Media Room
During her career, Mary has received numerous literary and other awards and honors. Here are a just a few:
Featured AuthorIn 2009, Mary was featured on the cover of Cross & Quill--a prominent newsletter for Christian writers published by Christian Writers Fellowship International.
Best-Seller Lists
Mary's books have appeared on Christian best-seller lists, such as CBA's Christian Marketplace, more than 100 times. At one point her books were listed as #1 and #3 in the same month. Some of her books have remained on the list for many months.
C. S. Lewis Top Ten All-Time Favorites
Polka Dots, Stripes, Humps 'n' Hatracks (Brownlow Publishing, 1990), one of the books in the Happy Forest series, was selected for the C. S. Lewis Top Ten All-Time Favorites list. The colorful picture book, illustrated by Sesame Street artist Mary Grace Eubank, shows the delightful variety God created in the animal kingdom.
More Than a Million
Mary wrote Just Imagine!, the first hardcover picture book featuring Barney the Dinosaur (The Lyons Group, 1992). Within a few months the book had sold more than 1.3 million copies. This is the only book Mary authored under her maiden name, Mary Shrode.
ECPA Gold Book Award
Mary's books My Little Bible (Thomas Nelson) and the International Children's Story Bible (Thomas Nelson) have each received The Gold Book Award from the Evangelical Christian Publishing Association for sales exceeding 500,000 copies.
ECPA Platinum Book Award
My Little Bible (Thomas Nelson) also received the Platinum Book Award from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association for sales exceeding one million copies.
Gift Book of the Year Finalist
Hugs for Women (Howard Books, 1998) was a finalist for the 1999 Inspirational Gift Book of the Year
Award from The Inspirational Network. This upbeat gift book was a fixture on the CBA Marketplace Best-Sellers List for more than a year.
Spiritual Development Award
Howard Publishing Company awarded Mary the Spiritual Development Award in recognition of her extensive and successful career in Christian Publishing. She received the award on May 1, 2002, at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California.
Distinguished Alumni Citation
Mary's alma mater, Abilene Christian University (ACU), recognized her with their Distinguished Alumni Citation for "bringing honor" to ACU through her work in Christian publishing. The award was presented by ACU executive vice president and Texas representative Robert C. Hunter at a special reception at the Botanical Gardens in Fort Worth on September 26, 2004.
