WHERE IS THE DIVERSITY IN PUBLISHING?

A year in the making, Lee & Low books just published the results of their Diversity in Publishing survey. It includes data from 34 publishers and 8 review journals. Click the image below for a closer look and additional details.

(Thanks to Bookshelves of Doom for the Link)

TODAY IS THE DAY

Today, January 27th, is Multicultural Children’s Book Day! Click here for more info. And look for the hashtag #ReadYourWorld on Twitter.

THE VANILLA-LIKE SMELL OF BOOKS

Want way more info than you thought you needed on the smell of books? Here you go.

(Thanks to Stephen’s Lighthouse for the Link)

READ IN THE U.S.A.

Everyone’s favorite library-themed comic strip, Unshelved, took on classic album covers this week.

THEM’S FIGHTIN’ BOOKS

The School Library Journal Battle of the Kids’ Books begins in just over a month, and the roster of contenders has been announced. I’m calling it right now: Drowned City. Click here for the whole list.

AN AMBASSADORIAL VISIT

Want National Ambassador of Young People’s Literature, Gene Luen Yang, to visit your community? Get your request in now, before it’s too late (deadline is Feb. 2).

CALDE-WHAT?!

I’d like to just say that I continue to be shocked by the sheer number of butt see-ers out there (click here for my post about the perceived butt on the cover of Finding Winnie). You people disgust me. Over at Wizard’s Wireless, Susan talks about the actual butt in last year’s Caldecott Medal book, Beekle. Click here to read.

BANG THE AWARD DRUM

Drum Dream Girl by Margarita Engle and Rafael Lopez just won the Charlotte Zolotow award for the best writing in a picture book. Great to hear! Click here to read more and see the finalists – you might know some of them.

Publishers Weekly just announced the book I'm doing with Mo Willems called, "The Cookie Fiasco" coming this Fall. pic.twitter.com/nMg8E7LKxV

— Dan Santat (@dsantat) January 25, 2016

Elephant & Piggie Like Reading: The Cookie Fiasco by Dan Santat & Mo Willems. Out September 20, 2016.

Elephant & Piggie Like Reading: We Are Growing! by Laurie Keller & Mo Willems. Out September 20, 

Pay close attention, people, because this is big news in my book. You can sob a little less about the end of the Elephant & Piggie series (which will happen this summer with The Thank You Book), because guess what? Mo Willems, that wily devil, is pulling a Dr. Seuss. That’s right, much like how Seuss founded the Beginner Books early reader line (which began with Seuss’s own The Cat in the Hat) in 1957, Willems will oversee the Elephant & Piggie Like Reading line of early readers for Disney-Hyperion. And what better way to launch in the fall with books by Laurie Keller (Arnie the Doughnut) and Dan Santat (Beekle)? This is wonderful news. I can’t wait to see both books.

Additionally, there is all sorts of upcoming book news in the Fall 2016 Children’s Sneak Previews at Publishers Weekly.

I’ve been loving the series of comics over at Tales of an Elementary School Librarian.

The latest installment made me laugh. If you work in a library, you probably will too. Click below to read.

The Newbery Medal goes great with frosting. https://t.co/Lv0yYLqDe5 #LastStopOnMarketStreet pic.twitter.com/JC2iq3xx2M

— Lauren Donovan (@laurencdonovan) January 25, 2016

Oh, you thought the #KidLitonEllen push was over? Wrong. KidlitTV released a video making the case for having the Newbery and Caldecott winners on The Ellen Show.