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.
