November 2014

PEACHTREE'S KATHY LANDWEHR ON CHILDREN'S PUBLISHING: TRENDS VS. THE TRIED AND TRUE

As a child, Kathy Landwehr wanted to be an archaeologist, because Greek mythology fascinated her. When she realized she’d have to spend a lot of time outside getting dirty in order to pursue this career, she decided to become a librarian instead, because she loved to read. Even though people told her that library work would be boring, she knew that librarians were the best people, and that libraries were the best places on Earth.

Landwehr has said that her career in children’s publishing chose her, because it fulfills many of the same desires she thought archaeology or librarianship might: it keeps her in touch with stories, adventure, books and libraries. It allows her to uncover things that are special and magical and to share those wonders with others. And the work is clean and done inside!

Landwehr graduated from Emory University and was employed by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Susan Hunter Publishing before moving to Peachtree Publishers in 1990. She began in publicity and marketing and moved to the editorial side in 1995. She was named associate publisher in 1999 and vice president in 2007.

Landwehr loves the challenges children’s books offer. They may seem easy to create, but, as she says, “Every single word has to count, and there’s nowhere to hide the mistakes.” Deciding how the text and illustrations work together to convey information is also a complex task.

In her time at Peachtree, Landwehr has been fortunate to work with the creators of picture books (including Susan Stockdale), middle grade fiction and nonfiction (including Fred Bowen and Alison Hart) and young adult novels. On November 20, Landwehr will discuss how—and whether—to respond to trends in publishing, ranging from the paranormal to the Common Core.

Date: Thursday, November 20
Time:  11:30 a.m. "social hour"; noon luncheon
Place: Busboys and Poets 
1025 Fifth Street NW (at K Street) 

Menu: All choices $25 ($26 when paid online via PayPal)

:: 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  

:: GLUTEN-FREE OPTION ::

Beans and Wild Rice with fresh guacamole and pico de gallo (vegan and lactose-free without the sour cream served on the side)

:: 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. Sue Fleiss and Terry Jennings Nominated for Guild Membership

2. The Guild Experiences Africa with Ifeoma Onyefulu

3. Frostburg's Storybook Holiday

4. Member News

5. "Buy Local": a Reminder



 

MEMBER NOMINATION: SUE FLIESS

Catherine Reef nominates Sue Fliess for membership in the Children’s Book Guild in the author category. Mary Hess seconds the nomination.

Sue Fliess ("fleece") is the author of eight children's books, including Tons of Trucks, Shoes for Me!, Robots, Robots Everywhere! and, most recently, How to Be a Superhero. She has another 10 picture books under contract. Her background is in copywriting, public relations, marketing and event planning, and her articles and essays have appeared in O, the Oprah Magazine; Huffington Post; Writer's Digest; Daily Candy Kids and more. Sue's picture books have received honors from the Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and have been used as curriculum teaching tools in elementary school classrooms as well as in children's educational programs in museums. She is an active member of SCBWI and also a member of the Author’s Guild.

Sue moved  this summer from Northern California to Ashburn, Va., where she lives with her husband, two boys (10 and 11 years old) and a Labrador puppy named Charlie. Although she spent the last 17 years in Silicon Valley near the Googleplex, writing for startups and mature tech companies while authoring books, her blood runs east. Sue grew up in northern New Jersey, attended Salisbury University and got her first job in New York City as a publicist for Penguin Putnam—a position she held for a couple of years until the move west.

Sue is very excited to have found the Children’s Book Guild of Washington, D.C., as she is anxious to meet other authors, illustrators and children’s literature specialists in her area.

Little known fact: Sue used to be involved in musicals and choirs and was in a couple of garage bands in her college days. She’s found a way to reincorporate singing into her life by writing parodies. You can see her videos, her book trailers and more about her and her books at: www.suefliess.com.

 

 MEMBER NOMINATION: TERRY CATASÚS JENNINGS 

Amy Hansen nominates Terry Catasús Jennings for membership in the Children’s Book Guild in the author category. Moira Rose Donohue seconds the nomination.

Terry is the author of Gopher to the Rescue! A Volcano Recovery Story (Sylvan Dell, 2012), a picture book about the natural recovery after the Mount St. Helens eruption of May 18, 1980. Gopher to the Rescue! was named an Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students K-12 by the National Science Teachers Association and the Children’s Book Council, and was among the 2013 New Books for Missouri Students. Her second book, The Women’s Liberation Movement: 1960-1990 (Mason Crest, 2013), was named to the Amelia Bloomer Project List of Recommended Feminist Literature for Birth through 18. Jennings is looking forward to the publication of her picture book Sounds of the Savanna by Arbordale next fall

Born in Cuba, Terry came to the United States with her family not long after her father was imprisoned by Castro during the Bay of Pigs invasion. The family ended up in Richmond, Va., because of her father’s work.

Although stories have always spun in her mind, it was only after a career in the business sector and full-time motherhood for about 17 years that Terry could take the time to bring them out on the written page. After her volunteering in the schools, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts wound down, she took a stab at writing. The very first piece she ever submitted, a humorous essay about teaching her daughter to drive, was printed by the Washington Post. She has also written other humorous essays and a full-length article for the Health Section of the Post. Her work has appeared as well in Long Island’s Newsday and Ranger Rick. For four years she wrote a family humor and local current events column for her local newspaper, the Reston Connection. In 2007, Jennings won a contract with the National Science Resource Center, now the Smithsonian’s Science Education Center. For them she writes science educational text. She also writes regularly for other educational outlets.
 

 
Terry has been attending meetings as a guest since last year and says coming to the Children’s Book Guild lunches has been a special experience for her. In her words: “It has been wonderful to connect with old friends and make new friends who are so committed to children’s literature. It’s like Christmas.” Terry also says that she would be happy to volunteer and serve the Children’s Book Guild in any way she can.

To learn more about Terry, visit her website:  http://www.terrycjennings.com/index.html

and read her science blog for kids: http://www.kcswildfacts.com/KCs-Blog.html.

IFEOMA ONYEFULU CONVEYS THE RICHNESS OF AFRICAN CULTURE IN PICTURES AND WORDS

by Betsy Harvey Kraft

 

It was not your standard monthly meeting. Toward the end of Ifeoma Onyefulu’s presentation at the Children’s Book Guild’s October gathering, a spirited group of Guild members sat in a circle on the floor of Busboys and Poets, frantically passing sticks from one person to the next. The trick was not to be left holding a stick when the leader stopped singing. The Guild members threw themselves into the traditional African children’s game with the enthusiasm and competitiveness of a bunch of young kids playing in a rural village.

 

The London-based Onyefulu was inspired to write about Africa when looking for books about the continent to read to her young son. What she found mostly were titles featuring wildlife. Eager for materials that explored Africa’s cultural aspects, the author conceived an idea for a picture book that would introduce objects and concepts from her home country, Nigeria. The result was A Is for Africa, published in the United Kingdom by Frances Lincoln Children’s Books. The book has since become an icon of multicultural books.

 

A is for Africa was followed by more than 20 picture books, including Chidi Only Likes Blue, a book about colors, and Emeka’s Gift, a counting book. Other titles portray significant events in an African child’s life, such as those shown in Ife’s First Haircut and Deron Goes to Nursery School. In a series entitled Look at This, Onyefulu familiarizes kids with concepts related to home, play, food and clothes in Africa.  

 

The past winner of two Children’s Africana Book Awards (CABA) for Here Comes Our Bride: An African Wedding Story and Ikenna Goes to Nigeria, Onyefulu is in the States to make school and other appearances and to attend the 2014 CABA presentation ceremony at the National Museum of African Art on November 8. Guild members Karen Leggett Abouraya and Susan Roth were honored last year by CABA for Hands Around the Library.

 

Onyefulu, who trained as a photographer, showed slides of her work featuring children dressed for the Eid al-Fitr, the end-of-Ramadan festival; a market day in Lagos; and events such as a net-fishing competition. She is currently at work on an adult coffee-table book that will feature some of her stunning photos, accompanied by the stories behind each image. She has traveled widely in Africa to capture illustrations for her children’s books. But as she entered the world of online publication with The Goat That Vanished (Books go Walkabout, 2013), she began collaborating with her talented artist son, Emeka Malbert.

 

Onyefulu concluded her talk with tales about a turtle known as a trickster in African folklore. With legends like these, more books, a busy speaker’s schedule and a blog (www.ifeomaonyefulu.co.uk/mytravels) she is poised to continue a rich outpouring of stories from the continent of her youth.  

 

FROSTBURG'S STORYBOOK HOLIDAY 2014

Bundle up and join in the winter festivities at this year’s Storybook Holiday on Saturday, December 6, 2014! The day kicks off with a scrumptious "Breakfast with the Elves" and a festive parade. Plenty of holiday activities will be available at City Place and Broadway Parking Lot as well as in the Main Street area. Children will have the opportunity to interact with this year’s featured author/illustrator, Janet Morgan Stoeke. End the day by purchasing a ticket (in advance at Main Street Books) for the film Christmas in Connecticut, to be shown at Frostburg’s Palace Theatre. Make sure you don’t miss out on this wonderful event! For more information, please contact the Children’s Literature Centre at clc@frostburg.edu or (301) 687-3133. Check out our webpage at www.frostburg.edu/clc.

 MEMBER NEWS

 

Enslow publishers has put three of WENDIE OLD's biographies into paperback and e-book formats: The Wright Brothers: Aviation Pioneers and Inventors (Legendary American Biographies series), The Life of Duke Ellington, Giant of Jazz (Legendary African Americans) and The Life of Louis Armstrong, King of Jazz (Legendary African Americans).

SUSAN STOCKDALE will participate in a picture book panel called Connecting Science and Math Concepts with Children's and Young Adult Literature on November 22 at the NCTE Annual Convention. The conference will be held at the Gaylord National Resort at National Harbor, Md. Susan will sign books at Peachtree's booth following the panel discussion.

Also, Susan reports that while in Chicago last month she had a great lunch with Guild member JENNIFER ALLISON, who moved there two years ago with her husband and three children. The family is enjoying life in the "windy city," although Jennifer said she misses the Guild.

 

 

PAMELA DUNCAN EDWARDS has just published a book for charity co-authored with Eric Fehr, one of the star players on the Capitals' ice hockey team. All proceeds are to go to
charities that concentrate on the growing problem of bullying in our schools, about which Pam feels strongly. The book, The Bulliest Dozer, tells the story of a little bulldozer who joins Ms. Crane's Academy for Young Machines only to find that all the other students are
brilliant ice skaters and who reacts by becoming a bully. Pam notes that the story has a happy ending. She writes, "I was lucky enough to find a young illustrator who has done a great job with this, her first children's book. She has great talent, and I hope to introduce her to the Guild in the next few months."


 

 

DEBORAH WILES reports that Revolution is a National Book Award finalist in the Young People's Literature category. The winners will be announced at a dinner in New York City on November 19.

 

 

From her childhood in China to the moment she won her first National Book Award, literary icon KATHERINE PATERSON shares the personal stories that inspired her children’s books in Stories of My Life. Katherine says that fellow Guild member Phyllis Naylor is quoted in the book. Enjoy an excerpt on our Guild website: http://childrensbookguild.org/book-news/668-stories-of-my-life-new-from-katherine-paterson.



 

 

MARY BOWMAN-KRUHM and Anna Maslowicz co-authored the article "La Moringa: Árbol de la Vida"  ("The Moringa: The Tree of Life") for the November-December issue of Iguana, a Spanish-language children's magazine published by Cobblestone for ages 8-12.

 

 

 

 SUSHMITA MAZUMDAR writes: "Little Lantern and the Dark and Moonless Night is a storybook about finding your light and showing the way. The story follows a Little Lantern made of earth, water and fire who doesn’t know how she can help the Writer celebrate Diwali, a grand and centuries-old tradition from India she knows nothing about. But with the Potter’s inspired designs and the Writer's trust she learns that her tiny light has the power to bring color to the whole world.

"As a book artist, I write a story while imagining how the book format itself can be the illustration. In this case I started with my own memories of creating rangolis (floor designs using colorful sand) during my childhood in India. Then I began to discover inspiration everywhere! From my potter friend Jeff’s beautiful lanterns to folios of Persian calligraphy in a museum to a conversation with a woman on an airplane, I wove together these bits and pieces to create a handmade storybook in which the pages are the illustrations and the center spread is the grand finale, where the ceramic lantern is placed." www.StudioPause.com/handmadestorybooks
 

 

SALLY CANZONERI learned some interesting things about canning jars when writing a caption for one of her photos, Ball Bottles Blue, which was included in a recent exhibition at the Dark Room Gallery in Essex Junction, Vt.

 

 



 

Closer to home, her photo Vintage Conflict recently won an honorable mention in "Art NOW," a show at the Art League Gallery in Alexandria.

 

 

View of Mount Hunger, a picture Sally shot near her childhood home in Vermont, was included in the "World Aesthetic" exhibition at Gallery Underground in Arlington. It didn’t win a prize, but at the opening the picture did get that sign of recognition all artists value: a red dot.

 

Sally is now making plans for her display at FotoBazaar, which will be held November 14 through 17 at 51 N Street NE, not far from Busboys & Poets. This will be the second year that Fotoweek DC has organized FotoBazaar, a “pop-up” exhibit held in an otherwise empty office building. Even if she were not showing there, Sally would highly recommend that people visit. Last year more than 100 photographers took part in the show, offering a wide range of styles, and there was a great deal of good and interesting work to be seen. Most exhibitions are smaller and reflect the decisions of a curator; seeing the work of so many artists arranged somewhat randomly is a different experience, Sally points out.

 

 

ELLEN KLEIN excitedly announces that Hooray for Books! is expanding. In short, the independent children's bookstore in Old Town Alexandria, Va.,will be doubling in size in January. Ellen notes that Guild members who have made presentations in the store know that more space is needed. Information about the fund-raising campaign can be found here: http://bit.ly/morehooray. And here is a Washington Post article about the campaign: http://wapo.st/1q2YXcg.

 

 

GUILD MEMBERS: REMEMBER TO UPDATE YOUR INFORMATION ON THE "BUY LOCAL" PAGE

 

The "Buy Local" pdf on the Guild website can now be easily updated. Please send your updates to Laura Melmed at lauramelmed@gmail.com.

Check out the link: http://www.childrensbookguild.org/images/stories/members/buy_local/buylocal.pdf

and be sure to share it with librarian friends and others looking for local authors to speak.

 

 

Tweet Your News

Do you have a publication date for a new book, a local appearance coming up or an award nomination to tout? Don't be shy! The Guild has its own Twitter account (@ChildrensBookGuild) and is looking for news to tweet. Just send your news to Caroline Hickey (carolinesmithhickey@gmail.com), preferably already edited to fit the 140-character limit. If you'd like to include a link to a webpage with more information, the URL must be included in the 140 characters. URLs can be condensed at a number of sites, including http://www.tinyurl.com. If this sounds like too much effort, just send whatever you have to Caroline and she'll make the magic happen.

*********

NOTE ABOUT THE CHILDREN'S BOOK GUILD NEWS: Would you rather print your newsletter than read it online? Current and past issues now available for printing on the Guild's website at http://www.childrensbookguild.org/guild-newsletters. Look for the "Newsletter" tab on the left side of the Guild website. There is also a "Printer Friendly Version" link on the top left hand side of this blog.

***********