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Rocco Staino @RoccoA is the retired director of the Keefe Library of the North Salem School District in New York. He is now a contributing editor for School Library Journal and also writes for the Huffington Post.
It is hard to believe that 15 years ago muggle and quidditch didn’t exist in our vocabulary. But thanks to J. K. Rowling, the words are now found in the Oxford English Dictionary—and have become a permanent part of our culture. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is just one of several now-classic books marking anniversaries in 2013 with celebrations and special editions.
Simon & Schuster’s recent preview of its fall children’s books in New York City was a unique, and unprecedented, opportunity for celebration this year, as librarians and teachers gathered during the event to help celebrate award-winning author/illustrator Ashley Bryan’s 90th birthday. Bryan was in attendance to present his newest book Can’t Scare Me, which debuts next month.
Classical music radio host Lloyd Moss, who transferred his love of music to several acclaimed children’s books, including the Caldecott Honoree Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin! (S&S, 1995), died on August 3 in Westchester County, NY. He was 86.
Among the hoopla at the American Library Association’s annual conference, one may have missed the number of exciting publisher previews that occur. Disney’s Hyperion preview was no exception. Although it only offered only a peek at seven titles that will be released in the coming year, it was heavy on star power and theatrics.
During his “busman’s holiday” in France, SLJ’s contributing editor Rocco Staino was invited to Paris to tour the Bibliothèque nationale de France and the National Center for Children’s Literature. In this dispatch, he shares what he learned about the business of kids’ books in France—notably, American authors are very popular—plus highlights of his visits to other library branches and bookstores.
Barbara Robinson, author of the now-classic children’s novel The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (Harper, 1972), died on July 9, 2013. She was 85. The book was named an ALA Notable Children’s book and received the Georgia Children’s Book Award, the Indiana’s Young Hoosier Book Award, and Minnesota’s Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award.
There was a spirit of optimism among attendees at the 2013 annual American Library Association (ALA) conference held recently in Chicago, especially among school media specialists and youth services librarians. Members of ALA’s three youth divisions were particularly energized and motivated by the dynamic programming and renewed advocacy efforts, they say.
The 2013 American Library Association (ALA) annual conference in Chicago has come and gone, but the buzz is still with us from all that we saw, shared, and experienced of the exhibits, panels, committee meetings, and many special events with authors and colleagues. Out of all the memorable moments, following are the top ten sights from the event from Rocco Staino, SLJ contributing editor.
Elaine Landau, author of more than 300 books that supported schools’ curriculum and children’s quest for information, died on June 29 in Miami, FL, due to complications from autoimmune disease. She was 65. Her death was announced by the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), Florida.
Dressed in book-themed costumes and hats, hundreds of enthusiastic librarians gathered at the Sheraton Hotel in Chicago to honor the winners of the 2013 Caldecott, Newbery, and Wilder Awards, presented by the Association for Library Service to Children.
The heat of summer may be upon us but children’s book publishers are now looking toward the glorious days of fall, and the Penguin Young Readers Group is no exception. Forty titles from Penguin’s varied kid imprints were highlighted recently at the publisher’s recent school and library preview, which included surprise guest appearances from authors John Bemelmans Marciano and Julie Berry.
Later this week, kid lit fans in New York will finally be able to view “The ABC of It: Why Children’s Books Matter,” a fascinating new exhibit at the New York Public Library curated by children’s book historian Leonard S. Marcus. Marcus was given access to the library’s vast collection of artifacts, from which he culled 250 items—including the copy of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland that belonged to Alice Liddell, the girl for whom Lewis Carroll wrote the book.
Gamificiation, augmented reality, and transmedia were just some of the hot topics at the 21st Century Children’s Nonfiction Conference, held June 14–16 at the State University of New York in New Paltz.
Fredrick L. McKissack, who with his wife Patricia wrote more than a hundred books for children capturing the black American experience, died on April 28 from heart failure. He was 73. The McKissacks’ collaboration led to numerous awards, including the Coretta Scott King (CSK) Award and the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award.
On the heels of being named the recipient of the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award yet again, this time for I , Too, Am America, prolific illustrator/author Bryan Collier invited us into his home and studio in Hudson Valley, NY, for a tour and interview about his life and art.
Bill Gates, John Legend, and Sir Ken Robinson are among some of the bigger names joining TED next week to discuss education in the conference series’ first ever televised special. Here is a preview of the event, which was recorded earlier this month in New York City.
Lovers of children’s picture books and early literacy advocates gathered earlier this month at Bank Street College for “Literature for Early Childhood: What Do You Need to Know?” an inaugural mini conference sponsored by the Bank Street Writers Lab. The event brought together child development experts, educators, and creators of children’s literature.
Newbery Medalist Elaine Lobl Konigsburg, author of From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and 18 other books for children, died Friday in Falls Church, VA. She was 83. The author, better known as E.L. Konigsburg, will be remembered fondly for her creativity, her humor, and her intricate storytelling that celebrated each kid’s uniqueness, her friends, colleagues, and fans say.
Little, Brown’s fall lineup of books, presented to librarians and children’s book reviewers last week in New York City, includes new titles from Newbery winner Patricia MacLachlan, Caldecott winners Mordecai Gerstein and Jerry Pinkney, and Coretta Scott King Award winner Bryan Collier. In this second of our preview peeks, SLJ highlights which titles especially got our attention.
Librarian, educator, and champion of children’s literature Caroline Feller Bauer, died Monday at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel where she made her home, following a four-year battle with mesothelioma. She was 77.
