of Mexican American females in realistic picture books published between 1998 and 2004 and such books published between 1990 and 1997? A content analysis was performed on 48 picture books published between 1998 and 2004 that feature Mexican American female characters, and the results were compared to a study of similar books published between 1990 and 1997. The study found that the portrayal of Mexican American females in the more recent time period is more authentic and less stereotypical than their portrayal in the earlier time period and that fewer Mexican American females are now depicted as submitting to gender subordination. However, the results show that the portrayal of Mexican American females in picture books does not yet fully reflect the nontraditional gender roles that these females often take on in contemporary society.