April 6th, 2018

This Saturday, April 7th, London Ladd will be speaking on two panels at The Color of Children’s Literacy Conference at the CUNY Graduate Center in New York City. The conference is being held by Kweli Journal, an online magazine with a mission to ” nurture emerging writers of color and create opportunities for their voices to be recognized and valued.” London will be speaking on the panels, “The Power of the Picture Book” and “Lifting the Veil.” More information about the conference and panelists can be found here.

Join freelance Illustrator, Sarah Jung, on https://www.behance.net/live as she creates an original illustration over three days in Photoshop Sketch – her preferred Adobe mobile app. This week she will show off her signature style, which evokes traditional media using only digital tools.

Don’t forget to tune in April 12th at 12PM EST to watch!

What do you get when two curious robots make a mess of things? An excellent review in Publishers Weekly! Michael Slack‘s fun new board book Standroid & Dandroid Make A Mess hit shelves on Tuesday, and has already gained positive feedback from reviewers. Nobody can resist the allure of this “charming robot pair” as they cause trouble and seek a solution to their sticky situation.

You can read the full review here and grab your copy of Standroid & Dandroid Make A Mess here.

Congratulations to Vanessa Brantley Newton, who illustrated The Youngest Marcher, which has received the 2018 Carter G. Woodson Book Award for an Elementary Level book. The award is given to “the most distinguished books appropriate for young readers that depict ethnicity in the United States,” and is meant to “encourage the writing, publishing, and dissemination of outstanding social studies books for young readers that treat topics related to ethnic minorities and race relations sensitively and accurately.”

You can view the complete list of winners and honorees here.

On Saturday April 7th join Maria Gianferrari and Jia Liu, author and illustrator of Terrific Tongues! as they read and sign copies of their book at Curious Iguana bookstore in Maryland. For more information about the event, click here.

Kirkus had only positive things to say about Michael Slack‘s upcoming sequel to 2017’s Shorty & Clem. In Shorty & Clem Blast Off!, the uniquely dynamic duo of dino and bird butt heads over a model rocket kit, with their drastically different personalities putting them at odds. Will Shorty and Clem be able to set their differences aside to get the job done? Kirkus notes the pair’s “expressively drawn faces,” and remarks that the “sophisticated pacing … practically guarantees chuckles.”

You can read the full review and pre-order your copy of Shorty & Clem Blast Off! here.

On Saturday, March 17, The Highlights Foundation unveiled their 2018 Visual Arts Exhibit, and hosted a reception in honor of children’s illustrator Shadra Strickland, whose inspiring artwork can be viewed on display at the Barn throughout the year. The director of customer experience, George Brown, stated that Shadra’s work will “serve as a source of creativity and encouragement for writers and illustrators.”

Read the full press release from the event here.

Now & Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin by Gene Barretta was included on Celebrate Science‘s list, “5 Faves: Expository Nonfiction Recommended by Donna Miller.” Donna Miller, who created the list, is a K-5 library teacher in Massachusetts, and describes how teachers can integrate the book into the classroom, from introducing science projects to teaching how to write biographies.

Click here to view the blog post.

Congratulations to Gerald Kelley, who illustrated A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo, for such a successful debut! Under the pseudonym EG Keller, Kelley teamed up with John Oliver and author Jill Twiss on a top secret project that was ultimately revealed on a segment during Sunday’s episode of Oliver’s show, Last Week Tonight With John Oliver. The book is an adorable, witty parody of Charlotte and Karen Pence’s Marlon Bundo: A Day in the Life of the Vice President. In Twiss’ version, Marlon Bundo is a gay male bunny who falls in love with another male bunny, and decides to get married. The parody’s antagonist, Stink Bug, is an anti-gay marriage politician with a striking resemblance to Vice President Mike Pence, who shares Stink Bug’s anti-LGBTQ views. The book sold 10,000 copies within the first 15 minutes of its release, and has already sold out, with another printing already in the works. All the proceeds of the book will be donated to the Trevor Project, a suicide hotline for LGBTQ youth, and the AIDS charity AIDS United.

Click here to order your copy of A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo.

Congratulations to Josée Masse, who illustrated Thunder Underground, which has been named one of the Best & Brightest Children’s Books of 2017 by Denver Public Library. The book was featured in the “Children’s Poetry” category, and is a thought-provoking collection of poems that teaches kids about the mysterious world underneath us through science, adventure and poetry.

You can view the entire list from Denver Public Library here and grab a copy of Thunder Underground here.