Each of CCL’s one-hour programs in the series, known as “Inside the ABC of It,” will feature a panel of experts focusing on key aspects of the kid lit exhibition, and will offer audience members an opportunity to ask questions as well as attend a post-program book signing. The programs are scheduled for September 18, September 24, and October 2. Notably, the final program will examine the kid lit from the writer’s perspective, featuring  acclaimed children’s book authors Robie Harris, Jon Scieszka, and Rebecca Stead.

BookFest, meanwhile, is an event “devoted to the celebration, discovery, and discussion of books for children and teens,” says CCL. It will include authors, illustrators, editors, reviewers, and scholars on panels and breakout sessions focusing on specific genres and topics in children’s literature.

Keynote speaker DiCamillo is author of the forthcoming Flora & Ulysses (September, Candlewick), and the Newbery Medal–winning The Tale of Despereaux (Candlewick). Additional authors and illustrators include NYPL’s Betsy Bird, Grace Lin, Jen Bryant, Melissa Sweet, Brian Floca, and Christopher Myers.

Jean Marzollo and Robie H. Harris.

Lovers of children’s picture books and early literacy advocates—including a pediatrician, a jazz singer, and numerous published authors and illustrators—gathered earlier this month in New York City for “Literature for Early Childhood: What Do You Need to Know?” a day conference sponsored by the Bank Street Writers Lab. The event brought together child development experts, educators, and creators of children’s literature.

Keynote speaker Dr. Perri Klass, a pediatrician, opened the event with text from Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown—who was an early member of the Writers Lab—to the delight of attendees and staffers such as Bank Street Center for Children’s Literature interim director Jennifer Brown.

Klass also shared insights about her training of doctors for the Reach Out and Read literacy partnership, where she serves as medical director. The organization’s mission is to work with doctors who in turn give new books to their patients along with advice on the importance of reading aloud to children. The goal of these efforts is to eventually reduce the socio-economic reading divide.

In her training of physicians, Klass says she emphasizes brain developmental stages and things that should be observed both with the child and parent. For example, when a six month old babbles, he or she is requesting interaction—and parents should respond by reading aloud. By this simple act, a child’s imagination is stimulated, language is developed, and a love of books is fostered, she says. Klass also notes that “rich kids hear more words” and a gap in vocabulary begins at 18 months.

The conference turned from the scientific to the creative during “Creating Books for Early Childhood,” a panel discussion between Amy Hest, author of Charley’s First Night (Candlewick, 2012); Robie H. Harris, author of Who Has What? (Candlewick, 2011); Jean Marzollo, author of I Spy School Days (Cartwheel, 1995); and Nina Crews, author of The Neighborhood Mother Goose (Greenwillow, 2003).

The group discussed the creative processes involved in writing a book for children, and how it is unique and particular to each individual. According to the authors, Amy Hest brings herself back to childhood when she writes and never tests any of her books with children before publication, although Jean Marzollo reads funny passages aloud with kids to see which get laughs. And for her part, Robie Harris said she depends upon her illustrator to provide the humor.

Attendees were then treated to a musical interlude: a jazz rendition by Louise Rogers of Chris Raschka’s Charlie Parker Played Be Pop (Scholastic, 1997). Rogers and storyteller Susan Milligan then went on to demonstrate how to combine music and reading for kids in their presentation, “Jazz Mosaic: Ideas to Help You Bring Music into Your Classroom Every Day.” One idea that really resonated with the crowd: playing a blues instrumental as background muisc while reading Judith Viorst’s Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (Atheneum, 1987) with kids.

After some autographing for attendees, the day culminated with closing keynote speaker Laura Vaccaro Seeger, a Caldecott Honor recipient for Green (Roaring Brook, 2012) and First the Egg (Roaring Brook, 2007). First the Egg  was also named a Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book

Laura Vaccaro Seeger autographs copies of Green (Roaring Brook, 2012).

Seeger spoke about the craft of her writing as well as the distinctive use of die cuts in her artwork. She also noted how that technique forces the reader to see an image one way and then another.

The inaugural event was a success, according to Brown, who tells School Library Journal that she hopes it will be the first of many such events for the Writers Lab. “We could not have been more pleased,” she says. “The event stressed the essential need for books in early childhood literacy and development.”

The Bank Street Writer’s Lab was created in 1937 to encourage quality writing for children. Its membership has included authors Margaret Wise Brown and Edith Thacher Hurd.

Students at The Good Hope School in St. Croix with some of the contenders for the 2013 Irma Black Award.

New York’s Bank Street Center for Children’s Literature (CCL) has named Michelle Knudsen’s Big Mean Mike (Candlewick) the winner of its Irma Black Award for the best read-aloud picture book for first and second grade, and Andrea Menotti’s How Many Jelly Beans? (Chronicle) the winner of its Cook Prize for the best picture book that teaches science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) principles. Both winners were determined by students from around the world.

Knudsen previously received a 2006 Irma Black Award for The Library Lion, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes.

More than 7,500 first and second graders voted to make Big Mean Mike—illustrated by Scott Magoon—the favorite, according to Jennifer M. Brown, CCL’s interim director. Brown also notes that more than 2,000 third- and fourth-grade students participated in voting for the Cook Prize, up from last year’s 619. How Many Jelly Beans? is illustrated by Yancey Labat.

The winners will be celebrated at a ceremony held in Tabas Auditorium at the Bank Street College of Education on May 23, 2013. Peter H. Reynolds will deliver the opening keynote.

Award administrators Jennifer Brown (l.) and Kristin Freda (r.) of the Bank
Street College of Education hold up the most oft-cited finale of the book.

To encourage participation in the process, CCL is offering suggested discussion guidelines for use in hosting your own picture-book talks, plus an easy online registration form to sign up to be part of the voting. The deadline for all ballots is April 15.

CCL is also inviting children to create their own clever campaigns in order to lobby for their favorite Irma Black Award and Cook Prize candidates, according to Jennifer M. Brown, CCL’s interim director. “Please feel free to send us photos of your students’ posters, murals, bookmarks, and campaign speeches,” she says. She can be contacted via jbrown@bankstreet.edu.

The 2013 Irma Black Award
The four picture book finalists chosen for the Irma Simonton Black and James H. Black Award for Excellence in Children’s Literature are:

Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs. Mo Willems. HarperCollins.

This Is Not My Hat. Jon Klassen. Candlewick.

Big Mean Mike. Michelle Knudsen. Illus. by Scott Magoon. Candlewick.

The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? Mo Willems. Hyperion (Disney).

The finalists were chosen by third- and fourth-graders at the Bank Street School for Children from a pool of 16 read-aloud books chosen by a jury of teachers, librarians, reviewers, graduate faculty, Bank Street College alumni, and members of the Bank Street Children’s Book Committee.

The students spent a month—one week each with rotating sets of four books—working together with their teacher to vote for their favorite book each week, then met with interim children’s librarian Allie Bruce to discuss the 8 books with the most votes and choose the finalists.

Through these discussions, the students helped each other become sophisticated picture book evaluators, as evidenced by a talk about Jon Klassen’s This Is Not My Hat, Bruce tells SLJ. As she notes, one student observed, “The words are the fish telling you a story, but if you look at the pictures, everything he’s telling you is wrong,” while another student added, “That’s how the words and pictures work together!”

Irma Black Award suggested discussion guidelines for first- and second-grade students can be found here, and schools can be registered to vote on the finalists here.

The Irma Black Award was established in 1972 to honor Irma Simonton Black, author, educator and long-time faculty member at Bank Street College of Education.

The 2013 Cook Prize
The five finalists chosen for the Cook Prize for the best picture book that teaches STEM principles for third- and fourth-graders are:

How Many Jelly Beans? Andrea Menotti. Illus. by Yancey Labat. Chronicle.

Timeless Thomas: How Thomas Edison Changed Our Lives. Gene Barretta. Macmillan.

Infinity and Me. Kate Hosford. Illus. by Gabi Swiatkowska. Carolrhoda

Ocean Sunlight: How Tiny Plants Feed the Seas. Molly Bang and Penny Chisholm. Illus. by Molly Bang. Scholastic.

Busy Builders. Roxie Munro. Marshall Cavendish.

The finalists were chosen by a jury composed of two graduate faculty at Bank Street College of Education, two teachers in the Bank Street School for Children, and two distinguished alumni from the Bank Street College of Education.

Cook Prize suggested discussion guidelines for third- and fourth-grade students can be found here, and schools can be registered to vote on the finalists here.

The Cook Prize was established in 2012, in honor of two ground-breaking Bank Street educators—Don Cook of the Graduate School of Education, and Michael Cook (no relation) of the School for Children.

In naming this award “The Cook Prize,” Bank Street not only honors Michael and Don for their intangible contributions to the world of education, but encourages excellence in publishing informational books on STEM topics for elementary-aged children, Brown says.