Home > Blog > Year: 2016

Year: 2016

  • AASL Welcomes New Knowledge Quest Bloggers

    CHICAGO, IL – The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) is proud to welcome an additional cast of bloggers for its Knowledge Quest website. Knowledge Quest offers breaking news, inspired blogs and encourages conversations …

  • Bookish Reminders Here and Abroad

    Last month I joined seven other children’s book editors on a week-long trip across Germany, sponsored by the German Book Office of New York. The program nurtures Germany’s relationships with publishers around the globe, as Deutschland imports roughly 50% of its children’s books from other countries.

    Everyone involved learned a ridiculous amount about what we all do similarly and differently, and I was constantly inspired to think more globally and critically about my own lists.

    I was also constantly reminded of children’s books I’ve connected with, including many from Charlesbridge. At a pop-up illustrator gallery in Hamburg, for example, I recognized the art of Gerda Raidt, illustrator of In the New World: A Family in Two Centuries. Charlesbridge translated this from German and published it last year. At a visit to a smaller publisher, I held the German edition of Blood & Ink, a contemporary young-adult novel Charlesbridge will release in English, in 2017. Other destinations during my travels brought to mind children’s titles from a wide-range of publishers, with topics ranging from WWII, Shakespeare, Japanese samurais, and the Brothers Grimm.  

    I share this because I don’t get out of my bubble nearly enough. It was empowering and exciting to experience different cultures and see parts of the world I’d only known through literature. Likewise, it was heartening to remember that even if readers aren’t always fortunate enough to see the world, we can still “see” the world through books.

    This theme emerged most powerfully at the Tempelhof Airport in Berlin. I was reminded of Charlesbridge’s The Candy Bomber: The Story of the Berlin Airlift’s “Chocolate Pilot,” which recounts how Gail Halverson brought joy and hope to the children of devastated Berlin.

    Although the airport is now defunct, it has modern relevance. Its runways now serve bikers, joggers, and picnickers rather than aircraft. And behind the fence surrounding the airport’s main building, refugees live in tented shelters. German Chancellor Angela Merkel approved converting the airport into a makeshift shelter for thousands of refugees and migrants from Syria, Afghanistan, and other countries.

    Looking through the fence, I started to think about how the refugee issue will look to us years from now. Down the road, how will future books depict our global response to today’s crisis? Or to the refugees that were forced to leave so many countries over so many years? Will we feel pride or shame? And what books can we find now, to guide us through this history-in-the-making? Is there still hope for a happy ending?

    I don’t have the answers, but I do know that I personally want to expand my own knowledge and empathy on the matter. Here is a list of children’s books I’ve been reading and rereading now that I’m home from Germany. Should I visit this part of the world again in the future, I hope some of these titles will come to mind. I hope they will remind me of brave souls and of communities that chose compassion and education over fear and hate.

    Books that can inspire conversation about immigrants and refugees:

    Julie Bliven is an editor at Charlesbridge. She holds an M.A. in Children’s Literature from Simmons College. The I’m Your Neighbor project and CBC Diversity continue to help her find titles that bring diverse experiences to our book market. Julie is especially grateful to author and librarian Natalie Dias Lorenzi for recommending some of the titles on this particular list of recommended books.

  • National Ambassador Gene Luen Yang on Reading and Writing Outside One’s Comfort Zone

    Through his platform, “Reading Without Walls,” Yang encourages readers to pick up books outside their comfort zone — featuring characters different from themselves. As a writer, he also pushes himself …

  • Submissions Open for the New-York Historical Society Children’s History Book Prize

    Only books published in 2016 are eligible. The deadline for submission is November 1, 2016.  Click here for more information on the award.

  • Penguin Young Readers Acquires Sequel to New York Times Bestselling Picture Book, ‘Dragons Love Tacos’

    July 28, 2016 — Dial Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, has acquired Dragons Love Tacos 2: The Sequel, companion to the popular, New York Times …

  • Call for 2017 Carter G. Woodson Young Reader Book Nominations

    The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) is pleased to announce its call for nominations of books eligible to receive the CARTER G. WOODSON BOOK AWARD, presented to the most distinguished young reader non-fiction books …

  • Barnes & Noble Announces That Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the Company’s Most Pre-Ordered Book Since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in 2007

    New York, NY – Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the nation’s largest retail bookseller and a leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products, today announced that Harry …

  • Script eBook of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts One and Two” Now Available Globally

    London, England, 1 August, 2016 – Following the opening gala of the stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts One and Two, Pottermore has published the original eBook …

  • Random House Children’s Books Launches the Story Stop Bus

    Carrying a wide variety of titles, the Story Stop will visit book festivals and more throughout the year.  Click here for upcoming tour stops!

  • Children’s Book Shout-Outs at the Democratic National Convention

    Reading together formed a special bond between mother and daughter, and now with grandchildren Charlotte and Aidan. Three kids’ books in particular received shout-outs from Chelsea; Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo by Kevin Lewis; Goodnight Moon by Margaret …

  • Make More Time for Summer Reading

    Some ideas include: Setting reading goals Taking a break from screens Hosting book-themed parties Bringing books everywhere Starting a family book club Having a reading night Find more summer reading …

  • Documentary Following Curious George Creators Hans A. & Margret Rey Announced – Ema Ryan Yamazaki Directorial Debut

    New York City, NY – In celebration of the world’s most beloved monkey, who turns seventy-five years old this year, filmmaker Ema Ryan Yamazaki announces the first ever mixed-media documentary …

  • Happy 150th Birthday to the Multi-Talented Beatrix Potter!

    “Beatrix Potter may be best known as the creator of charming characters like Peter Rabbit, Mrs. Tiggy Winkle and Hunca Munca, but, as is true in most lives, she was …

  • National Ambassador Gene Luen Yang on Diversity and Comics

    Through his platform Reading Without Walls, Yang hopes to inspire readers of all ages to expand their reading tastes and discover diversity in both format and content. Check out these …

  • Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in The Hat Tosses Red and White Stovepipe Hat in the Ring for 2016 Presidential Election, as the Kids’ Candidate

    New York, NY — Dr. Seuss’s beloved character the Cat in the Hat has declared his candidacy for president of the United States in the 2016 election, as the one and …

  • A Different Lens: Part 2

    Contributed by Mary Birdsell, Photographer

    Last month I wrote an article for this site, discussing my experience photographing children with special needs and my upcoming trip to photograph children in Tanzania. International travel, two words that appear exciting, exotic, and luxurious, are in reality about spending hours wedged between strangers. It is neither exciting, exotic, nor even the slightest bit luxurious. After landing in a different hemisphere, the excitement starts to build again. I’m not sure what I expected to see in Tanzania, but I was surprised to see fields of corn. As a Midwesterner, I’m well versed in fields of corn and found it very welcoming. What made it exotic was seeing palm trees growing next to the corn. Fields, mountains, plains, rainforests, and beaches met to make picture perfect views.

    When I started taking pictures, I found it hard to stop. As a photographer, the digital age has made taking large quantities of pictures so much more accessible. Armed with a dozen memory cards and several cameras with a variety of lenses, I took thousands of pictures. So many that after being back on American soil for a month, I still haven’t gone through them all. Some of the pictures will be more quantity and less quality. But how could I stop myself when I knew I may never be on another safari? I could spend hours telling you about the majesty of lions or the colors of the different birds, but even more eye opening were the people I photographed.

    The people of Tanzania are welcoming and kind. The buildings are kept meticulously clean. It didn’t matter if the walkways were dirt paths, they were swept and cared for daily. I began to realize how much of our country is covered in pavement. I also began to see how having something that is meager, does not mean it is worthless.

    People have value. Inclusion has shown Americans the value of people no matter their ability. In Tanzania they are in the process of acknowledging the value of all of their citizens. In the past, children and adults that had disabilities were kept hidden away in their homes. And while that may still be the case at times, strides are being made to see the worth of all people. Inclusion may be in its infancy in Tanzania, but the teachers there are dedicated to seeing it become the norm.

    As a former teacher, I’ve spent many hours training and doing continuing education. I know what a room full of teachers can be like. My experience with Tanzanian teachers taught me that being an educator is something that translates into any language. Committed, passionate, and intelligent teachers are everywhere. Some are teaching in classrooms with 80 students and not enough desks, let alone materials, but they are still advocating for their students.

    Just as teachers are teachers no matter their geography, kids are kids no matter their language. I didn’t need to be fluent in Swahili to sense that the bragging adolescent boys were trying hard to be grown up and the young girls sitting quietly were shy. The children were excited to read books and happy to make faces for pictures. Like their American counterparts, they could use a cell phone better than I can and knew the word, “selfie.”

    Looking through the lens of my camera took me to the other side of the world to see remarkable people, animals, and landscapes. I saw more than I could process in the three weeks I spent traveling. It made me very grateful that I had the opportunity not only to see these people and places, but to tell their stories.

    Mary Birdsell is a freelance photographer and a former Speech and Theatre teacher. She strives to create images that reflect the strengths of each child. This fall, Finding My Way Books will publish two picture books, sharing stories of children with disabilities, and four concept books. All six books will feature photographs Mary took on her trip to Tanzania.

  • Scholastic Announces Contest to Discover the Next Graphix Author-Artists

    San Diego, CA — Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education, and media company, has announced a contest to find talent to debut on its acclaimed Graphix imprint for children and …

  • Should Children’s Book Heroes Grow Up?

    Author Anthony Horrowitz (the Alex Rider series) firmly believes that the magic of children’s book characters, like Peter Pan, lies in their eternal youth. But authors such as Jamila Gavin …

  • 2016 Eisner Awards Announced

    This year’s winners included several graphic novels for young readers: Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 8): Little Robot, by Ben Hatke (First Second) Best Publication for Kids …

  • Little, Brown Books For Young Readers Enhances Young Adult eBooks Through Immersive Music Soundtracks With Booktrack Technology Platform

    NEW YORK, NY –– Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, a division of Hachette Book Group, and reading technology pioneer Booktrack (www.booktrack.com) launch a new generation of eBooks with an industry-first …

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