Blog
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Help Students Turn the Summer Slide into the Summer Leap with Literacy Resources from Scholastic
Scholastic Offers Wide-Ranging Resources to Help Educators Strengthen Students’ Literacy Skills by Promoting Summer Reading and Writing New York, NY – March 28, 2016 – The Scholastic campaign to encourage …
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#DrawingDiversity: ‘The Storyteller’ by Evan Turk
The Storyteller by Evan Turk (Atheneum BFYR/Simon & Schuster, June 2016). All rights reserved. @simonandschusterbooks
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Behind the Scenes of Tuck Everlasting: the Musical
First published in 1975, Tuck Everlasting is the timeless tale of a young girl named Winnie who encounters a family with the power of eternal life. Author Tim Federle hopes to do …
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Robert McCloskey’s Make Way For Ducklings Celebrates 75th Anniversary in 2016
Seventy five years ago, a family of ducks waddled off the page and into the hearts of readers everywhere in Robert McCloskey’s Caldecott Medal winning MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS (9781101997956; …
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The Demon Hunting Continues ‘Shadowhunters’ Renewed For Second Season By Freeform
Los Angeles, CA – Constantin Film will produce a second season of “Shadowhunters”. Freeform (the new name for ABC Family) announced yesterday that the hit original saga-series will return. The first saga-series …
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Diversity in the News: March 2016
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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Jacqueline Woodson to Present Closing Session at 2016 ALSC Institute
The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA) announced that award-winning author Jacqueline Woodson will present the Closing General Session at the …
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LeVar Burton, Al Roker, Dav Pilkey, Gene Luen Yang, and 200+ Speakers Address Educating Youth and Creating a Nation of Readers in Today’s Digital World
April 19 – 22, 2016 at the George R. Brown Convention Center AUSTIN – Librarians from around the state are preparing for the 2016 TLA Annual Conference, taking place in …
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No Monkey Business: Curious George Celebrates Ramadan
Contributed by Hena Khan, Author
Like countless Americans, I grew up loving Curious George and his antics—swallowing a puzzle piece, painting a jungle scene on a wall, and flying on a bunch of balloons. And when I had children of my own, I happily reread the classic stories with them, along with a collection of new adventures for George at the library, the chocolate factory, and more. It was exciting for me to watch my sons develop the same appreciation for the mischievous little monkey that I have and to observe how truly timeless he is.
That’s why I was completely floored when I was offered the opportunity to write a book called, It’s Ramadan, Curious George. As the author of other books about Muslim culture, Night of the Moon, which chronicles the month of Ramadan through the experience of a young girl named Yasmeen, and Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns, a Muslim book of colors, I already knew how important it is to have stories that both represent Muslim kids in the literature and introduce a window into the culture for non-Muslims. But this was something new: an iconic and beloved character, curious about our traditions and culture, who actually takes part in them. I imagined what it would have felt like to have read the book myself as a child, or to have held it on my lap when my kids were younger, and I couldn’t contain my glee. Because I was certain that for other American Muslims, reading about Curious George breaking fast with his friend, going to the mosque, and celebrating the Eid holiday, would equally serve as a source of pride and build feelings of acceptance and inclusion.
Plus, the idea to create this book couldn’t have come at a better time. It hasn’t been easy to be a Muslim in America recently, especially for children, but really, for all of us. Anti-Muslim rhetoric is rampant, hate crimes and bullying are on the rise, and fear and anxiety over the future is growing in our hearts. But George has offered the American Muslim community the chance to forget that for a moment and to look forward to something positive, reaffirming, and just plain cute. Since news of the book’s imminent release went public, the response among American Muslims, librarians, educators, and the media has been overwhelming. I watched the initial news of it explode all over my social media feeds and my favorite reactions were people saying things like, “Whoa!! This is a thing??” “OMG. Amazing!” and “I can’t wait to read this to my girls.” Because that is exactly how I would feel if I were to discover it—a little more hopeful, and extremely happy.
I’m grateful for George’s newest adventure, and I think it will go a long way in helping to foster tolerance and understanding as it teaches about a very special time of year. I’m confident it’s safe to speak for fellow American Muslims and say that our Ramadan and holidays will be a little brighter with a little monkey along for the ride.
Hena Khan is a Pakistani-American Muslim who was born and raised in Maryland. The mother of two she has written many picture books for children and is thrilled to be introducing Curious George to his first Muslim holiday!
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Applications Open for the 2016 School Librarian of the Year Award
The prize includes $2,500, along with $2,500 worth of print and digital materials from Scholastic Library Publishing, and a profile in the September 2016 issue of School Library Journal. School librarians are …
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Scholastic Corporation Announces Date For Third Quarter Fiscal Year 2016 Earnings Release and Teleconference
New York, NY — Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ:SCHL) announced the following schedule and teleconference information for its third quarter fiscal year 2016 earnings release: Earnings Release: Thursday, March 24, 2016 at …
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The Inaugural Walter Awards
The winners of this years’ award were Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely, authors of All American Boys (Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books). Honorees included Kekla Magoon, Ilyasah Shabazz, and Margarita Engle. What we really are looking …
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HarperCollins To Offer To Kill a Mockingbird Price Promotion For Schools
New York, NY — HarperCollins Publishers today announced a special price promotion on Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird for U.S. accounts that sell directly to schools in the United States. …
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#DrawingDiversity: ‘A Splash of Red’ illustrated by Melissa Sweet
A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet (Knopf Books for Young Readers/Random House, January 2013). All rights reserved. @randomhouse
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Scholastic Leaps Into Summer Reading With 2016 Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge and Nationwide Reading Road Trip
NEW YORK, NY – Scholastic (NASDAQ: SCHL), the global children’s publishing, education and media company, is ramping up its Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge campaign to help kids take a “summer leap” into …
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Bookstores: Enter the Children’s Book Week Display Contest and Win an Author Visit!
In celebration of the 97th annual Children’s Book Week (May 2-8, 2016), the Children’s Book Council and Every Child a Reader are teaming up with the ABC Children’s Group at the …
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The Library of Congress Will Host Discussion/Workshops on Deaf Cultures
Washington, D.C. — The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress and the National Literary Society of the Deaf (NLSD) will co-sponsor an all-day discussion/workshop on “Telling America’s Stories …
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How I Got into Publishing: Shifa Kapadwala
Contributed by Shifa Kapadwala, Publicity Assistant at Simon & Schuster Children’s Books
I’m from a South Asian immigrant family. For my traditional parents, a woman’s ultimate end goal should be getting married and taking care of a family. It’s no surprise that I don’t share this exclusive view, and I credit reading with helping me understand a culture I didn’t experience at home. I learned about things like the kinds of foods that were eaten for dinner or lunch; the different types of relationships between children and their parents; and social interactions and phrases more commonly used in mainstream Western culture. Though it was extremely hard to find Indian characters to relate to in the books I read throughout my academic career, it was literature that would help me understand the world around me.
It became more evident to me that I wanted to work with books—but the question was how. When I finally connected the fact that the little logos on the spine of my books stood for publishing houses and that there were actual people who worked to bring books out into the world, I decided I wanted to pursue publishing. Deciding was one thing, but pursuing was an arduous path.
When I shared my plans with my parents, there was… tension. Their notion of a family-oriented daughter and my career-oriented self caused many issues. When my dad found out I wanted a career, he only supported my being a lawyer and offered to pay for law school, but nothing else. I knew, ultimately, I would have to support myself financially. Though publishing doesn’t match a lawyer’s salary, I chose to strive for happiness and self-satisfaction.
My determination pulled me through college. The year after, I worked long hours as a writing tutor to earn the money I needed to put myself through the Columbia Publishing Course, a place that finally allowed me to immerse myself in the world I wanted. I hopped between internships, networked with people in the industry, researched imprints, buzzed books, kept up with the latest industry news , and applied to countless jobs, all while maintaining a part-time job to support myself.
I kept trying and eventually ended up as a publicity assistant at Simon & Schuster Children’s Books, where every day is a new adventure. Though my parents still wish I had gone the traditional route, they finally understand and respect—and maybe even appreciate, to some degree—the resilience and hard work it took for me to achieve my dreams. After all, they helped to instill these values in me. Although I don’t expect them to fully understand my career goals or the struggles of living in two different cultures with separate expectations, I’m certainly a lot happier working my way up in an industry I love.
Shifa Kapadwala is currently a Publicity Assistant at Simon & Schuster Children’s Books. Born and raised in New York, she graduated from CUNY Queens College and later, the Columbia Publishing Course. When she’s not immersed in the lives of fictional characters, you can usually find her hunting for her next favorite coffee shop, or at bakeries devouring all the sweets. She tweets at @ShifaKaps111.
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Announcing the Honorees for the 2016 Carle Honors
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art has announced the honorees for the 2016 Carle Honors. The Eleventh Annual Carle Honors will be awarded during a ceremony in New York City …
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Apply Now for the 2016 Children’s Book Editors’ Trip to Germany
Participants will have the unique opportunity to meet with editors, publishers, and rights directors to learn about the German children’s book landscape. Thanks to sponsorship by the Frankfurt Book Fair and the …
