The world's largest reviewer of books, multimedia, and technology for children and teens
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.
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.
“Out of the stacks and into the streets” was the rallying cry for the first Urban Librarian’s Conference this weekend in New York City. Organized by Urban Librarians Unite, a grassroots advocacy group, it attracted 120 librarians from around the country.
A grassroots coalition of 70 writers and illustrators of kids’ literature, Authors for Earth Day, is committed to raising funds and eco-awareness; during the entire month of April, they pledge to donate at least 30% of their school speakers’ fees to a non-profit conservation organization voted on by students.
Chelsea Clinton and a group of teens that included a blind pianist, a citizen scientist, and a social media strategist gathered at the Scholastic global world headquarters in New York City on March 16 for the fourth annual TEDxTeen event. This year’s theme “The Audacity of whY” focused on the power of Generation Y.
Publishers are already thinking about their summer book releases. Fortunately, they seek to share that enthusiasm with the library community through special book preview events, where librarians and children’s book reviewers get to join their peers for an early insider peek at the upcoming books. In this first of a series, School Library Journal shares these peeks with our readers, highlighting which titles especially got our attention.
Nearly fifty authors gathered last week for the fifth annual NYC Teen Author Festival. The brainchild of author and Scholastic editor David Levithan, the festival includes author appearances and discussion panels at libraries, schools, and bookstores all around the city.
Long Island (NY) school librarian and tireless school library advocate eva efron died March 20 at the Tuttle Center in Port Washington, NY, following a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 66. At the time of her death, efron—who spelled her name in lower case—was a candidate for supervisor section representative to the American Association of School Librarians executive board, and was serving as chair of the AASL supervisors section.
The American Library Association (ALA) will be selecting the presidents of its three youth divisions in the coming weeks, with voting opening tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. Central Time and closing at 11:59 p.m. on April 26, 2013. School Library Journal asked each of the candidates why they want to be president of their respective division, and what they would bring to the position. Here is what they had to say.
Twenty-five years after its publication, Matilda (Viking, 1988) is still high on the list of Roald Dahl’s most beloved children’s books. This anniversary year, it really gets the star treatment, with a new Broadway musical, a new edition of the book, and continued accolades from critics who are discovering (or rediscovering) the quirky heroine, her author, and her illustrator.
From Belarus to Brooklyn, the world’s students, teachers, and librarians marked the fourth annual World Read Aloud Day on Wednesday with a diversity of celebrations and special events. The special day was created by Pam Allyn and Lit World, a nonprofit organization she founded that encourages a global celebration of the invaluable practice of reading aloud.
Although Jarrett J. Krosoczka’s immensely popular “Lunch Lady” series of graphic novels will come to an end this year, the women and men who work in our nation’s school cafeterias will not be forgotten. Krosoczka recently announced that May 3 will now be known as “School Lunch Superhero Day,” a day for kids to show their appreciation for all of their cafeteria workers.
Earlier this month, authors Jeanne Birdsall, Rebecca Stead, and N.D. Wilson met informally with librarians to discuss middle grade fiction ahead of the NYPL’s children’s literary Salon on the topic. Afterwards, SLJ followed up with the authors for more details. This is what they told us.
The familiar faces of beloved book characters Madeline, George, and Eloise greeted visitors at the 110th Toy Fair at the Javits Convention Center in New York City this month, an industry-exclusive event showcasing toys and technology from thousands of companies around the world. Here are my top dozen of the best new items for children’s librarians and educators to incorporate into their programs.
The children of the Sandy Hook Elementary School were visited by 12 children’s authors and illustrators on Tuesday, the school’s first assembly in its new building following the December 14, 2012 shooting that took the lives of 26 children and staff at the school.
