This is my second year on the Astrid Lindgren longlist, and I'm a strange mixture of thrilled to be picked and honoured to be in such company. Just as thrilled as I was last year, in truth.
Last year Shaun Tan won, which made me feel that the award was going to the best people. With a longlist of 184 people I feel less like I'm in competition for an award and more like I've been told I'm part of a club of people who've been doing the right thing.
Making fiction for children, making books for children, isn't something you do for money. It's something you do because what children read and learn and see and take in changes them and forms them, and they make the future. They make the world we're going to wind up in, the world that will be here when we're gone.
Which sounds preachy (and is more than you need for a quotebyte) but it's true. I want to tell kids important things, and I want them to love stories and love reading and love finding things out. I want them to be brave and wise. So I write for them.
And I'm honoured to be part of the club.
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By: Aline Pereira,
on 6/1/2009
Blog: PaperTigers (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: multicultural book events, children's literature conference, children's book fair, Children's and Youth Literature Festival, Noma Concours, children's illustrator exhibits, Skipping Stones Honor Awards, multicultural literacy events, Astrid Lindgren Award, Eventful World, Calendar of Events, Add a tag
(Click on event name for more information)
Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award Week~ ongoing until Jun 3, Sweden
World Book Fair~ ongoing until Jun 7, Singapore
Once Upon a Time: Children’s Book Illustrators, Then and Now~ ongoing until Jun 14, Oakland, CA, USA
Books Illustrated Traveling Exhibition: An Australian Menagerie - Australian Picture Books~ ongoing until mid Jun, China
Seoul Arts Center Exhibit: Voyage to the World of Illustration~ ongoing until Jun 23, Seoul, Korea
Skipping Stones Magazine’s Youth Honor Award Program - Multicultural Awareness and Nature Appreciation~ entries accepted until Jun 25
Illustration Exhibition for Children: Pictures of Fantasy~ ongoing until Jun 30, Siena, Italy
Exhibition of Prize-Winning Works of 16th Noma Concours (2008) “Palette of Dream Colours IV”~ ongoing until Jul 5, Tokyo, Japan
READ!Singapore 2009 - Dreaming A Good Read~ ongoing until Aug 31, Singapore
Picture Perfect: Art from Caldecott Award Books, 2006-2009~ ongoing until Nov 8, 2010, Chicago, IL, USA
Reading Matters on the Road Series~ Jun 1 - 2, Bendigo, Australia
Don Quixote in “Sunny Spain”: the Mediation of National and Cultural Identity in Children’s Literature~ Jun 2, London, United Kingdom
Mitali Perkins and Rachel Vail, Resonating with Young Readers~ Jun 4, Greenwich, CT, USA
Nairn Book and Arts Festival~ Jun 5 - 13, Nairn, United Kingdom
Building Bridges - Bilingual Tandem Telling for Multicultural Audiences~ Jun 6, Singapore
Antioch University’s 2nd Annual Children’s Literature Conference~ Jun 6, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Book Launch for Grace Lin’s Newest Book Where the Mountain Meets the Moon~ Jun 6, Cambridge, MA, USA
Librarian’s Day~ Jun 7, Cuba
A Passion for Poetry Series Featuring Steven Herrick (Australia) in conversation with Paula Green (New Zealand)~ Jun 10 - 12, New Zealand
FNLIJ’s 11th Book Fair of Children’s and Young Adult Literature~ Jun 10 - 21, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
36th Annual Children’s Literature Association Conference~ Jun 11-14, Charlotte, NC, USA
The Art of Children’s Books~ Jun 12, Toronto, ON, Canada
Mixed Roots Film and Literary Festival~ Jun 12 - 13, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Eric Carle’s 80th Birthday Bash and Children’s Book Festival~ Jun 13, Amherst, MA, USA
Cape Town Book Fair~ Jun 13-16, South Africa
Enchanted Worlds - Art of Fairy Stories & Mermaid Tales exhibition~ Jun 13 - Sep 5, Lancashire, United Kingdom
Giving Voice to Children’s Literature~ Jun 15, Sacramento, CA, USA
International Day of the African Child~ Jun 16,
Borders Book Festival~ Jun 18 - 21, Melrose, United Kingdom
The Great Story Picnic Season~ Jun 20, Oxford, United Kingdom
The Torquay Froth and Bubble Literary Festival~ Jun 20 - 21, Torquay, Australia
New Rochelle Festival of Books ~ Jun 20 - 21, New Rochelle, NY, USA
The Nye Memorial Children’s Literature Tour of the Ukraine~ June 23 - Jul 10, Ukraine
CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Children’s Book Awards Winners Announced~ Jun 25, London, United Kingdom
International Authors’ and Illustrators’ Forum~ Jun 25 -26, Munich, Germany
Sunthorn Phu Day (celebrated poet)~ Jun 26, Thailand
Canadian Multiculturalism Day~ Jun 27, Canada
By: Aline Pereira,
on 3/27/2009
Blog: PaperTigers (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Astrid Lindgren Award, Eventful World, Bologna Children's Book Fair, World Literacy, BolognaRagazzi Award, Doug Cushman, Tamer Institute for Community Education, Add a tag
The internet is a truly fabulous thing for those of us that couldn’t be at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair this year. Since Monday, I have been enjoying it vicariously by reading blog posts, press releases, twitter messages and looking at images from the fair. I let out a big cheer when I watched the live video feed announcing that The Tamer Institute for Community Education was the winner of the 2009 Astrid Lindgren Award, and I have been truly taken away by the sheer talent of this year’s BolognaRagazzi Award winners.
Unfortunately, the impact of the downturn in worldwide economies is being felt in Bologna. Jean Feiwel, Senior VP at Macmillan Publishing, is quoted at saying “I knew attendance was down when I walked right into the ladies’ room”, but at the Publishers Weekly’s blog, Craig Virden says “There seems to be very little panic talk. US editors are the big no-shows, but it’s my impression that most folks just consider this prudence.”
Award winning cartoonist and children’s book illustrator Doug Cushman kindly sent us his candid impressions of attending the fair:
The first day was light in terms of attendance—not that unusual, though, when it comes to first day. The booths are smaller this year, and many are half the size they used to be. There were some obvious empty floor spaces that had been filled by booths in previous years.
The folks I talked to still seemed very upbeat and positive, though. Even if publishers seem to be reducing the number of books they publish, they are still buying rights and making deals—just being a little more selective about them.
On Tuesday there seemed to be more traffic, although the floor still didn’t seem as crowded as in previous fairs. Most publishers have only “skeleton crews” (one major editor/president to represent all. No one from Scholastic USA was there, for instance, just from the UK). But, still, the atmosphere is positive and deals are still being made (Asia seems to be buying a lot). I think, in spite of the economy’s challenges, there are opportunities out there for all kinds of books and projects.
By: Aline Pereira,
on 3/12/2009
Blog: PaperTigers (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Roberto Innocenti, Astrid Lindgren Award, Eventful World, Bologna Children's Book Fair, Hans Christian Andersen Awards, Children's book events, Bologna Illustrators Exhibition, Add a tag
Spring is in the air which means it’s time for the Bologna Children’s Book Fair - the world’s leading publishing fair covering all genres for infants, children and young adults. This year’s fair,the 46th edition, will take place at the Bologna Exhibition Centre from March 23rd to 26th and will feature: 1300 exhibitors, 20,0000 square metres, 69 countries, 55 languages and over 4,800 foreign visitors. The exhibitors will include publishers, literary agents, packagers, printers, international organizations, TV and film producers, licensor and licensees, and service companies linked to the publishing world.
Along with the the exhibition of worldwide children’s publishing and fabulous Programme of Events, highlights will include:
The Bologna Illustrators Exhibition - an exceptional display of children’s book illustrations, selected by an international jury. The 2009 Guest of Honour of the Illustrators Exhibition will be Korea, a country with strong traditions in illustration, cartoons, and design. A special exhibit entitled “Round and Round in a Circle” will showcase the literature, history and customs of Korea through illustrations.
A special “show-in-show” dedicated to Roberto Innocenti, winner of the 2008 Hans Christian Andersen Prize for Illustration.
The Illustrators’ Cafe - the ideal place to meet illustrators, authors, and publishers, discuss the latest developments, talk about everything related to illustration and attend special events. This is the place to be on March 24th when the announcement ofThe Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for Literature will be broadcast live from Vimmerby, Sweden.
Bolognaragazzi Award - one of the most coveted prizes in children’s publishing, this award is reserved for books with outstanding graphic and editorial design.
TV/Film & Licensing Centre, The Literary Agents Centre, and the World Directory of Children’s Book Translators and Translators Centre
Last year two members of our PaperTigers team, Aline and Marjorie, were thrilled to be able to attend the fair and shared their experiences on our blog. Unfortunately this year no one from the PT team will be able to attend, but we want to know everything that is happening there!. So this is our shout-out to those of you that will be attending. Will you be blogging about the event, twittering or facebooking? Loading up photos, emailing? Let us know!
By: Aline Pereira,
on 3/1/2009
Blog: PaperTigers (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Astrid Lindgren Award, literary festivals, Calendar of Events, Margaret Mahy, Bologna Children's Book Fair, Latino Book and Family Festival, Children's book events, multicultural children's literature, Children's literature festivals, Noma Concours, Reading the World conference, Add a tag
(Click on event name for more information)
The Art of Picture Books Exhibition~ ongoing until Mar 27, Bristol, United Kingdom
20th Annual Children’s Book Illustrator Exhibit~ ongoing until Apr 18, Hayward, CA, USA
Read Across America Day~ Mar 2, USA
Words on Wheels~ Mar 2 - 7, New Zealand
Papirolas Festival for Children and Youth~ Mar 3 - 8, Guadalaraja, Mexico
World Book Day~ Mar 5, United Kingdom and Ireland
Growing Up Asian in America Art and Essay Contest~ entry deadline Mar 5, San Francisco, CA, USA
40th Annual Conference on Children’s Literature~ Mar 6 - 7, Athens, GA, USA
Asilomar Regional Reading Conference: Fired Up for Literacy~ Mar 6 - 8, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
Shanghai International Literary Festival~ Mar 6 -22, Shanghai, China
Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC)Choices Day and Charlotte Zolotow Award Event~ Mar 7, Madison, WI, USA
Man Hong Kong International Literary Festival~ Mar 8 - 18, Hong Kong
ALA’s Teen Tech Week~ Mar 8 - 14, USA
Share a Story - Shape a Future, A Blog Tour for Literacy~ Mar 9
12th Time of the Writer International Writers Festival~ Mar 9 – 14, Durban, South Africa
Rhinelander Children’s Book Fest~ Mar 10 -11, Rhinelander, WI, USA
Annual SCBWI (SA) Publishers Show & Tell Day~ Mar 11, Cape Town, South Africa
19th Abu Dhabi International Book Fair~ Mar 12 - 22, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Children’s Books in Asia, Africa and Latin America Symposium~ Mar 13, Tokyo, Japan
13th Annual Charlotte S. Huck Children’s Literature Festival~ Mar 13 - 14, Redlands, CA, USA
Salon du Livre Paris~ Mar 13 - 18, Paris, France
41st Annual Children’s Literature Festival~ Mar 15 - 17, Warrensburg, MO, USA
Exhibition of Prize Winning Works of 16th Noma Concours (2008) “Palette of Dream Colours IV”~ Mar 15 - Jul 5, Tokyo, Japan
Somerset Celebration of Literature~ Mar 16 - 20, Mudgeeraba, Australia
World Storytelling Day~ Mar 20
Harmony Day~ Mar 21, Australia
World Poetry Day~ Mar 21
Bologna Children’s Book Fair~ Mar 23 - 26, Bologna, Italy
Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award Winners Announced~ Mar 24, Vimmerby, Sweden
All-Saints College Festival of Young Adult and Children’s Literature~ Mar 25 - 27, Bull Creek, Australia
7th Bangkok International Book Fair & 37th National Book Fair~ Mar 26 - Apr 6, Bangkok, Thailand
Oxford Children’s Literature and Youth Culture Colloquium Presents an International Conference: Place and Space in Children’s Literature~ Mar 27 - 28, Oxford, United Kingdom
Children’s Literature Council Spring Workshop: I Can Read It by Myself…But Do I Want To? Inspiring Emergent Readers~ Mar 28, Glendale, CA, USA
Margaret Mahy Day~ Mar 28, New Zealand
Reading the World: A Conference Celebrating Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults~ Mar 28 - 29, San Francisco, CA, USA
Childhood in its Time Conference: The Child in British Literature~ Mar 28 - 29, Canterbury, United Kingdom
Latino Book & Family Festival~ Mar 28 - 29, Chicago, IL, USA
By: Aline Pereira,
on 2/25/2008
Blog: PaperTigers (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Calendar of Events, Adelaide Festival Awards, Bangkok Book Fair, Bologna Children-s book fair, Charlotte Huck Children-s Literature Festival, Growing Up Asian in America, Hans Christian Anderson Awards, Harmony Day, Hong Kong Literacy Festival, Joy Cowly Award, Literacy Festival, Margaret Mahy, Margaret Mahy Award, Shanghai Literacy Festival, Storylines, Tom Fitzgibbon Award, Toronto Festival of Storytelling, World Poetry Day, World Storytelling Day, World Book Day, book fair, Calendar of Events, Growing Up Asian in America, Storylines, Margaret Mahy Award, Adelaide Festival Awards, Bangkok Book Fair, Bologna Children-s book fair, Charlotte Huck Children-s Literature Festival, Hans Christian Anderson Awards, Harmony Day, Hong Kong Literacy Festival, Joy Cowly Award, Literacy Festival, Margaret Mahy, Shanghai Literacy Festival, Tom Fitzgibbon Award, Toronto Festival of Storytelling, World Poetry Day, Astrid Lindgren Award, book fair, Add a tag
(Click on event name for more information)
Shanghai International Literacy Festival~ Mar 1 - 15, Shanghai, China
The Man Hong Kong International Literary Festival~ Mar 2 - 12, Hong Kong
Adelaide Festival Awards For Literature Winners Announced~ Mar 2, Adelaide, Australia
Growing Up Asian in America Art & Essay Contest for Youth~ entry deadline Mar 6, San Francisco, CA, USA
World Book Day~ Mar 6, United Kingdom and Ireland
The 12th Annual Charlotte S. Huck Children’s Literature Festival~ Mar 7 - 8, Redlands, CA, USA
Masak-Masak: A Potluck of Delectable Stories from Around the World~ Mar 8, Singapore
Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award Winner Announced~ Mar 12, Vimmerby, Sweden
World Storytelling Day~ Mar 20
World Poetry Day~ Mar 21
Harmony Day~ Mar 21, Australia
Bangkok International Book Fair~ Mar 26 - Apr 7, Bangkok, Thailand
The Toronto Festival of Storytelling~ Mar 28 - Apr 6, Toronto, ON, Canada
Storylines Margaret Mahy Award Lecture~ Mar 29, Pakuranga, New Zealand
Tom Fitzgibbon Award and Joy Cowley Award Winners Announced~ Mar 29, Pakuranga, New Zealand
Bologna Children’s Book Fair~ Mar 31 - Apr 3, Bologna, Italy
Hans Christian Anderson Awards Announced~ Mar 31, Bologna, Italy
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By: Alice,
on 3/13/2007
Blog: It's All Good (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: George, Burbank Public Library, Santa Monica Public Library, Palos Verde Public Library, Joan Frye Williams, Oxnard Public Library, Yorba Linda Public Library, County of Los Angeles Public Library, Add a tag
Joan Frye Williams and I did 2-1/2 hours on the changes in the library world this morning at the Buena Vista Branch of the Burbank Public Library. We had some terrific discussion, especially when a trustee from one of the area public libraries challenged us about dumbing down libraries.
After Joan and I wrapped up, six local librarians talked about some initiatives their institutions were taking.
Erin Pawlus of the Burbank Public Library talked about the very entertaining blog she and some of her colleagues have done. She also included some principles her team put together for what and why they would blog.
Terri Maguire from the County of Los Angeles Public Library discussed a consultancy Paco Underhill (author of Why We Buy and The Call of the Mall) is doing for the library. Watch for the results of this work to be published: it could be incendiary. One key finding: only 9% of library users ever use the OPAC there.
David Campbell from Palos Verde Library District talked about a staff training opportunity the library had launched. Everyone who completes the training gets an MP3 player and is entered into a drawing for a digital camera, an iPod or a Wii. The training consists of 10 exercises, including starting a blog, posting a photo album to Flickr, and create an RSS feed.
Nanette Schneir of the Santa Monica Public Library demonstrated the Vocera communication system her library uses. It is extremely cool---it allows staff to range throughout the building while still being able to handle reference calls or back up the desk.
Karen Schatz described the new Help Desk that replaced the old reference desk at the Oxnard Public Library. It's staffed by trained (but not-MLS) employees, it's placed in a very visible, highly strategic location, and it allows the reference librarians to provide more quality and quantity time with customers who really need help.
Finally, Danis Kreimeier and John Legree (whom Danis referred to as her library's "IT Bad Boy") talked about some of the outstanding innovations they have added to the Yorba Linda Public Library web site. The "Book Feed" is includes a constantly updated list of the books that have been returned to the library, the list of the Top 10 requested items in the collection, and a real time list of materials on order, for example. They also have a section where teens can review books, and a dynamic reader's advisory system.
So I learned a heck of a lot more than I taught today. A fine finish to my too brief visit to Southern California. (Photos of San Juan Capistrano and Dana Point coming as soon as I can dump my photos to the album.)
Regarding the consultancy for County of Los Angeles Public Library:
I'm kind of surprised that as many as 9% use the OPAC in the library. The vast majority of all our systems use by patrons comes from outside the library. They go to our web servers to get event calendars, reserve their books, etc. Then when they arrive at the library, they pick up the books they already reserved online from home.
It seems from my experience that most of the people who physically come into the library to start their search for a book either (a) browse a known section such as their favorite author in Fiction or (b) ask library staff to point them to a Dewey range to browse.
My theory is that there is very, very little overlap between the in-library book-browsing population and the online-at-home population. Trying to develop a single web or OPAC system to serve the needs of these divergent audiences (not to mention the needs of the staff) may be a completely futile undertaking.