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Later this month, cartoonists Jeff Kinney, Dav Pilkey, Lincoln Peirce, and Stephan Pastis will present “Drawn Together: Cartoonists Benefit Moore, Oklahoma School Libraries,” two fundraising events for the city of Moore, OK, in which the kid lit stars will discuss their inspiration and creative processes and answer questions from the audience.
Children’s book classics such as Green Eggs and Ham and The Cat and the Hat will be available in ebook format for the first time beginning on September 24. Fifteen of author/illustrator Dr. Seuss’s (aka Theodor Geisel) beloved titles will make their digital debut on that date, keeping the original layouts and iconic illustrations from their print editions, says publisher Random House Children’s. By November 2013, a total of 41 ebooks will be available for children, parents, and educators.
New baby sisters, substitute teachers, and friends (even if it’s a bowling ball) are frequent themes in short novels for young readers. Favorite authors such as Karen English and Andrea Cheng deliver new titles in popular series, while Neil Gaiman and Mal Peet (who usually write for older readers) provide humor and thought-provoking storytelling for kids who are getting comfortable reading on their own. The following titles selected by the editors of Junior Library Guild are just the ticket.
In time for the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington, John Lewis—former chairman of SNCC and now Congressman—collaborated with his comics-obsessed staffer Andrew Aydin and veteran graphic novelist Nate Powell on a powerful new graphic novel memoir, March.
Sesame Street’s “Maria,” Sonia Manzano, received top honors in the 2013 Americas Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature for her The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano. Celebrate International Dot Day with its creator, author/illustrator Peter H. Reynolds, at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA, on September 15.
YA Author Todd Strasser poses with his surfboard in Montauk, New York. Strasser started surfing when he was in his mid-50s. His next book, Fallout(Candlewick), publishes in September 2013.
Featuring beloved Mo Willems characters, this impressive production offers several entertaining game options as well as cameo appearances by the author.
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.
On July 31, 2013 (Harry Potter and author J. K . Rowling’s birthday), Scholastic unveiled a new look for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Author/illustrator Kazu Kibuishi created new covers for each of the titles in the beloved series. The book covers were revamped in time for the 15th anniversary of the U.S. publication of Rowling’s series opener.
Tuesday, September 17, 2013, 2:00-3:00 PM ET Kevin Henkes is the creator of nearly 50 books for children. He has written both picture books and novels; his picture books include Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse; Chrysanthemum; and Kitten’s First Full Moon, a winner of the Caldecott Medal. Among his novels are the Newbery Honor Book Olive’s Ocean and the upcoming middle grade novel The Year of Billy Miller.
Join us to hear Kevin talk about his work, his inspirations, and The Year of Billy Miller–an acclaimed and irresistible story about friendship, siblings, and the perils of elementary school. And take this chance to ask him your questions live! Register Now!
Acclaimed young adult fantasy author Tamora Pierce headlined SLJ’s SummerTeen online event on July 24, and shared her love for libraries and books during the conference’s opening keynote. The 2013 Margaret A. Edwards Award-winner regaled the virtual audience of librarians and teens via webcam with a presentation about her writing process, her inspirations, and other fantasy novels and writers that readers should be adding to their to-be-read piles. The following is a list of the titles that were cited in Pierce’s talk.
Acclaimed author/illustrator Ashley Bryan celebrated his 90th birthday at the Simon & Schuster Children’s fall preview on July 25. The winner of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal, and the Coretta Scott King–Virginia Hamilton and Coretta Scott King Awards was joined by librarians, publishing professionals, and fellow children’s books artists.
Leonard Marcus might just be the busiest man in the world of kid lit. In June, the children’s literature historian and scholar launched a critically acclaimed exhibition at the New York Public Library (which he curated) and had a book published that celebrates the life and work of Maurice Sendak (which he edited). Marcus shared with SLJ some of the details of his recent projects, insider knowledge of children’s literature history and icons, and his belief that picture books might be the solution to saving all physical books.
Acclaimed children’s book creator Marc Simont, who illustrated nearly 100 children’s books, died on Saturday, July 13. He was 97. His many honors include a Caldecott Medal for the art in Janice May Udry’s A Tree is Nice, and Caldecott Honors for illustrating Ruth Krauss’s The Happy Day, and his own The Stray Dog.
Can you imagine what the covers of classic literary works written by men might look like if those books had been reclassified as “by and for women”? How would the designs be different—and how would that impact how we perceive those books? These are the questions YA author Maureen Johnson posed to her fans in “Coverflip,” a challenge to gendered book covers that limit their audiences.
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.
In celebration of its 25th Anniversary of children’s publishing, Chronicle Books hosted a cocktail reception at the American Library Association Annual conference that included a raffle of original artwork inspired by the company’s spectacles logo. The pieces were created by many award-winning and bestselling illustrators, including Tom Lichtenheld, who presented the prize to winner and children’s literature professor, Susannah Richards.
Holly Louise Meade, an artist and award-winning children’s book author and illustrator, died on June 28, 2013, at Blue Hill Memorial Hospital near her home in Sedgwick, ME, the local Newburyport Daily News has reported. She was 56.
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.
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.
