Month: September 2015
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Kate DiCamillo at the National Book Festival
DiCamillo views her ambassadorship as a natural extension of her love of reading and sharing great books. She enjoys writing across reading levels, from picture books to novels. Many of …
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Mildred D. Taylor's 'Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry' Celebrates 40th Anniversary in 2016
New York, NY — Penguin Young Readers is thrilled to announce a 40th anniversary edition of the Newbery Award-winning ROLL OF THUNDER, HEAR MY CRY by Mildred D. Taylor. With …
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KidLit TV Receives the Parents’ Choice Gold Award
Since 1978, the Parents’ Choice Awards™ program has recognized exceptional children’s media. The Gold award represents the highest distinction. KidLit TV plans to grow and to continue providing great content …
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A Sneak Peek at the Illustrated 'Harry Potter'
Rowling has already given her stamp of approval on the artwork: Seeing Jim Kay’s illustrations moved me profoundly. I love his interpretation of Harry Potter’s world, and I feel honoured …
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Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers Announces New Publishing with New York Times Bestselling Author & Renowned Children's Book Editor David Levithan
New York, NY — Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, has acquired four new YA projects by New York Times bestselling author …
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Remembering Barbara Carle
Barbara Carle (1938-2015) was born and raised in North Carolina before moving to New York, where she began her career at The Cloisters bookshop. She went on to earn her …
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Apply for the We Need Diverse Books Mentorship Program!
Year-long mentorships will be awarded for picture book text, illustration, nonfiction, middle grade fiction, and young adult fiction. Confirmed WNDB™ mentors include Nikki Grimes, Patricia Hruby Powell, Malinda Lo, and …
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Kenneth Branagh to Direct the Artemis Fowl Adaptation
The series follows the brilliant and cunning 12-year-old eponymous criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl II, whose plot to extort gold from the secret Fairy People puts him directly in the cross-hairs …
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Constantin Film Launches International Sales Campaign for “Shadowhunters” at MIPCOM
Los Angeles, CA – Constantin Film will make its debut as an exhibitor at MIPCOM (October 5-8, in Cannes) to showcase its new drama series, SHADOWHUNTERS, with buyers invited to attend …
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We Need Diverse Books Announces Winner of Short Story Contest
In memory of the late author and National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Walter Dean Myers, the contest was open to unpublished writers of non-majority backgrounds. First place winner Kelly …
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Happy 75th Anniversary, 'Caps for Sale'!
To commemorate the anniversary, HarperCollins will publish a sequel, More Caps for Sale: Another Tale of Mischievous Monkeys, by Ann Marie Mulhearn Sayer, with original art by Slobodkina. The publisher …
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Ron Mirr, Tonya Leslie and Dr. Rhonda Neal Waltman Join Scholastic to Lead Learning Supports and Family Engagement Initiatives
New York, NY – Scholastic (NASDAQ: SCHL), the global children’s publishing, education and media company, today announced three key appointments to leadership within Scholastic Education as the Company moves to …
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International Approaches to Fostering Literacy
South Korea, for example, encourages bilingualism at an early age, while Finland provides universal (and affordable) preschool. Reading, in particular, can’t be rushed. It has been around for only about …
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Educator Helps Kids with Bikes and Books
Ertl convinced his principal to install a bike in a classroom and allow students to read a book while riding. The experiment proved so successful that Ertl filled an entire …
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Industry Q&A with editor Liz Szabla
Interview by Mark von Bargen
Please tell us about the most recent diverse book you published.
Mixed Me! by Taye Diggs, illustrated by Shane W. Evans is coming out this fall. It’s the story of a mixed-race boy— a subject both Taye and Shane know well. I like Mixed Me! as a companion to Taye and Shane’s first book together, Chocolate Me! (which we just published in paperback on the Square Fish list), but the two books are meant to stand alone.
Coming in November is the long-awaited conclusion to Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles series, Winter, which features the mixed-race Lunar princess. Winter’s parents’ relationship is explored in Fairest, which we published earlier this year.
I’m happy to say that we have several books featuring diverse characters due out in 2016, including Gifted by H.A. Swain, a futuristic YA novel about talent and commerce that features several characters of color; and Last Seen Leaving, a YA debut by Caleb Roehrig that is a thriller with LGBT themes. I’m comparing it to Gone Girl and Thirteen Reasons Why.
What is one factor holding you back from publishing more diverse titles?
I don’t feel “held back” at all. The same criteria apply to all of the books we publish: We’re looking for great stories, terrific voices (both new and established), and books that are broadly commercial. Many of the submissions I receive that are touted as diverse are too message-driven, didactic, or inauthentic— qualities I also see in a lot of “issue” books that come across my desk. I try to read widely online, in print, and off the beaten path to find new talent, and sometimes writers’ conferences help too.Who would you consider to be a diversity pioneer in children’s and/or young adult literature?
I had the honor of working with Walter Dean Myers on several projects. His books were game changers, needless to say, and though he could certainly be called a “diversity pioneer” in our industry, he was also an all-around literary powerhouse who brought a sharp, brilliant point of view to every one of his books, fiction and nonfiction alike. I admire that about his work – it’s easier said than done, and I believe he inspired many authors to discard filters and write from the heart.
When I was with Lee and Low Books, I worked on debuts by artists Javaka Steptoe and R. Gregory Christie – two wonderful talents whose books continue to prove they are visionaries. I also worked with Pat Mora around the time she created El día de los niños/El día de los libros. Her poetry for children and adults is exquisite, and her arts activism is definitely pioneering.
Tell us about your editing process. When you edit cross-culturally, how do you ensure that the book authentically portrays a culture with which you might not be as familiar?
I ask a lot of questions. I listen. I’d rather ask honest questions than assume I understand something that I’m not familiar with. I don’t want to push my sensibility on any author or any character. It’s an intuitive, creative process that is difficult to explain. And it’s different for every book – one size does not fit all. This is true for every book I work on.
If you could receive a manuscript about one culture or subculture that you don’t normally see, what would it be?
I’d love to find a contemporary story featuring Asian American characters. A few years ago we published Lewis Buzbee’s Bridge Of Time, a time-travel middle-grade novel that takes place in contemporary San Francisco, and in the San Francisco of Mark Twain’s time. The two main characters are good friends, and one is Asian American. It’s a great book,but I’d like to see more.
Liz Szabla is editor-in-chief of Feiwel and Friends, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group. She started her career as a bookseller in the San Francisco Bay Area, and has been at F&F since 2006. -
Book Activities that Bring Reading to Life
Suggestions for bringing books to life include cooking dishes inspired by your child’s favorite stories; crafting characters and settings out of clay or other materials; and encouraging kids to pick …
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Jon Scieszka to Appear at the National Book Festival
Known for his delightfully zany children’s books, including The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales and The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs, Scieszka is also the …
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Dav Pilkey is on a Mission to Make Young Readers Laugh
Pilkey wants kids to read and have fun in the process. That is one of the reasons why he plans to continue the Captain Underpants series and spin-off projects such as …
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Sonia Manzano of 'Sesame Street' Shares her Childhood Story
It may come as no surprise that reading played an important role in the life of the ‘Sesame Street’ star: Her childhood provides plenty of material. In the book, there …
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Random House U.S. and Penguin Random House U.K. Children's Divisions Acquire Self-Published #1 International Bestseller, The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep
New York and London —The Random House U.S. and Penguin Random House U.K. children’s divisions of Penguin Random House have jointly acquired THE RABBIT WHO WANTS TO FALL ASLEEP, the …
