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I spent a weekend in the woods learning about picture book art and design at a workshop led by educators from the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art and the Highlights Foundation.

I spent a weekend in the woods learning about picture book art and design at a workshop led by educators from the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art and the Highlights Foundation.

Click on event name for more information.

Exhibition of Artworks from Jeannie Baker’s Innovative Picture Book, Mirror~ ongoing until Jan 2013, Blacktown, Australia

Reflections… On the Work of Jeannie Baker~ ongoing until Jan 2013, Blacktown, Australia

17th Annual Family Trees: A Celebration of Children’s Literature~ ongoing until Jan 1, 2013, Concord, MA, USA

23rd Annual Children’s Illustration Show~ ongoing until Jan 13, 2013 Northampton, MA, USA

Appleton Museum of Art Exhibit: Sendak & Co: Children’s Book Illustrations Since Where the Wild Things Are~ ongoing until Jan 20, 2013, Ocala, FL, USA

Exhibits of Winning Entries from the 2012 Growing Up Asian in America Contest~ ongoing until Feb 2013, USA

Nami Island International Illustration Concours for Picture Book Illustrations~ submissions accepted until Feb 15, 2013, Korea

Tall Tales & Huge Hearts: Raúl Colón~ ongoing until Mar 29, 2013, Abilene, TX, USA

Skipping Stones Youth Honor Awards Celebrating Multicultural Awareness, International Understanding and Nature Appreciation~ submissions accepted until June 25, 2013, USA

The Marsh Award for Children’s Literature in Translation Winner Announced~ United Kingdom

2012 Cybils (the Children’s and Young Adult Bloggers’ Literary Awards) Shortlists Announced~ Jan 1

Modern Language Association Annual Conference~ Jan 3 – 6, Boston, MA, USA

SCBWI Metro New York Event: What Libraries Are Looking For In Children’s Books~ Jan 8, New York, NY, USA

National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Walter Dean Myers at Central Library~ Jan 8, Fort Worth, TX, USA

The Carle Museum Presents: The Caldecott Medal: 75 Years of Distinguished Illustration~  Jan 8 – June 30, Amherst, MA, USA

2nd Annual One Book Two Book – A Celebration of Children’s Literature~ Jan 11 – 13, Iowa City, IA, USA

11th Annual Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities~ Jan 11 – 14, Honolulu, HI, USA

Penguin Young Readers Group Presents: John and Hank Green: An Evening of Awesome~ Jan 15, New York, NY, USA

Children’s Literature and Social Justice~ Jan 15 – Mar 19, Portland, OR, USA

Chapter & Verse’s (A Book Club for Adults Discussing Children’s Lit)~ Jan 17, USA

No Name-Calling Week~ Jan 21 – 25, USA and Canada

Jaipur Literature Festival~ Jan 24 – 29, Jaipur, India

ALSC (Association for Library Service to Children) Events at the ALA Midwinter Meeting~ Jan 24 – 29, Seattle, WA, USA

Yabun 2013: Celebrating Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Cultures~ Jan 25, Sydney, Australia

American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting~ Jan 25 – 29, Seattle, WA, USA

YALSA Events at ALA’s 2013 Midwinter Meeting~ Jan 25 – 29, Seattle, WA, USA

24th Annual Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities~ Jan 26 – Feb 3, Eatonville, Fl, USA

Family Literacy Day~ Jan 27, Canada

SCBWI Eastern PA Event: Picture Book Day with Australian Author Christopher Cheng~ Jan 27, Philadelphia, PA, USA

2013 ALA Youth Media Awards Press Conference~ Jan 28, Seattle, WA, USA

The Literature Centre (formerly Fremantle Children’s Literature Centre) Exhibits and Programs~ Fremantle, Australia

Dromkeen National Centre for Picture Book Art Exhibits~ Riddells Creek, Australia

Books Illustrated Events and Exhibitions~ Middle Park, Australia

International Youth Library Exhibits~ Munich, Germany

Tulika Book Events~ India

International Library of Children’s Literature Events~ Tokyo, Japan

Newcastle University Programme of Talks on Children’s Books for 2011-2012~ Newcastle, United Kingdom

Seven Stories (the National Home of Children’s Books in Britain) Events~ Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom

Discover Children’s Story Centre~ London, United Kingdom

Arne Nixon Center’s Children’s Literature Book Clubs for Adults Events~ USA

Events Sponsored by The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress~ USA

The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art~ Amherst, MA, USA

The National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature Exhibits~ Abilene, TX, USA

Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Events

I had the honor to attend a happy and heart-warming celebration of Eric Carle’s 80th birthday and The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s 40th anniversary at a spacious terrace and loft in New York City on September 24. Superb, renowned illustrator Eric Carle is a charming, generous and funny man. When we arrived, Mr. Carle and his wife Barbara warmly greeted everyone. At one moment, I glanced over and saw Mr. Carle bending down graciously to talk with beautiful Alice Provensen, now in her 90s, who had traveled all day on a plane from California to attend and accept the Carle Artist Award. What a legacy of children’s illustrators in the room.

The loft terrace was bathed in light as the sun set on a perfectly warm fall evening. All of Mr. Carle’s friends saluted him and the Museum surprised him with a giant birthday cake shaped like the Very Hungry Caterpillar! Awardees received a precious framed print of a Carle butterfly. It was wonderful to see so many friends of First Book including Laura Geringer, Judith Haut, Lisa Holton, Leonard Marcus and Amy Schwartz, Ned Rust, Susan Katz, Barbara Marcus, to name a few, at the festivities.

Our talented friend and great supporter, Joan Allen, fresh from her riveting portrayal of Georgia O’Keeffe, was on hand to introduce First Book President, Kyle Zimmer, as the winner of the Carle Angel Award. Kyle told a wonderful story of one of our book Recipient Groups who used the Very Hungry Caterpilla to start a reading group among teen mothers and how it brought laughter to their stormy lives.

A great event with kudos and many thanks to Alix, Mo, Rebecca, and all the wonderful Museum staff. What a heritage they are preserving!

Meet Your Friends from Japan!
ともだちは日本にもいるよ！

August 20 - September 27, 2009

The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art located in Amherst, MA, has a collection of Japanese picture books donated by Japanese publishers, picture book art museums, illustrators, and friends of the museum. In this exhibition, Meet Your Friends from Japan! ともだちは日本にもいるよ！, you are invited into the world of modern Japanese picture books that share similar graphic qualities or imaginative themes as those in Eric Carle’s works. Consequently, you may see Japanese culture in a new light as something that is very different and yet familiar to you. For more information click here

On Tuesday night, First Book had the incredible pleasure of attending the third annual Carle Honors event, held at the University Club in New York City!

The Carle Honors, sponsored by the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, is a unique set of awards designed to recognize four distinct forms of creative vision and long-term dedication to the art of the picture book and its vital role in supporting art appreciation, early literacy, and critical thinking. This year’s amazing list of honorees included Maurice Sendak (Artist), Vanita and Jim Oelschlager (Angels), Susan Hirschman (Mentor), and Jim Trelease (Bridge).

And what an amazing evening it was!  Everywhere one looked, there was an author or illustrator standing nearby – people like Chris Van Allsburg, Jon Scieszka, Rosemary Wells, Eric Carle, Kevin Henkes, Ashley Bryan, Matthew Reinhart, Robert Sabuda, Leonard Marcus, and Lois Ehlert, just to name a few in attendance. It was incredible to encounter so many talented people gathered all in one room!

In celebration of 2008’s Carle Honors recipients, First Book is happy to announce that we will be donating 5,000 new books to children in need in New York and Western Massachusetts. We’d also like to take a moment to thank our wonderful friends at the Carle, especially Museum Director Nick Clark, Assistant Director Rebecca Goggins and Board Member Leonard S. Marcus for their amazing support of First Book’s mission and for continuing to help bring the magic of books to children everywhere!

Ah, Bologna!

Aline and I have much to tell about our fantastic trip to the Bologna Children’s Book Fair at the beginning of this month. There really is no better event to take the pulse of the children’s book publishing world: and what a world that is!

We’ve met so many interesting people and enjoyed putting faces to names of organisations and publishers; we’ve attended inspiring presentations; and have been dazzled by the quality and endlessly varied styles of the illustrations we’ve come across, both in the books we have browsed through and as part of the fair’s special exhibits. The overall impression was of immense industry – people in deep discussion, buying and selling rights; looking through artists’ portfolios; rushing between presentations – what a buzz!

Over the next few weeks, Aline and I will be posting on a variety of topics. In the meantime, here are some of the highlights for us, in no particular order:

Looking at the proofs for Ed Young’s new book, Wabi Sabi (written by Mark Reibstein);
Meeting librarians from all over the world at a session organised by the IFLA (International Federation of Libraries Associations and Institutions) – so lively that we were asked to be quiet…! – and hearing IBBY President and Canadian Groundwood Books publisher, Patricia Aldana’s presentation entitled “Books as Mirrors”;
Attending the launch of the International Youth Library’s White Ravens 2008 catalog;
Listening to poets Michael Rosen (UK Children’s Laureate) and Jorge Lujan’s contributions to a panel titled “Poetry Break: Poetry in Children’s Books”;
Attending the award-presentation of the Bologna Raggazzi “New Horizons” Award to Chennai-based Tara Publishing, for the hand-made book The Nightlife of Trees, and watching how the book came into being;
Hearing illustrators Robert Ingpen and Paul O. Zelinsky talk about their contributions to the book Artist to Artist: 23 Major Illustrators Talk to Children About Their Art (the proceeds of which go to the Eric Carl Museum of Picture Book Art.)…

Well, I could just keep going – and I will. And so will Aline: so keep coming back as the full picture unfolds…

I'm oh so happy to report the very last summer market (it's been getting very chilly sitting in my stall in the early morning before the sun comes up). It's this Saturday on 104th Street (from Jasper ave to 103 ave) from 9am - 3pm. While it's been fun learning new crafting skills and meeting people at the market I'm in need of a break. I've been finding myself working 9-5 illustrating then from 5:30-11 doing crafty things while I watch TV before bed.

Here are some dates in which Michelle McBride (miss dishy) and I will be selling Christmas goodies (check back for exact times and for coupons):

NOV 2-4
Silvanna's in St. Albert (St. Albert Inn) TENTATIVE

NOV 16-18th
Stop & Shop (Tran Alta Arts Barn, 10330 - 84 Avenue) CONFIRMED

DEC 1-2
The Royal Bison (Cosmopolitan Music Society building, 8426 Gateway Blvd) CONFIRMED

Meanwhile if you're interested in buying things but can't make it out to these dates feel free to visit my etsy shop which is constantly updated with new items!
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5069714