Next week, John Schumacher and I are teaming up to count down our 20 favorite books of the year. See you soon.
A brand spanking new exhibit is occurring at the Toronto Public Library. Opening tomorrow, it features the "best of the best" from the IBBY Collection for Young People with Disabilities, a multilingual reference collection located at North York Central Library, part of the Toronto Public Library system. But don't take my word for it.
This year I went 2 for 10 in my New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books predictions. Same as last year. Same as the year before that! Looks like I’m a 2 for 10 guy when it comes to this list. But you know what? I’m going to call it 2.5 this year, because I […]
You may have heard a bit about this documentary floating about on the winds. Today I'd like to highlight this film currently in production. It has a Kickstarter going and needs your help. With 18 days to go, it's a little more than halfway to its goal. If you can, please check it out:
Children’s Book Creators Join Forces to Provide High Quality Books Plus a Literary Celebration for REACH in Norfolk, Virginia! Los Angeles, October 10, 2019 The members of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators join forces once again as part of the organization’s annual SCBWI Books For Readers literacy initiative to collect, curate, and […]
The members of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators join forces once again as part of the organization’s 3rd Annual SCBWI Books For Readers book drive and literacy event to collect, curate, and donate new books created by its members to one of its two 2019 recipients: the Madison Reading Project in Madison, WI. (The other is REACH in Portsmouth, […]
Your greatest abecedarian wishes are about to come true. The Grolier Club of NYC is hosting a free exhibit of a personal collection of alphabet books through the centuries. There are even free lunchtime tours! Here are the details.
Mordicai Gerstein passed away on September 24th. We have a bunch of his books in our library, and his Caldecott Medal-winning The Man Who Walked Between the Towers is one that I return to again and again for storytime. I met him at an event in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 2008. He was kind and […]
This here is a time sensitive blog post for people with some cash to spare. Every year The Eric Carle Museum holds a children’s illustrator art auction in connection with the Carle Honors awards banquet. As I learned from Grace Lin on Twitter, the awards are tonight, which means the auction will be closing soon. […]
The independent and award-winning children’s media studio, Literary Safari, will launch The Story Seeds™ Podcast this fall, matching children ages 7-12 with best-selling, diverse authors who grow original stories inspired by kids’ story ideas.
The Secret Mountain Announces Fall Picture Books with Audio,
Including Ana Gerhard’s Little Creatures: An Introduction to Classical Music in September
The two most recent editions of FROM THE DESK OF 100 SCOPE NOTES are out in the world. In August, I shared a bunch of drawings and writing from my sketchbook and notebook. This month, I share some of my favorite quotes about writing and creativity. Click here to sign up for FROM THE DESK […]
The finalists for the 2019 Kirkus Prize have been announced.
Everything I've learned about advocating for my children I've learned being a teen librarian
Comics are a form of literature both near and dear to my heart. This past year I had the pleasure of heading up the children's committee of the Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards. Here are the winners in the children, middle grade, and YA categories.
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo has had an incredible year. It’s been a New York Times bestseller. It’s won all the awards. Now the cover of the book is causing a stir. It appears that the cover image was plagiarized. Appears? Make that WAS: This is so disappointing/maddening/illegal. Now it’s in the hands of […]
I haven’t yet made it to the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA and this video isn’t helping! Making the place look all wonderful and increasing my jealousy of those who have visited. With guest appearances by Ekua Holmes, Brendan Wenzel, Tom Lichtenheld, and many more.
In case you missed them, here are a few of my favorite children’s literature/publishing tweets from the last week or so.
RECOGNIZE Do children’s book authors and illustrators deserve more pub? Julia Donaldson says so. Click here to read. THE ACTUALLY VERY GOOD DAY Judith Viorst on happiness. Click here to read. (via Austin Kleon) BGHB The Boston Globe/Horn Book award winners have been announced. Nice work BGHB. Click here to read. JUDITH KERR In case […]
PICTURE BOOKS ARE SHOCKINGLY GREAT I love them too, kid. I love them too. I CAN PLAY THE TUBA Ann Patchett, well-known for her books for adults, has written a picture book. I’m always fascinated to hear how authors who write for grown-ups end up writing for kids. Patchett’s story begins with a chance encounter […]
HOW YOU GET SMART By reading children’s nonfiction, of course (side note: A Fuse #8 Production been telling us this for years). The proof? The guy who’s on the most lucrative Jeopardy hot streak in history. Click here to read. DO YOU LIKE CASE COVERS? Mel at Let’s Talk Picture Books has added to her […]
HOW YOU GET SMART By reading children’s nonfiction, of course (side note: A Fuse #8 Production been telling us this for years). The proof? The guy who’s on the most lucrative Jeopardy hot streak in history. Click here to read. DO YOU LIKE CASE COVERS? Mel at Let’s Talk Picture Books has added to her […]
Story Seeds, a new storytelling podcast, is looking for creative and outgoing kids between the ages of 7-12 to feature on their show. The podcast matches kids' story ideas with the imagination of children's authors.
Since it began in 2016, Illustoria magazine has been one of the coolest around. Billed as a mag “for creative kids and their grown-ups”, every issue is bursting with visual delights. Today the folks at Illustoria have some news to share: moving forward they will be published by McSweeney’s, the San Francisco publishing house founded […]
From the inspiring true stories of the Apollo 8 astronauts and a pioneering woman mathematician to tales of a middle school girl struck by lightning and a young elephant who loves to build towers of wooden bricks, this year’s Mathical Book Prize winners offer young readers a glimpse of the exciting—and sometimes unexpected—ways that mathematical ideas fit into the world around them.
STUDIO YUYI Want to see inside Yuyi Morales’ treehouse studio? Click here. TALKING ABOUT SEUSS The most must-read item of the week is one I think a lot of people would like to ignore: a report of the racism contained in the work of Dr Seuss. We all know about it in If I Ran […]
Visual literacy demands increasingly sophisticated tools to expand kids' critical skills.
Educating kids on how lighting, camera movement, sound, body language, and other film strategies convey meaning.
BURN AFTER READING Ted Geisel’s thank you letter to a friend who stopped him from burning his first picture book manuscript is up for auction. Click here to read about it. BUT SRSLY Lauren Child thinks children’s publishing is getting the short end of the stick and is advocating for a change. Click here to […]
A new app and database from YALSA lets users access nearly 4,000 YA titles, plus awards, a new children's imprint, and more in NewsBites.
On the Diverse Books Survey page, users can access related content, newly updated, as well as our Diverse Books Survey report.
When I’m old and retired and I’m giving out the award for Hardest Working 100 Scope Notes Image of All Time, you know who’s name I’m going to call? Right here: This is your annual reminder that The 2019 Youth Media Awards are coming on January 28th at 8:00 am PST (11:00 am EST). The […]
REBOOTING Roald Dahl’s The Witches is coming back to theaters and Anne Hathaway will be a part of the action. Click here to read. CHOOSE YOUR OWN LAWSUIT The Choose Your Own Adventure publisher is suing Netflix over Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. Click here to read. LET ME TELL YOU WHAT YOU SHOULDN’T READ In “You […]
Netflix has brought back Carmen Sandiego and, with her comes a series of books and series-related materials for educators. That and more industry news in NewsBites.
R.I.P. JB One of the picture book greats, John Burningham, has passed away. If you’re a fan of the form and you haven’t dug into Burningham’s catalog, you should. Click here to read more. AWESOMELY WIMPY I remember watching a video interview with Jeff Kinney a while back (I can’t find it now or I would […]
Happy New Year! Two coming soons to keep an eye on . . . Coming Soon #1 Netflix released this trailer about animated Roald Dahl stories to come. I am cautiously optimistic about this news, especially since they will be animated. Is it just me or is live-action more difficult to pull off? Maybe I’m […]
The creator of a mobile library serving children in Afghanistan, a middle school teacher-designer of a social justice course in West Philadelphia, and #1000BlackGirlBooks founder Marley Dias were named to the International Literacy Association’s “30 Under 30” list.
The weekly public radio podcast compared libraries to Hogwarts' Room of Requirement, visited libraries across the country, and told three special stories.
Salt Lake City patrons line up for free gun locks, while Ohio library staff gets mental health training, and Baltimore system teams up with TV personalities in this edition of NewsBites.
The Yale Child Study Center–Scholastic Collaborative for Child & Family Resilience will focus research on “the intersection of literacy and health across a range of education content areas.”
Another best books list, a diversity survey, and a sleep study in this edition of NewsBites.
Herewith, 2018 in School Library Journal, cover by cover. Hat tip, Mark Tuchman, SLJ creative director.
You know Daniel Salmieri. He’s illustrated a bunch of Adam Rubin-penned read aloud classics: Dragons Love Tacos, Robo-Sauce, Secret Pizza Party. Earlier this year Enchanted Lion published his author/illustrator debut, Bear and Wolf. They went and made an excellent book trailer for it. And we’re all here to have a look. 100 Scope Notes Book […]
Legal maneuver made to push federal court of appeals.
Backlash kills publication of graphic novel that is called Islamaphobic and dangerous.
This past weekend NCTE was hosted in Houston, Texas. I did not get to go but as is my custom, I followed the hasthag on Twitter to see what books were being shared and what nuggets of wisdom I could learn from attendees. I was, however, shocked and saddened to learn about one speaker at […]
A new graphic novel, related television series and real life science society, a Library of Congress contest, a new AR app, and more.
Wondering what happened in Texas, where they wanted to bump Hillary Clinton and Helen Keller from the curriculum? Still waiting for the AR Harry Potter game we wrote about months ago? We've got you covered with news about past articles.
The Ana Grace Project developed “Finish the Race" to inform and inspire elementary schoolers. The nonprofit also brings mental health support and professional development to the district's schools.
There are plenty of chances to earn money for programs and books for students and patrons.
AND THE 2018 KIRKUS PRIZE GOES TO . . . A great book. COMING TO A TOLLBOOTH NEAR YOU The Phantom Tollbooth may soon be coming to the theater. Click here to read. TINY TREND Tiny books. Yea or nay? Because John Green is going the full Nutshell library on us. NORTH OF BORDER BESTSELLERS […]
Since I left New York about three years ago, I’ve found myself missing many of the things that go on there. Few events typify that FOMO more than this one. Librarians are the only people who are able to take part in this, and my envy is a depthless sea from which I can find […]
There are library-related campaigns on ballots across the country—and some librarians, too. Catch up on the issues and candidates, see where to follow the results, and learn the implications.
Sharing insights, resources, and programs from some breakout session presenters.
Lilead Fellows and Mentors share the not-so-secret keys to leadership success.
Don't stop teaching Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. Use it—flaws and all—as a piece of the much bigger story.
Author Adam Gidwitz discusses the evolution of himself as a writer and of his "Unicorn Rescue Society" series.
From superintendents to Drag Queen Story Hour and SLJ's School Librarian of the Year, there was a lot to take in during Day 2 of the SLJ Leadership Summit.
The actor and activist inspired a room of educators with an opening keynote address at the SLJ Leadership Summit.
Famed actor and activist George Takei will kick off School Library Journal’s annual Summit. This year’s theme: Making “good trouble.”
Harper Lee's classic To Kill a Mockingbird was named the winner on the PBS series.
The majority of public and K–12 librarians consider it "very important" to have a diverse book collection for kids and teens, according to SLJ's nationwide survey. But there are hurdles, including a lack of quality titles in specific areas.
SKYPING FOR A CAUSE Author/illustrator Greg Pizzoli is doing something cool – Skyping with classrooms, charging 100 bucks, and giving all the money to help fight Alzheimers. If you are a school teacher or a librarian who would like to schedule a session during October or November, email Greg at info@gregpizzoli.com. HEY, TERRY On NPR, Terry […]
The teens have voted. Here are their 10 best books of 2018.
Smith, who famously raised a black-gloved fist in protest on the medal podium in 1968, has teamed up with award-winning Crown author Derrick Barnes for a graphic memoir.
How valuable is a master’s degree in library science? Opinions from the field have fluctuated, along with the fortunes of the profession.
The Public Library Association (PLA) announces mini-grants and a new writing contest, and UNICEF and Stone Soup add writing competitions of their own in this edition of NewsBites.
I know several libraries that are chewing their nails about declining circulation statistics. The issue is, of course, that circulation statistics are one of the primary measures of success for school and public libraries. They are, however, an imperfect measure of both library success and impact. For a profession that has the term science right […]
Judy Blume, Laurie Halse Anderson, and LeVar Burton are among candidates to be 2019 ALMA laureate.
Three works of fiction for middle grade, a novel in verse, and a graphic memoir are this year’s finalists for the 2018 National Book Award.
Award-winning author teams up with Follett to curate titles and get "All Books to All Kids."
Students and staff in Wilmington, NC—and throughout impacted areas of the Carolinas—are trying to get back to life as it was before the storm hit.
A collection of links from TLT and around the web this week.
Magic, mythology, astronomy, and J.K. Rowling's beloved universe come together in an exhibit now on display in the United States.
Event planned for Lafayette (LA) Public Library will not go on as scheduled.
Read a chapter from Jeff Kinney's latest in this exclusive look at Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Meltdown.
Toddlers and their caregivers in Meridian, ID, have a cool new space to love with the arrival of the Tiny Library branch, geared toward early learning.
Tips on language and presentation to get administrators to listen (and act) when advocating for the library.
Celebrating the 30th anniversary of Matilda's publication with a statue and more.
These unsung heroes can be essential to keep libraries operating efficiently, but there are fewer of them than there used to be.
For IMMEDIATE RELEASE SCBWI’s 2nd Annual Literacy Initiative Gives Books and Builds Dreams With Donations of Books to Readers In Need Children’s Book Creators Join Forces to Provide High Quality Books for the Indian Education Program of Fargo and West Fargo Public Schools Los Angeles, CA, and Fargo, North Dakota—September 19, 2018 Members of […]
Welcome to Fusenews! Or, as I like to call it, all the news that fit to fuse. Yeah. We’re still working on that one. First off, a great illustrator for children has died. This was very much the case of me not knowing that he was still alive, only to be doubly saddened when […]
Nearly 300 motion picture treasures representing a century of cinema history are now available through the Library of Congress’s new National Screening Room.
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Industry news, an inaugural award from CBC Diversity, and looking ahead to Midwinter in this edition of NewsBites.
Food and cooking are easy and accessible entry points to learning.
What’s in store for the 2019 award season? SLJ’s "Pondering Printz" columnists will consider the contenders for the Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature.
Handling policy challenges and proper information for staff when serving transgender teens.
School Library Journal has relaunched “First Steps,” its early learning column, with two new co-authors.
A look at the titles, data, a round up of recent related content, and more, as the literary world focuses the spotlight on censorship.
New initiative focuses on equity and social justice.
National Geographic wants middle grade fiction fans to get hooked on science with "Explorer Academy" series.
Susan Mongold talks about the excitement and challenges of being on the inaugural staff at the new public school in Akron, OH.
The Texas State Board of Education passed a preliminary vote to remove Clinton, as well as Helen Keller and others, from the social studies and history curriculum. It could become official in November.
An Amazon-inspired network of preschools could be in America's future, and more in NewsBites.
Travis Jonker takes a look at news of the week in children's and YA publishing.
Travis Jonker considers a bolder, more modern look for his blog—and reconsiders.
Ten contenders for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature have been announced by the National Book Foundation.
IMLS shares tips and resources for library staff in the path of Hurricane Florence, and more.
A screen-free coding robot that had to be tried to be believed.
AASL has launched two eagerly anticipated crosswalk documents on the new page of AASL's National School Library Standards Web Portal.
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