Here’s a gem from Norton Juster’s absurdist fantasy The Phantom Tollbooth (Random House, 1961): See other quotes in the series, and share your favorites!Quote #1: Frances Hodgson Burnett, A Little PrincessQuote …
Looking for engaging event ideas for your Children’s Book Week celebration? The new Activities page on the Children’s Book Week website is your one-stop destination for fun, hand-picked event kits …
New York, NY – Scholastic today announced the publication of The Holocaust: The Story of Nazi Persecution and the Impact of Hate on Humanity, a nonfiction reader for Grades 7-10 that …
The story follows Diva, a courageous little dog, and Flea, a confident street-smart feline. Disney-Hyperion has scheduled the release date for October 13, 2015. (The Mo Willems Blog)
With over two dozen titles to choose from — including contemporary classics and new releases — there’s a free comic book to spark every young reader’s imagination! To find a …
Here’s a superb line from Cece Bell’s graphic memoir El Deafo (Amulet Books/Abrams, 2014): See other quotes in the series, and share your favorites!Quote #1: Frances Hodgson Burnett, A Little …
Other than reading to them every night, I just made sure the books were there for them to discover. I think the most important thing I did to raise kids …
This post is only meant to be representative of my own personal experience—that of an editor of a small YA list at an indie press—working to sell rights at the 2015 Bologna Children’s Book Fair. It is wildly subjective, tainted by extreme bias (towards the “D” word of Diversity; capitalized for this post), and informed by very little time for reflection, spent almost exclusively stuffing my face with delicious food.
With that said…
Good Diversity News from Bologna
I found that the vibe was different in the best possible ways from 2014. For instance, whenever I discussed books involving LGBT characters, there was no mention of Diversity whatsoever. There was, however, plenty of discussion of the story, of the voice, of the surprises—the reason we all got into this business (I think/hope?) in the first place. The only time people brought up Diversity, in fact, was because of a fear of American cultural references that other markets might not understand. Some might have wondered why I was smiling when at first they essentially told me “not sure…?” But (I think/hope?) I was persuasive in convincing them to give a read, at least.
Not-So-Good Diversity News from Bologna
Everyone I met with, across the board, pretty much looked like me. (All were better groomed; most were female.) But among American and European publishers and agents, there was homogeneity reminiscent of the minions from the Despicable Me franchise, who were also present.
Lovely Encounters at Bologna
Finally, apropos only of the current political climate, I stumbled upon this booth for the first time in my six years of going to the Bologna Book Fair. The publishers from Iran were mostly there to sell rights, like I was. The two representatives at the booth—one male, one female; neither who looked like me—were lovely and gracious. They weren’t interested in acquiring YAs, though; and to be fair, I was not interested in acquiring picture books. We wished each other well and looked forward to seeing each other next year.
About Children’s Book Week Established in 1919, Children’s Book Week is the annual celebration of books for young people and the joy of reading, and the longest-running nationwide literacy initiative …
NEW YORK, NY – HarperCollins Publishers has refurbished the library of Public School 81 in Brooklyn, and yesterday revealed the results to school administrators, teachers, students, parents and community leaders. …
NEW YORK – April 6, 2015 – Today, Scholastic (NASDAQ: SCHL) launches student pre-registration (K-8th Grade) for the 2015 Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge at scholastic.com/summer. Now in its ninth year, …
NEW YORK, NY – Scholastic Reading Club and 1-800-Flowers.com are joining together for a special spring campaign to say “thank you” to teachers and school administrative professionals nationwide. In celebration of Administrative …
Toronto, Canada – Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana Enterprises, one of the world’s leading international producers and distributors of children’s animated content, is partnering with internationally renowned actress and author Julie Andrews and her …
Though tall and awkward, Andersen originally dreamed of becoming an actor. He moved to Copenhagen in hopes of performing at the Royal Theater. The directors were less than impressed and …
Burbank, CA/New York, NY – “Fancy Nancy,” the New York Times bestselling book series by Jane O’Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser, has been optioned by Disney Junior for development of …
NEW YORK, NY — Scholastic (NASDAQ: SCHL), the global children’s publishing, education and media company, has acquired world rights to 18-year-old YouTube personality Jenn McAllister’s (JennXPenn) Really Professional Internet Person, a …
