Industry News
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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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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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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.
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Nominations Open for 28 Days Later: A Black History Month Showcase
The deadline for nominations is December 1, 2015. Click here for more details and to view previous honorees. Our mission is to raise awareness of the many African Americans creating books for …
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Kidsreads.com Announces a Major Update to Its Series Books Feature
Kidsreads.com has updated its Series feature, which now boasts close to 200 picture, elementary and middle grade series, both modern and classic. Readers can learn about each series and author …
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Edward Tulane’s Classroom Journey
Kate DiCamillo’s doll recently paid a visit to 5th grade students at the Thomas Jefferson School in Morristown, New Jersey. After reading all about his miraculous adventures, students had the chance to meet Edward …
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Amazon Editors Choose the Best Books of 2015
Best Books of 2015 Baby-Age 2 Ages 3-5 Ages 6-8 Ages 9-12 Top 20 Children’s Books of 2015 Best Young Adult Books of 2015 Best Books of 2015
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NYC Reads 365 Promotes Daily Reading
As part of the initiative, all pre-K-12 schools in the city will receive materials to encourage reading in the classroom and beyond. Resources include age-appropriate book lists, posters, bookmarks, and training …
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Kate DiCamillo on Writing for and Connecting with Young Readers
Looking back on her two-year ambassadorship, DiCamillo shared some of her personal highlights and connections with young readers. I’ve been all over the country visiting schools, libraries and community centers. And …
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Breaking Free from the Gendered Book List
The following suggestions are designed to get gatekeepers — parents, teachers, and librarians — to expand their thinking about the books they introduce to kids: Ask questions about dialogue and action, rather than the …
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Happy Birthday, Eloise!
Alongside colleagues from Simon & Schuster, Knight celebrated the occasion in style at the Plaza Hotel in New York City, the site of Eloise’s many adventures. Eloise is a classic …
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Teen Press Conference with Host National Book Award Winner Jacqueline Woodson to Take Place November 17, 2015
LeVar Burton, former producer and host of the beloved PBS series “Reading Rainbow,” to make a Special Guest Appearance. Event will be streamed live. New York, NY (November 10, 2015) – The …
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Lillie Bellin Pope, Co-Founder of the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation, Dies at 97
NEW YORK—November 10, 2015—It is with great sadness that the Board of Directors of the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation announced today the death of Lillie Bellin Pope, the Foundation’s Co-Founder, Educational …
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JK Rowling at Work on a New Children’s Book
Since completing the Harry Potter series, Rowling has ventured into adult territory, including crime fiction under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. Rowling confirmed that she is at work on a new novel for young …
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Combining Laundry and Literature
The concept was developed to enable poor families in South Africa to read to their children while waiting for the wash. The Libromat team hopes to expand the program and offer eight-week literacy …
