Nancy Bentley’s first book had one word per page.

It was her 1988 board book, “Let’s Go, Feet,” that encouraged toddlers to do stuff with their feet, like jump rope and splash in puddles. A board book, designed for babies and toddlers, is sturdy enough if they get inspired to chew on it.

That book initiated 14 children’s books altogether, including a series of board books, picture books, chapter books and, most recently, a picture book, “Lexie and Little Ant,” inspired by her volunteer work at Bear Creek and Fountain Creek nature centers; and an upper-middle-grade historical novel, “Out of the Shadows.” Set in the 1950s during the Cold War, a 12-year-old second-generation Lithuanian American girl struggles to become a real American in a family whose uncle has been missing since WWII.

Bentley’s affinity for writing for kids comes naturally after working with them for almost three decades as a Colorado Springs School District 11 teacher, librarian and library media specialist.

“They’re so open and joyful and curious,” Bentley said. “As a children’s book writer, you feel the responsibility of giving kids a sense of hope about what they can do, who they can become and the world they live in, especially during these troubled days.”

Bentley is this year’s winner of the Friends of the Pikes Peak Library District’s Golden Quill Award, a $1,000 prize given for literary achievement by a local author, illustrator, photographer or publication. The recipient also often helps promote literacy in the community.

“Nancy Bentley is a local treasure,” said Linda DuVal, co-chair of the Friends of the PPLD program committee. “Besides her children’s books, films and work as a librarian, she is engaged in the community in many other creative ways.”

New York Times bestselling author Terry Tempest Williams is this year’s recipient of the Frank Waters Award, a $2,000 prize that honors a writer who celebrates the people, culture and landscape of the American West. It’s named after Waters, an American writer known for his novels and historical works about the American Southwest.

Williams, a naturalist and environmental activist, is best known for her 1991 memoir, “Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place,” about her mother’s cancer, her own exposure to atomic bomb fallout and the flooding of the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Utah.

Her latest, the nonfiction “The Glorians: Visitations from the Holy Ordinary,” was published in March.

“Terry Tempest Williams epitomizes the spirit of Frank Waters — concern for the environment and people of the West and a strong connection to her own spirituality,” DuVal said. “Her eloquent, lyrical style engages readers on any subject. It is appropriate that she receive this award because she says she was inspired by Frank Waters in her own writing.”

Both women will be honored at The Frank Waters and Golden Quill Literary Awards Luncheon on June 6 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel. Reservations are due by 5 p.m. May 29.

Bentley, a Springs resident for 50 years, didn’t stop at children’s books. She’s also written and directed several award-winning documentary films, including “Art for the People: Eric Bransby, American Mural Artist,” about the Springs muralist whose works dotted the landscape of the U.S.; “A Garden Experience: Growing Organic,” about the Charmaine Nymann Community Garden at Bear Creek Regional Park; and “Mary Calhoun: The Making of a Storybook,” about the famed children’s author.

“(Writing is) a way of telling stories,” Bentley said. “And communicating to others. It’s also for myself. I love reading stories, and I love writing stories.”

Details

The Frank Waters and Golden Quill Literary Awards Luncheon, 11:30 a.m. June 6, DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, 1775 E. Cheyenne Mountain Blvd., $60-$450, make reservations by 5 p.m. May 29; friendsofppld.org