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National Book Award Winner and four-time Newbery Honor Medalist encourages readers to embrace the impact reading can have on creating a more hopeful world with her platform, READING = HOPE x CHANGE

New York, NY, January 4, 2018—The Children’s Book Council, Every Child a Reader, and the Library of Congress today announced the appointment of Jacqueline Woodson, four-time Newbery Honor Medalist, Coretta Scott King Book Award-winner, former Young People’s Poet Laureate and National Book Award Winner for her memoir-in-verse Brown Girl Dreaming, as National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature.

The National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature program, established by the three organizations in 2008, highlights the importance of young people’s literature as it relates to lifelong literacy, education, and the development and betterment of the lives of young people.

Woodson will travel nationwide over the course of her two-year term promoting her platform, READING = HOPE x CHANGE (What’s Your Equation?), which encourages young people to think about – and beyond – the moment they’re living in, the power they possess, and the impact reading can have on showing them ways in which they can create the hope and the change they want to see in the world.

Woodson succeeds beloved and esteemed authors Jon Scieszka (2008–2009), Katherine Paterson (2010–2011), Walter Dean Myers (2012–2013), Kate DiCamillo (2014–2015), and Gene Luen Yang (2016-2017) in the position.

The inauguration ceremony, to be presided by the 14^th Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden and attended by both Woodson and Yang, will take place on Tuesday, January 9 at 10:30 a.m. in the Members’ Room of the Library of Congress’ Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. S.E., Washington, D.C. Tickets are not required for this event, which is free and open to the public.

“I think the work ahead of me is challenging,” says Jacqueline Woodson, “I don’t believe there are ‘struggling’ readers, ‘advanced’ readers or ‘non’ readers. I’d love to walk away from my two years as Ambassador with the qualifiers gone and young people able to see themselves beyond stigma or oft-times debilitating praise. Martin Luther King Jr. said people should not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. In that regard, I think young people should not be judged by the level of their reading but by the way a book makes them think and feel. By the way it gives them hope. By the way it opens them up to new perspectives and changes them. I’m excited to have these conversations with some of the best conversationalists in our country – our young people.”

“We are delighted that Jacqueline Woodson has agreed to be the new National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature,” said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. “I have admired Jacqueline Woodson’s work for years, especially her dedication to children and young-adult literature. The Library of Congress looks forward to Jacqueline’s tenure of encouraging young readers to embrace reading as a means to improve the world.”

Nancy Paulsen, President and Publisher of Nancy Paulsen Books, says: “We think Jacqueline Woodson is the perfect Ambassador for our time because of her commitment to making sure all children have access to all kinds of books, and are sure to see themselves portrayed in those books. This is exactly what’s needed to appeal to today’s readers and to grow the next generation of book lovers.”

Carl Lennertz, Executive Director of Every Child a Reader and the Children’s Book Council, added, “We couldn’t be more pleased with the selection of Jacqueline Woodson as the next ambassador. She embodies everything that we look for in this position and we can’t think of a more passionate advocate for young people and for reading over the next two years.”

The National Ambassador is selected for his or her contributions to young people’s literature, the ability to relate to kids and teens, and dedication to fostering children’s literacy in all forms. The selection, made by the Librarian of Congress, is based on recommendations from an independent committee comprising educators, librarians, booksellers, and children’s literature experts.

The 2018-2019 selection committee for the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature:

• DeAndra Beard, CEO and founder of Beyond Borders Language Learning Center, Kokomo, IN
• Sarah Park Dahlen, Associate Professor in the Master of Library and Information Science Program at St. Catherine University, St. Paul, MN
• Earl Dizon, Bookseller at Green Bean Books, a children’s bookstore in Portland, OR
• Travis Jonker, Elementary school librarian in Dorr, Michigan and School Library Journal blogger
• Starr LaTronica, Director of the Brooks Memorial Library in Brattleboro, VT
• Ellen Ruffin, Curator of the de Grummond Collection, U. of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS
• Gene Luen Yang, Printz Award-winning author, National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, 2016-2017, 2016 McArthur Fellow, Berkeley, CA

The National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature program is administered by Every Child a Reader. For more information about the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, visit read.gov/cfb/ambassador/.

About Jacqueline Woodson
Jacqueline Woodson is the 2014 National Book Award Winner for her New York Times bestselling memoir Brown Girl Dreaming, which was also a recipient of the Coretta Scott King Award, a Newbery Honor, the NAACP Image Award and a Sibert Honor. In 2015, Woodson was named the Young People’s Poet Laureate by the Poetry Foundation. Her recent adult book, Another Brooklyn, was a National Book Award finalist. She is the author of more than two dozen award-winning books for young adults, middle graders and children; among her many accolades, she is a four-time Newbery Honor winner, a three-time National Book Award finalist, and a two-time Coretta Scott King Award winner. Her books include The Other Side, Each Kindness, Caldecott Honor book Coming On Home Soon; Newbery Honor winners Feathers, Show Way, and After Tupac and D Foster; and Miracle’s Boys, which received the LA Times Book Prize and the Coretta Scott King Award.

Jacqueline is also the recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement for her contributions to young adult literature, the winner of the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award, and was the 2013 United States nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Award. In March 2018, Penguin Young Readers will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Woodson’s If You Come Softly with a special edition of the beloved story of star-crossed love between a Black teenage boy and his Jewish classmate. The Dream of America, a middle grade novel, and The Day You Begin, a picture book illustrated by Pura Belpré Illustrator Award winner Rafael López will publish in August 2018. She lives with her family in Brooklyn, New York.

About the Children’s Book Council
The Children’s Book Council, is the nonprofit trade association of children’s book publishers in North America, dedicated to supporting the industry and promoting children’s books and reading. The CBC offers children’s publishers the opportunity to work together on issues of importance to the industry at large, including educational programming, literacy advocacy, and collaborations with other national organizations.

About Every Child a Reader
Every Child a Reader is a 501(c)(3) literacy charity whose popular national programs include Children’s Book Week, the longest-running literacy initiative in the country; the Children’s and Teen Choice Book Awards, the only national book awards chosen by children and teens; and the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature program, in partnership with the Library of Congress. Launched in 1919, Children’s Book Week will celebrate its 100th anniversary in May 2019.

About the Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States – and extensive materials from around the world – both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office.  Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov, access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.

Press contact: Audra Boltion, The Boltion Group, PR for the Children’s Book Council: (646) 331-9904, audra@thebgpr.com

Press contact: Benny Seda-Galarza, Library of Congress: (202) 707-8732, bsed@loc.gov

Public contact: Lee Ann Potter, Library of Congress: (202) 707-8735, lpot@loc.gov

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The American Booksellers Association and the Children’s Book Council are pleased to announce the date and time of the 2018 Silent Art Auction. 2018 will mark the second year of this joint event, with proceeds from the Auction to benefit ABFE and Every Child a Reader.

Mark your calendars, come to hear the exclusive announcement of the Children’s & Teen Choice Book Awards, and stay to bid on some amazing art from all your children’s book illustrator favorites in support of two wonderful organizations!

When: Wednesday, May 30, 2018
Where: Javits Center South Concourse
Time: 5:30pm – 7:30pm

Penguin Young Readers, the Children’s Book Council, and Every Child a Reader are partnering for the 2nd Annual Anna Dewdney Read Together Award in honor of the late Anna Dewdney (1965-2016), author and illustrator of the beloved Llama Llama series.

The Anna Dewdney Read Together Award will be given annually to a picture book that is both a superb read aloud and also sparks compassion, empathy, and connection. The award commemorates the life and work of author/illustrator Anna Dewdney and celebrates her commitment to reading with young children and putting books into as many little hands as possible.

Nominations are open now through February 14, 2018.  All librarians, teachers, booksellers, parents/caregivers, and children’s book bloggers are encouraged to nominate up to five beloved read-together picture book favorites. Nominators must be 18 years of age or older.

Please click here to submit you book nominations.

To find out more about the Anna Dewdney Read Together Award including past winner, the selection committee and more, please visit https://everychildareader.net/anna/.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New York, NY – November 2, 2017 – Every Child a Reader has announced that Jillian Tamaki will illustrate the official 2018 Children’s Book Week poster. Over 100,000 posters will be distributed to libraries, schools, and bookstores for next year’s 99^th anniversary of Children’s Book Week, set for April 30 to May 6, 2018.

Tamaki joins the ranks of icons such as Ezra Jack Keats, Jerry Pinkney, Marcia Brown, Brian Selznick, Maurice Sendak, Rosemary Wells, and Garth Williams as the designer of the Children’s Book Week poster – a tradition dating back to the program’s creation in 1919. The 2018 poster will feature the theme initiated last year with Christian Robinson’s poster – One World, Many Stories – which highlights the power of books to appeal to readers of all backgrounds.

Shaina Birkhead, Programming and Strategic Partnerships Director for Every Child a Reader and the CBC, said: “The creation of the Children’s Book Week official poster is always a magical and inspiring process. We are so excited to be working with Jillian Tamaki and the design team at First Second Books on the 2018 poster. We have no doubt it will be a favorite for kids and adults everywhere.”

About Jillian Tamaki

Jillian Tamaki is an illustrator and comics artist living in Toronto, Ontario. She is the co-creator, with her cousin Mariko Tamaki, of Skim and This One Summer, the latter of which won a Caldecott Honor and Printz Award in 2015. Her own graphic novels include SuperMutant Magic Academy and Boundless. Her first picture book, They Say Blue, which explores our perception and experience of the natural world, will be released in 2018.

About Every Child a Reader

Every Child a Reader is a 501(c)(3) literacy charity dedicated to inspiring a lifelong love of reading in children and teens across America. Every Child a Reader’s popular national programs include Children’s Book Week; the Children’s and Teen Choice Book Awards; and the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, in partnership with the Library of Congress.

About the Children’s Book Council (CBC)

The Children’s Book Council is the nonprofit trade association for children’s book publishers in North America. The CBC offers children’s publishers the opportunity to work together on issues of importance to the industry at large, including educational programming, diversity advocacy, and partnerships with major national organizations.

Media Contact: Shifa Kapadwala, Publicity Manager, CBC/Every Child a Reader  212-966-1990 Shifa.Kapadwala@CBCBooks.org

Current National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Gene Luen Yang, has had a busy two years touring the country and spreading his message of “Reading Without Walls.” Recently those travels led him to the South Dakota Festival of Books where Gene spent three days meeting and speaking with kids and adults about the joy of reading, his platform as Ambassador, and his love of books.

Gene spoke with audiences about diversity in books, led a conversation and workshop on “Writing Without Walls”, signed books for festival goers and met with 180 students at a Rapid City middle school.

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL

 

The South Dakota Humanities Council, founded in 1972 in response to an act of Congress, is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit and the only cultural organization in the state whose sole mission is to deliver humanities programming to the people of South Dakota. As a steward of the state’s cultural awareness and heritage, SDHC cultivates statewide interest in South Dakota history, literature, and other related humanities subjects, while stimulating an interest in the state’s place as part of the universal human experience. This programming vision forms the core mission of SDHC “to support and promote the exchange of ideas to foster a thoughtful and engaged society.”

In 2002 the Library of Congress designated the South Dakota Humanities Council as the home of the South Dakota Center for the Book. Since its inception, the Center has carried out its mission to celebrate the written word in South Dakota, extol the rich heritage of the state, and encourage authorship, literacy and reading. It houses a variety of community reading programs, the One Book South Dakota program, the South Dakota Festival of Books, and authorship and research opportunities.

The Festival of Books, now in its 15^th year, annually showcases more than 50 distinguished authors, scholars, and publishing representatives. It has featured many outstanding writers and cultural figures, such as Sherman Alexie, Deborah Amos, Roy Blount Jr., Neal Conan, Pete Dexter, Dave Eggers, Louise Erdrich, Ian Frazier, Jim Harrison, Walter Dean Myers, Annie Proulx, Marilynne Robinson, and Gary Schmidt. The 2016 Festival featured six Pulitzer Prize winners, including 2016 One Book South Dakota author Jane Smiley, and the 2017 Festival featured Vietnam veteran and National Book Award winner Tim O’Brien. The Festival hosts more than 10,000 total session attendees each year.

In 2014, SDHC enhanced its children’s/YA programming with the addition of a Young Readers Festival of Book and Young Readers One Book South Dakota. Kate DiCamillo was the first headlining author for Young Readers. Other participating authors/illustrators have included Ashley Wolff, Pete Hautman, and South Dakota’s own Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve. Each year, more than 5,000 youth attend Festival events on-site or in their schools. Through these programs, SDHC has given away more than 16,000 special edition books to elementary students across the state.

Each Wins 28 Award Finalists to Donate to Local Charity

Every Child a Reader is proud to announce the 15 winners of the 2017 Children’s Book Week Contest. In celebration of the 98^th anniversary of Children’s Book Week, 705 libraries, schools, and bookstores were invited in May of this year to enter a national display contest around the theme of “One World, Many Stories.” In recognition of this award, the following 15 libraries, schools and indie bookstores will be giving 28 children’s books – one each of the 28 Children’s and Teen Choice Book Awards  – to donate to a local charity of their choice.

The winning locations and their local charities:

Braselton Library, Braselton, GA – donating to Eagle Ranch

Chapters Books, Galax, VA – donating to Rooftop of Virginia

Copperfield’s, Petaluma, CA – donating to Mentor Me Petaluma

Creston Middle School. Indianapolis, IN – donating to special needs students at Creston Middle School (who assisted in creating the display)

Cub Run Elementary School, Penn Laird, VA – donating to the Cub Run school library

Hart County Public Library, Hartwell, GA – donating to The Northeast Georgia Council on Domestic Violence

Juneau Public Library, Juneau, AK – donating to the Zach Gordon Youth Center and the AWARE Shelter

Little Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza, Albany, NY – donating to the Ronald McDonald House and the upstate NY United Jewish Federation

Meridian Library District, Meridian, ID – donating to Family Advocates

Red Balloon Bookshop, St. Paul, MN – donating to St. Paul City Schools

River Lights Bookstore, Dubuque, IA – donating to Multicultural Family Center

Roswell Public Library in Roswell, NM – donating to CFDY and Assurance Home

Square Books Jr., Oxford, MS – donating to Lafayette County Literacy Council

Treehouse Toys, Portland, ME – donating to Camp Sunshine

Wallkill Public Library, Wallkill, NY – donating to Orange Regional Medical Center

See all the display contest entry photos here.

See donation photos here.

Every Child a Reader is a 501(c)(3) literacy charity whose popular national programs include Children’s Book Week, the longest-running literacy initiative in the country; the Children’s & Teen Choice Book Awards, the only book awards chosen by children and teens; and the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature program, in partnership with the Library of Congress. Launched in 1919, Children’s Book Week will celebrate its 100^th anniversary in May 2019. Launched in 2008, the Children’s and Teen Choice Book Awards are the only national book awards voted on only by kids and teens.

 

Contact: Shaina Birkhead, shaina.birkhead@cbcbooks.org

This spring, Sara Wreath, Senior Library Services Assistant at the Clifton Branch of The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, reached out to the CBC about decorating a big empty wall in their beautiful new location in Cincinnati, Ohio with an assortment of Children’s Book Week posters. And our immediate response was “YES”! 

Check out the amazing photos of the project from start to finish!

About the Clifton Branch Library:
The Clifton Branch Library is one of 40 neighborhood branches in the The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County system. The first Clifton Branch opened in January, 1954, in the former quarters of a barber and beauty shop on Ludlow Ave. A storefront was added in 1962, and the library was remodeled in 1971. Another expansion and remodeling project was completed in 2003. Michael L. Dever, president of Performance Automotive Network, donated Parkview Manor, the former house of George Barnesdale “Boss” Cox, for a new Clifton Branch in 2010. The Library renovated the 10,000 square foot historic property to replace the 2,500 square foot storefront property. The new Clifton Branch opened on May 28, 2015.

About the project:
After settling into the new location at Parkview Manor, our manager asked for ideas to decorate the children’s area. I proposed to decorate with Children’s Book Week Posters. Art by famous illustrators that promotes children’s literacy would be perfect for a library, and I had always been a fan.

With permission from the Children’s Book Council, I set to work creating a 6 ft by 8 ft wall of posters for both visual interest, and also to have as many posters as would fit. Posters that were favorites were pooled by staff, and then narrowed down to 28 posters that were put up chronologically, with 1925 in the top left corner, and ending with 2017 in the bottom right. Posters were printed on adhesive vinyl using the Main Library’s MakerSpace, where in addition to 3D printers and more, there is a very popular vinyl printer.

Thank you to Julia Gardiner for lending a hand at all stages of the project, especially helping me adhere the vinyl posters to the wall. Thanks also to Lisa Mauch for documenting the project, Jill Beitz, Eric Davis, and Maria Sferra for allowing me to decorate, and all the Clifton Branch library staff and MakerSpace staff for your assistance and support. The Children’s Book Week poster mural was conceived, planned, and placed by Sara Wreath (Senior Library Services Assistant) at the Clifton Branch Library of The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County.

 
All photos courtesy of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County

For Immediate Release

New York, NY – May 31, 2017 – Every Child a Reader, a nonprofit charity dedicated to inspiring a love of reading in children and teens, is proud to announce the winners of the 10^th Annual Children’s & Teen Choice Book Awards.

The award finalists were chosen as follows: As supervised by the International Literacy Association, children in five school systems spread around the country read and discussed books in the picture book and middle-grade categories; books for teens were nominated online at TeenReads.com.

Then, the 7 finalists in each of the four categories were voted on nationwide via a COPA-compliant online voting site hosted by DOGObooks, as well as by voting ballots submitted by groups organized by teachers, librarians, and independent bookstore staff. Voting ended on May 7, 2017, the last day of Children’s Book Week, celebrating its 98^th year with over 2,500 library, school, and bookstore events this year.

For the first time, the announcement of the winners took place late this afternoon at BookExpo, the national book trade show held at the Javits Center in a ceremony hosted by the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Gene Luen Yang.

The 2017 winners are:

K – 2^nd Grade Book of the Year: MADELINE FINN AND THE LIBRARY DOG, by Lisa Papp (Peachtree Publishers)

3^rd – 4^th Grade Book of the Year: ONCE UPON AN ELEPHANT by Linda Stanek; illus. by Shennen Bersani (Arbordale Publishing)

5^th – 6^th Grade Book of the Year: THE MISADVENTURES OF MAX CRUMBLY 1: Locker Hero, by Rachel Renée Russell, with Nikki and Erin Russell (Aladdin/ Simon & Schuster)

Teen Book of the Year: CROOKED KINGDOM, by Leigh Bardugo (Henry Holt/Macmillan Children’s Publishing)

About Every Child a Reader

Every Child a Reader is a 501(c)(3) literacy charity dedicated to inspiring a lifelong love of reading in children and teens across America. Every Child a Reader’s popular national programs include Children’s Book Week, the longest-running literacy initiative in the country; the Children’s Choice Book Awards; and the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature in partnership with the Library of Congress. Individual and corporate donations, grants, and the Children’s Book Council support Every Child a Reader.
Media Contacts:
Audra Boltion
The Boltion Group Public Relations
audra@thebgpr.com

Shifa Kapadwala, Publicity Manager
Every Child a Reader/Children’s Book Council
Shifa.kapadwala@cbcbooks.org

The ABC Children’s Group at ABA and the Children’s Book Council are sponsoring the 2017 Silent Art Auction tomorrow, Wednesday May 31st from 5:00pm to 7:30pm at the Javits Convention Center in New York City during BookExpo 2017.

More than 125 illustrators have donated works of art. All proceeds benefit American Booksellers for Free Expression (ABFE) and Every Child a Reader.

The event will also feature the presentation of the Children’s & Teen Choice Book Awards, hosted by Gene Luen Yang, the Library of Congress National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature.

Tickets can be purchased at the following link: http://bit.ly/2p1EvPK 

Find out more details about the Silent Art Auction including the celebration of Little Golden Book’s 75th Anniversary, schedule, exact location, and ticket details at the ABA website here.

Gene Luen Yang, National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, along with award-winning author E. Lockhart were featured presenters for the 39^th annual Youngstown State University English Festival that took place from April 26th through the 28th.

In honor of Gene Luen Yang’s appearance, the festival included a graphic essay contest for students for the first time this year.  The Festival also promoted Yang’s “Reading Without Walls” challenge by encouraging students to read books with characters, topics and formats not familiar to them.

Yang is the first graphic novelist to be featured at the Festival. His book “American Born Chinese” won the Printz Award and was a National Book Award nominee, and “Boxers and Saints,” his two-volume novel about the Chinese Boxer Rebellion, won the L.A. Times Book Prize. Yang has written for the Nickelodeon series “Avatar: The Last Airbender” and for DC Comic’s Superman!

See below for pictures from the event:

You can find more information about the festival and Gene Luen Yang’s appearance at the links below:

“YSU English Festival features award-winning young adult authors”