Valerie Worth received the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Poetry Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children in 1991, which recognizes a body of work. She was one of only five poets selected out of more than 2000 entries from around the world. Worth died on September 10, 1992 at the age of 49 after suffering for several years with cancer. She published seven collections of poetry for children and two books of poems for adults. Her first four books were awarded the Lincoln Prize by the NCTE. Her best-known work is The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, which has been translated into 20 languages and sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide. It has been cited as an influence on many contemporary writers working with poetry and prose. Worth was also active in politics. For a time she served as director of special projects for the presidential campaign of Senator Gary Hart. When Hart lost his bid for the presidency, he too withdrew from public life and left Worth to run his campaign alone. After the election, Worth returned to California where she lived with her husband, author James Redford, and their son. They traveled extensively throughout Europe and North America, visiting many national parks along the way.