Founded in 1997, the award is named for Patricia Gallagher, a retired Western Oregon professor of children’s literature, who is a former president of ORA (now OSLA). By awarding high quality children's literacy, and involving children in the process, the Oregon State Literacy Association (OSLA) fulfills our goal to promote literacy and a love of reading.

A committee including OSLA leaders, school librarians, public librarians, teachers, and school administrators review and select the books. The books must be readily available in paperback, be no more than eight years old from the original copyright date (usually hardback), hold an innate appeal to children, and have quality text and illustrations. They should also qualify as good read-alouds.