Year: 2015
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Suzanne Collins Thanks the Team Behind the Hunger Games Films
After the premier of the final film, Mockingjay Part 2, Collins expressed her gratitude to all involved in the production for bringing her message of war and social justice into the …
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Carmen Sandiego Returns: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Launches Character’s First-Ever iOS App
NEW YORK, NY — Global learning company Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) today announced the return of the iconic Carmen Sandiego brand, with the first-ever app for iPad® and iPhone®. The launch …
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#DrawingDiversity: ‘Penguin and Pumpkin’ by Salina Yoon
Penguin and Pinecone by Salina Yoon (Bloomsbury/Walker Children’s, July 2014). All rights reserved. @behindthebloom
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Penguin Random House’s #GiveaBook Campaign
Now through December 24, the publishing house will also donate one book to the literacy nonprofit First Book (up to 35,000 times) for each use of the #GiveaBook hashtag. The #GiveaBook team …
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Jeff Kinney’s Newest Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book Makes History as it Tops Bestseller Lists Around the Globe
New York, NY — Amulet Books, an imprint of ABRAMS, announced today thatDiary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School, the tenth book in Jeff Kinney’s blockbuster series, is the number …
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Picture Book Summit Yields Big Rewards for We Need Diverse Books
New York, NY – The first annual Picture Book Summit, an international online conference for children’s picture book authors, raised more than $7000 for the nonprofit group We Need Diverse …
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Happy Birthday, Frances Hodgson Burnett!
Growing up in the Victorian era, Burnett (like most young girls) was discouraged from literary pursuits. But Burnett persisted, writing in secret on the backs of grocery lists. She published …
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Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Signs Four Book Deal with Newbery Medalist Kwame Alexander
BOSTON, MA — Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers today announced a major four book deal with author and poet Kwame Alexander, who received the 2015 Newbery Medal for his novel-in-verse, …
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Diversity in the News: November 2015
The newsletter is a valuable resource for librarians, teachers, booksellers, parents and caregivers, publishing professionals, and children’s literature lovers. Find thought-provoking articles, diverse new releases, and more in this month’s issue and sign …
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Kwame Alexander on Reaching Reluctant Readers
Fortunately, Alexander found his way back to books through his interest in sports writing. In college, he discovered a love of poetry which eventually led to creating children’s books in verse — …
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Art by Maurice Sendak up for Auction
The sale will run through December 18, 2015 with prices ranging from $3,000 to $950,000. (100 Scope Notes) Click here to browse the Wild Things catalog.
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Random House Children’s Books to Publish First-Ever Book From International YouTube Star Stampy Cat
New York, NY — Random House Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, has acquired and will publish STAMPY’S LOVELY BOOK by Joseph Garrett, known best …
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National Ambassador Kate DiCamillo on the Bonds Formed by Books
Since she was a child in Florida, DiCamillo has found a sense of homecoming in reading with family and friends. She feels privileged to have shared that experience with readers in her capacity as …
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Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and Lincoln Center for The Performing Arts Launch “LC Kids Storytime at the Atrium,” A Monthly Author and Illustrator Reading Series
New York, NY — Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts are pleased to announce their partnership on “LC Kids Storytime at the Atrium,” a …
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Scholastic Releases Two New Professional Books on K–12 Literacy Instruction
Scholastic has released two new professional books for K–12 educators: ‘Every Child a Super Reader’ by Pam Allyn & Dr. Ernest Morrell, and Kwame Alexander’s ‘Page-to-Stage Writing Workshop.’ New York, NY – …
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The 2015 National Book Award Winners Revealed
During his acceptance speech, Shusterman brought his son Brendan — the inspiration for the story — to the stage to share in the moment. Shusterman recalled the difficulties his son Brendan …
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Ode to the Indie Bookstore
Here are just a few reasons to show your local indie some love year-round: Thoughtfully-curated collections Knowledgeable staff Author events and readings Shelf talkers and other personal touches Don’t forget …
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Supporting Young Readers with Mental Health Issues
YA services coordinator and founder of the Teen Librarian Toolbox blog Karen Jensen shares suggestions for creating a safe and supportive atmosphere in which teens can find support — both in person …
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Hunger Games Fans Appalled by Theme Park, Partner with Activist Organizations to Take Back the Narrative
Mockingjay, Part 2, the final installment of the Hunger Games series, hits theaters worldwide this week, but fan reactions have not been all positive. A storm of outrage brewed online …
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Humanity and Harmony at YALLFEST 2015
By Daniel Ehrenhaft, Editorial Director at Soho Teen/Soho Press
A brief note of thanks
I’ve had the privilege to serve on the CBC Diversity Committee for three years, and this blog post marks the end of my tenure. I want to express my gratitude to all members past and present for the opportunity to work with you, particularly the staff at the CBC. Owing in large part to your tireless efforts (and gigantic brains), the industry has made tremendous strides in publishing children’s books that reflect points of view, identities, backgrounds, and cultures in ways that would have been unthinkable even ten years ago. But our work as publishing professionals is just getting started. Your ongoing commitment reminds us all how far we have to go.
I originally intended to write something different, so I offer my apologies.
As a lucky attendee of YALLFEST 2015 I had a vague notion to write about the state of diversity among the authors, the panel topics, and the featured books at the festival. This is best left to its organizers, friends to whom I owe a debt of gratitude for being invited to participate. Upon arrival in Charleston, I learned about the horror and tragedy in Paris. It reinforced a collective obligation we had at YALLFEST this year: to honor Cynthia Hurd, a friend of the festival and a victim of the massacre at the local Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church.
Charleston is a gorgeous city. It is also remarkable for its public commemoration of slave owners, for whom monuments were built, streets named, and respected civic organizations formed.
On Saturday my friend and fellow author, Andisheh Nouraee, picnicked in Marion Park with his family. We marveled at the statute of John C. Calhoun. No doubt Calhoun had good qualities. He was also arguably the most effective advocate for slavery in early 19th-century America. In Charleston, by design, he has been immortalized as a symbolic hero; I stayed at the Calhoun Street Marriott. Soon we were wondering: What would it be like for either of us to stay, say, at the Goering Street Marriott, across the street from a statue of Hermann Goering? “But he had good qualities; he won the Blue Max.” Would it be all that different from the environment in which Cynthia Hurd, a black librarian, lived and worked and served her community? She, too, had an irreverent sense of humor—funnier and more appropriate than ours, from what I’ve learned—in spite of a life spent among monuments to human beings who denied her essential humanity.
But complaints about Charleston’s history dishonor Cynthia Hurd. Without exception the locals I met treated one another with a unique ease and grace—with a kind of distinctive, collective goodwill that to an outsider like me feels specifically theirs. Nowhere was this better represented than in the members of the West Ashleigh High School Choir. Here were 40 teens of different backgrounds and ethnicities, united by their talent and love of music, harmonizing together in memory of Cynthia Hurd.
This is the soul of Charleston, not its statues or street names. These are the voices and faces of diversity. Remember them during your next acquisitions meeting, marketing campaign, or publicity program. We owe it to them to follow their example and to provide them with the literature they deserve.
