Bean the Cat is at it again.
Beatriz G. Garza Middle School teacher Rey Banda recently won another award for his children’s book “Bean Saves the Day.” The seventh-grade special education teacher won second place at the 2023 Spring BookFest Awards in the Fiction-Children’s-Animal category.
“Being selected as a winner of The BookFest Awards in an incredible honor,” Banda said. “I am grateful to be recognized for the hard work and dedication that went into creating ‘Bean Saves the Day.’ I hope this award will inspire others to pursue their own literary passions.”
Bean is a special needs cat who is afraid of thunderstorms yet overcomes this fear when he finds himself in danger during a storm.
Banda said the book encourages readers to conquer their fears and overcome obstacle. his courage can come from anywhere, even a cat.
“I also wanted to let readers know that special needs animals can live a normal life and deserve to be in a loving home,” he said.
In 2021, Banda and ‘Bean’ won the Distinguished Favorite award in the animals-pets category at the New York City Big Book Award. Bean also won the 2021 annual Best Book award from the American Book Fest for the categories of Animals/Pets: General and Children’s Picture Book: Softcover Fiction. He also won the 2021 Latino Book Bronze award for Most Inspirational Children’s Picture Book, the International Press Award and Purple Dragon Book award among others.
Banda’s other published works include: “Bean’s New Home,” and “Northopolis: Ryan’s Christmas Dream.” These books have also received literary recognition.
The BookFest is the leader in virtual literary events and produces vital conversations on the world’s stage for those who love to read and those who love to write. It launched May 2020 at a time when lockdown forced many live events to be cancelled. The BookFest features an array of literary speakers, experts and authors.
