An award-winning, nonprofit organization that celebrates the powerful impact books have on young people
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New York, NY – Thursday, November 17, 2016 – The ABC Children’s Group at the American Booksellers Association (ABA) and the Children’s Book Council (CBC) are partnering to bring back the popular Silent Art Auction and the Children’s and Teen Choice Book Awards Announcement in a joint program to take place on May 31, 2017, from 5:15 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at the Javits Center South Concourse in New York City, as part of BookExpo. The event will benefit American Booksellers for Free Expression (ABFE) and Every Child a Reader.
National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Gene Luen Yang will serve as honorary chair of the event, announcing the winners of the Children’s and Teen Choice Book Awards—the only national book awards program where the winning titles are selected by young readers.
Solicitation for artwork will begin early January 2017. For more information, please contact Susannah Richards, Professor and Children’s Literature Advocate (susannah.richards@me.com).
The program will also celebrate the 75th anniversary of Random House’s Little Golden Books. Launched in 1942, the Little Golden Books imprint is synonymous with affordable, high-quality picture books. This year’s Silent Art Auction will feature a special selection of works in celebration of the Little Golden Books legacy as part of a year-long marketing and publicity extravaganza kicking off in February 2017.
Says Joy Dallanegra-Sanger, Senior Program Director of ABA, “Now, more than ever, events supporting free speech and literacy are vital. ABA is pleased to be part of bringing back both beloved events to BookExpo, where the entire industry gathers.”
Shaina Birkhead, Programming and Strategic Partnerships Director of the Children’s Book Council and Every Child a Reader, is delighted “to be working closely with our friends at ABA, ABC, and ABFE on such interconnected and essential causes: free speech, great art, and children’s literacy.”
About the ABC Children’s Group
The ABC Children’s Group (ABC), a program of the American Booksellers Association (ABA), is dedicated to growing and expanding the reach of children’s books. ABC serves independent bookstores, authors, publishers, and illustrators, and develops unique education, events, and communications to further that purpose. ABA is a not-for-profit trade association devoted to meeting the needs of its core members—independently owned bookstores with storefront locations. It exists to protect and promote the interests of independent retail book businesses, as well as – through American Booksellers for Free Expression (ABFE) – to protect the First Amendment rights of every American.
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, literacy advocacy, and partnerships with other national organizations. Our members span the spectrum from large international houses to smaller independent presses.
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 (May 1-7, 2017), the longest-running literacy initiative in the country; the Children’s 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.
About the Children’s and Teen Choice Book Awards
Launched in 2008 by the Children’s Book Council and Every Child a Reader, the Children’s and Teen Choice Book Awards is the only national book awards voting open only to kids and teens. In 2017, voting will be open from March 1 to May 7.
About Little Golden Books
The year 1942 was marked by a bold experiment that, even in the thick of World War II, would galvanize consumer culture: the launch of the twenty-five-cent Little Golden Books. High-quality illustrated books for children would be available at a price that nearly everyone could afford, and sold where people shopped every day. The Little Golden Books imprint includes the most famous and the bestselling picture book of all time, The Poky Little Puppy. Beloved classics such as The Shy Little Kitten, The Saggy Baggy Elephant, Tawny Scrawny Lion, Tootle, Scuffy The Tugboat, The Little Red Hen, The Little Red Caboose, are now joined by well-known characters and brands such as Disney, Nickelodeon, Star Wars and more. More at www.randomhousekids.com/brand/little-golden-books/.
In honor of the imprint’s 75th anniversary, Random House will reissue a selection of titles back in print from the 1950s including Pets for Peter, Cars and Trucks by Richard Scarry and The Paper Doll Wedding Book; as well as a never-before-seen Margaret Wise Brown story and a new edition of The Golden Legacy by Leonard Marcus.
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ABA Contact:
Joy Dallanegra-Sanger, Senior Program Officer
914-406-7518
joy@bookweb.org
CBC/Every Child a Reader Contact:
Emma Kantor, Publicity and Digital Content Manager
212-966-1990
emma.kantor@cbcbooks.org
