December 2012

WELCOME TO MY WORLD!

Dianne Hess, executive editor of Scholastic Press, has a keen eye for a fabulous story and an ear for a strong voice. Her award-winning books include two Caldecott Honor books, Henry’s Freedom Box, by Ellen Levine and illustrated by Kadir Nelson, and Zen Shorts, by Jon J Muth; Unspoken, by Henry Cole, which was just named a New York Times Best Illustrated Book; a Newbery Honor Book, The Great Fire, by Jim Murphy; a Pura Belpré Honor Book, The Bossy Gallito, by Lucía González, illustrated by Lulu Delacre; The Boy Who Dared, by Susan Campbell Bartoletti; and Testing the Ice, by Sharon Robinson, illustrated by Kadir Nelson.She has also worked with Jim Aylesworth, Barbara McClintock, Jim LaMarche, Eric Kimmel, James Cross Giblin, Alan Katz, Nancy Carpenter, Patricia Reilly Giff, Karen Hesse and Troy Howell, among others.

Hess acquires and edits an eclectic mix of picture books, illustrated chapter books, middle-grade novels and middle-grade nonfiction. She loves humor, fantasy that is grounded in reality, history and books that reflect the many cultures of America. “It is important to me that a book has an authentic emotional and spiritual resonance, and that it gives readers a richer understanding of their world. Good storytelling, whether in fiction or nonfiction, is the most important thing of all,” says Hess.

  

This engaging presenter will give a fascinating you-are-there overview of Scholastic, the books they publish and current market trends. She will also inspire you with the secrets of writing publishable books that will endure through turbulent market changes. This program promises to deliver food for thought to last you throughout the winter!

So the Q&A flows well, Lulu Delacre requests that you send questions for Dianne Hess by December 6, to luludela@verizon.net

Date: Thursday, December 13
Time:  11:30 a.m. "social hour"; noon luncheon
Place: Busboys and Poets 
1025 Fifth Street NW (at K Street)
Menu: All choices $22

    :: CHOICE OF SANDWICH (all sandwiches served with a salad of baby greens and house-made kettle chips) ::
• Falafel Sandwich (vegetarian/vegan) with house-made hummus, cucumbers, lettuce, tomato and onion on whole-wheat pita, served with tahini sauce (vegan without tahini sauce) 
• Home-Roasted Turkey Sandwich with havarti cheese, Dijonnaise, lettuce, tomato and onion on wheat bread
• Grilled Chicken Panini with chipotle mayo, caramelized onions, pepper jack, lettuce and tomato on ciabatta
• Portabella Mushroom Panini (vegetarian) with pesto, roasted red pepper and fresh mozzarella on herb ciabatta  
:: DESSERT ::
Assorted Cookies (family style)
:: BEVERAGES ::
Fountain Drinks (unlimited soft drinks and iced tea), fresh coffee and organic tea

RSVP NOW!

IN THIS ISSUE

1. National Children's Museum to Open

2. Skyping to Connect with Schoolchildren

3. The Guild Holiday Party
4. Literacy Organizations at the November Meeting

5. Member News

NATIONAL CHILDREN'S MUSEUM TO OPEN FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2012, AT NATIONAL HARBOR

The National Children’s Museum (NCM) will open its doors to the public on Friday, December 14, 2012. The Museum estimates that the 18,000 square feet of space, located at National Harbor in Prince George’s County, Md., will serve approximately 480,000 children and families onsite annually, with 80 percent of visitors hailing from the Washington, D.C., region.

“Both our local and national communities have been waiting for this day for a long time,” said National Children’s Museum President & CEO Willard Whitson. “We are so thrilled to finally be opening a museum that is solely dedicated to children and families in the D.C. area and beyond."

Two main exhibit areas support NCM’s mission to inspire children to care about and improve the world. The 3 & Under gallery, specifically designed in partnership with Sesame Workshop for the developmental needs and interests of the museum’s youngest visitors, encourages children to explore their ever-widening world through safe, creative play and interaction. Our World introduces visitors to the responsibilities and rewards of global and community citizenship through three key areas: Map Zone, My Town and World Cultures. Both 3 & Under and Our World offer staff-led programming designed to enhance each experience. A 130-seat theatre offers additional programming and productions.

The Museum will be open seven days per week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. between Labor Day and Memorial Day, and will remain open two hours later during the summer months, with hours from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Standard admission is $10 per child or adult, and there is no cost for infants age one or younger. Memberships offer families year-round free admission as well as other benefits. Group rates are also available. The museum will begin offering school field trips and birthday-party packages in mid-winter 2013.


SKYPE, ANYONE?
by Karen Leggett

Students at the SEAS International School, Costa Rica

Anyone who has worked with Turning the Page will probably remember Erika Widmaier Dooley, who arranged author visits for the TTP Community Nights and represented TTP at Guild meetings. Erika and her photographer husband are now living in Costa Rica, where Erika teaches at a small international school.  Her class of first and second graders read my book, Hands Around the Library: Protecting Egypt’s Treasured Books, and sent me an email letter with questions. After providing some answers, I suggested an election-day Skype. Amazingly the connection worked, and I was even able to show some slides of Susan Roth’s art and art process (they loved her messy workspace!) during the Skype session.

Most fun was a mock election between carrots and cookies. There were six children, but the vote was seven to four in favor of carrots. “But we all wanted cookies,” said one little boy. “It’s peculiar,” said a little girl. “Some of the ballots have the same handwriting.” The children figured out the ballot box had been stuffed with carrot votes. The teacher declared the results final: carrots had won. The kids felt cheated. They said they felt bad or weird and might not vote again. But they learned exactly why people in Egypt protested, overturning their government and giving us the subject for our book.

Erika is eager to Skype or just email with other Guild members. She has tips for Skype sessions, which are posted here. If you have a book appropriate for first and second graders, contact her at dooleyteach@gmail.com.  It’s a great way to have fun and extend your author visits with the click of a mouse.

 

COME AND WARM A WINTER NIGHT...

at the Children's Book Guild party!

It's a pot-luck gathering
for Guild members, spouses and
significant others
 

on Saturday, January 19, 
from 7 to 10:30 p.m.,

at Laura and Allen Melmed's house
in Washington, D.C.

RSVP by Saturday, January 5, to lauramelmed@yahoo.com
and specify what you will bring (main dish, salad, side or dessert).  

 

FIVE ORGANIZATIONS BRING BOOKS AND CHILDREN TOGETHER

by Rhoda Trooboff 

The Washington, D.C., region is fortunate to be the home of extraordinary nonprofit organizations dedicated to supporting children’s literacy locally and nationwide. At the Guild’s November 15, 2012, meeting, representatives of five such organizations described their missions and successes as well as the challenges involved in inspiring vulnerable children and their families to love books, build their own home and school libraries, and develop the lifelong skills and pleasures of reading. Noting the similarities and differences among their organizations, the panelists also advocated strategies for Guild members wanting to become even more involved in reaching our shared goal of helping children in disadvantaged communities get the most out of reading. 

Presenters included Erica Perl and Meghan Kelly of First Book, Dara LaPorte of An Open Book Foundation, Kyla Wasserman and Lana Slack of For Love of Children, Carla Mike of Turning the Page and moderator Judy Hijikata of The Reading Connection. They told inspiring stories of children delighting in owning books and of children and adults enjoying the one-to-one excitement of reading together in tutoring sessions. Guild authors and artists in the audience shared stories of their own happiness in doing school visits that turn encounters with books into joyful experiences.

The panelists cited current funding challenges–approximately 70 percent of donations come from individuals–and the necessity to compete for foundation grants to achieve their missions. They praised corporate sponsors and publishers that contribute significant numbers of new books for their use and urged Guild authors and illustrators to press their publishers to contribute their books. Guild members were also encouraged to tutor and do school and family/community events–and to network and contribute personally to these organizations.

Panelists noted they currently serve children in economically challenged communities, including children with disabilities, children from military families and children in places devastated by Hurricane Sandy.  

Responding to Guild questions, the panelists acknowledged their organizations’ overlapping missions and cited ways they partner with one another to maximize their effectiveness. Guild members are urged to visit all the organizations’ websites and contact the panelists directly to find ways to get involved.

First Book: http://www.firstbook.org/

An Open Book Foundation: http://www.anopenbookfound.org

For Love of Children: http://www.floc.org/

Turning the Page: www.turningthepage.org

The Reading Connection: http://www.thereadingconnection.org 

 

 
MEMBER NEWS

Guild members took home the honors in two categories when this year's Golden Duck Awards were announced. Not only did PAM SMALLCOMB win in the picture book category for Earth to Clunk, but also HENA KHAN received the Eleanor Cameron Award for Middle Grades for Worst-Case Scenario Ultimate Adventure #2: Mars! The Golden Duck Awards encourage excellence in children's science fiction literature.

LAURA MELMED's holiday title Eight Winter Nights: A Family Hanukkah Book is now available for sale on the Chronicle website as a personalized copy. This program allows the buyer to send in a dedication and a photo of the recipient to be included in the book. Here is the link: http://www.chroniclebooks.com/titles/personalization/books-to-dedicate/eight-winter-nights-personalized-dedication.html

Also, on December 8, when Hanukkah 2012 starts at sundown, Eight Winter Nights will be a NOOK Daily Find, available for $1.99 that day only. According to the publisher, "the impact of the sales increase at the lower price includes improved search results (titles bubbling up more across the site), improved sales at full price for days, weeks or months that follow the Daily Find, and greater conversation, marketing and social media around your book."  Laura comments, "We'll see!"

KATHERINE JANUS KAHN offers this news: "I just traveled to Denver Colorado, 5,000 feet high, to give two Sammy Spider talks. There was a wonderful turnout: over 50 kids at the first program and about 20 kids at the satellite space, which I initiated. The kids were great and I sold lots of books. In addition, as I had never been to Colorado before, I stayed an extra two days and did some  touring. I saw the Denver Art Museum (seven floors in two buildings) and even a special van Gogh show, which was really good. The Denver people treated me royally, taking me to a wonderful dinner in a very artsy-craftsy area of the city, and up into the mountains, where I crossed the Continental Divide, saw the Red Rocks Amphitheater (where two days later Romney/Ryan spoke) and Vail, where we had a wonderful lunch. The mountains had their first dusting of snow. I also went on a bus tour of the Air Force Academy, Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak. I returned home just in time for Hurricane Sandy."

 JACQUELINE JULES is pleased to announce that Zapato Power has been translated into Hebrew. Jackie was recently interviewed by YNET, a leading Israeli newspaper.


PATTY STEELMAN extends a big thank you to Guild members who are generously donating materials and books--for students and teacher resources--to the Friendship Southeast Academy Library. She adds, "If anyone has a globe or large world map that would be great too. Thank you also for the kind words of advice and encouragement." 

  
The Year of Goodbyes, by DEBBIE LEVY, is the selection for the 2013 “All Spencer Reads” intergenerational reading program in Spencer, Iowa.  

SUSAN STOCKDALE is happy to report that her picture book Fabulous Fishes is being reprinted in Australia and New Zealand in spring 2013. 

MARGARET MEACHAM is pleased to announce that she has two new books just out from Sunbury Press Publishers. The Ghosts of Laurelford is a historical mystery for YA readers that takes place in the Laurel mountains outside Pittsburgh. The Survival of Sarah Landing is a mystery novel set on the Chesapeake Bay.