Kate DiCamillo at Picture Book Summit
June 30, 2022 In Speakers

Kate DiCamillo said YES!

When we came up with this year’s theme, The Write Stuff: Creating Picture Books That Are Out of This World, we knew we had to land Superstar Speakers that would live up to that stellar title.

That’s when we asked ourselves, who would we ask to speak at Picture Book Summit if we knew they wouldn’t say no?

Who was at the top of that list?

Kate DiCamillo.

So, we took a chance, crossed our fingers and toes, and asked THE Kate DiCamillo to be a Superstar Speaker at this year’s Summit. And (you may already know the exciting ending to this story…) she said YES!

Kate DiCamillo at Picture Book Summit
Kate has written some of the most beloved children’s books of this generation including Because of Winn-Dixie, The Tale of Despereaux, as well as the picture books Good, Rosie!, A Piglet Named Mercy, and La La La. Whether she’s writing picture books, chapter books, or novels, Kate DiCamillo knows how to write in a way that resonates with young readers and we could not be more honored to have her speak to you writer-to-writer at this year’s event.

Here’s a bit more about Kate’s presentation coming to a computer near you on October 8th:
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2022 Charity Partner - San Juan Community Library
June 24, 2022 In Charity Partner

San Juan Community Library – Our 2022 Charity Partner!

Every year since we started Picture Book Summit in 2015, we’ve picked a charity partner to receive a portion of each PBSummit ticket. It makes us giddy to give back to the literacy community and help get more books into the hands of kids. We make it a point to donate to charities that bring books to children around the globe and around the corner.

Over the last seven years we’ve donated over $37,000 to:

  • We Need Diverse Books
  • Two Title I Schools in Oregon and Connecticut
  • Reading Partners
  • San Juan Public Library in Puerto Rico
  • Project Night Night
  • Binc – The Book Industry Charitable Foundation
  • Little Free Library’s Read in Color Program

You can find out more details about our previous charity partners on our Charity Partner page here.

This year we are pleased to announce we will be donating again to San Juan Community Library in San Juan, Puerto Rico!

San Juan Community Library logo

Here’s a little bit about the San Juan Community Library from their Executive Director Connie Estades:

“Now in our 35th year, San Juan Community Library is a treasured and vital resource for adults and children from all walks of life. Equally important, our patrons and visitors are from cities throughout Puerto Rico. We currently house 32,000 hard copy books, 7,000 ebooks and audio books, and 45,000 ebooks from the public domain.  We are excited to share that during the last three years we circulated a combined total of 42,323 hard copy and digital titles (and that includes the year of the four-month lockdown!). We accomplish these goals with a volunteer staff, a paid part-time executive director, a board of directors, invaluable help from the municipality of San Juan, and the generosity of our members and donors.
Many people have told us that they discovered their careers here at our library, among them librarians, teachers, and authors. Libraries hold more than dreams and books; they hold the power to impact lives for the better.

Thank you so much for your support over the past several years. Thanks to your generosity we have added current fiction titles for young adults and children to our digital branch and to our hard copy titles. We would not have these titles without you! We are grateful that you have joined our library’s efforts to provide San Juan and communities from all over Puerto Rico with a lending library open to the general public. Together we provide our island with great books, information, and life-changing opportunities.

Thanks…for this amazing opportunity.  We are forever grateful!”

Here’s a quick tour of the San Juan Community Library:

 

After seeing the devastation of the library during Hurricane Maria, we reached out to the team at the San Juan Community Library to see if we could help in their recovery efforts. Here’s how they used our 2018 donation:

  • $2,400 of their donation for hard copy titles for our children and young adult collections
  • $3,107 for e-books and audio books for children and young adult e-books.
  • $1,000 to their digital branch
  • $900 for public computer renovation

A local Eagle Scout even built a bookcase to house books purchased with our Picture Book Summit donation:

 

PIcture Book Summit bookcase San Juan Community Library

We never could have imagined when we started eight years ago that we would have our own bookshelf in a library! That bookshelf and all those books were made possible by our Picture Book Summit attendees! Because of you, we’ve been able to help the library recover and provide them with even more titles for kids to read and discover new worlds.

Seeing how diligent the team at the San Juan Community Library was with our donation and just how much of an impact our donation made on them, we are thrilled to partner with them again for 2022.

 

If you’d like to be a part of our continued efforts to help get more books into the hands of kids, we invite you to be part of Picture Book Summit 2022 on October 8th.

 

Come be a part of something BIG!

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2022 Ticket Giveaway Winner
May 27, 2022 In Giveaway

Giveaway Winners 2022

It’s time to make a few lucky writers very happy! Today we get to announce the winners of our Superstar Speaker Reveal Ticket Giveaway. Thank you to everyone who entered and helped get the word out about this year’s event.

These winners get a Summit + Submissions Ticket to Picture Book Summit 2022 – The Write Stuff: Creating Picture Books That Are Out of this World!

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Picture Book Summit 2022 Video Reveal Capture
May 24, 2022 In Giveaway, Speakers

2022 Superstar Speakers

In case you haven’t heard, we have an exciting new theme and some amazing Superstar Speakers lined up for Picture Book Summit 2022! Make plans to join us October 8, 2022, for…

The Write Stuff: Creating Picture Books That Are Out of this World!


Do you have the right stuff for writing picture books? This year’s speakers can’t wait to share their secrets for reaching the publishing stars!

Over the next week, we’ll fill you in on all the juicy details of each presentation for this year’s Picture Book Summit!

We can’t wait for these sessions and we’ve crafted them so you’ll leave this year’s Summit with actionable steps you can take to write manuscripts that are ready for lift-off—whether you write fiction or nonfiction. So, let’s get started with our Superstar Speaker presentations!

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Watercress Andrea Wang Jason Chin
May 3, 2022 In Caldecott

Watercress

It’s the culmination of our 2022 Caldecott Breakdown series as we dive into this year’s Caldecott Medal Winner, WATERCRESS!

If you missed our previous discussions, you can still catch them at the links below.

In today’s video, we are honored to share with you the stunning picture book WATERCRESS, written by Andrea Wang and illustrated by Jason Chin.

Here’s a brief description:

Watercress by Andrea Wang and Jason Chin“Driving through Ohio in an old Pontiac, a young girl’s parents stop suddenly when they spot watercress growing wild in a ditch by the side of the road. Grabbing an old paper bag and some rusty scissors, the whole family wades into the muck to collect as much of the muddy, snail covered watercress as they can.

At first, she’s embarrassed. Why can’t her family get food from the grocery store? But when her mother shares a story of her family’s time in China, the girl learns to appreciate the fresh food they foraged. Together, they make a new memory of watercress.

Andrea Wang tells a moving autobiographical story of a child of immigrants discovering and connecting with her heritage, illustrated by award-winning author and artist Jason Chin, working in an entirely new style, inspired by Chinese painting techniques. An author’s note in the back shares Andrea’s childhood experience with her parents.”

Click the video below and listen in as Julie Hedlund shares some behind-the-scenes insight from Jason Chin about this remarkable story. READ MORE

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Mel_Fell by Corey Tabor
April 26, 2022 In Caldecott

Mel Fell

Welcome to the fourth video in our 2022 Caldecott Breakdown series.  Today, we soar to new heights with MEL FELL. If you missed our previous discussions, you can still catch them at the links below.

In today’s video, we jump into Caldecott Honor Book MEL FELL written and illustrated by Corey R. Tabor.

Here’s a brief description:

Mel Fell by Corey R. Tabor

“Readers will delight in turning their book sideways and upside down to follow Mel on her journey from downward fall to triumphant flight in this tale of self-confidence and taking a leap of faith.

An especially enjoyable and satisfying read-aloud!

Sometimes, you might fall

down,

down,

down,

before you learn to fly

up,

up,

up…”

Click play to join in the fun of this charming book with Katie Davis and the Picture Book Summit Team.READ MORE

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Unspeakable The Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford and Floyd Cooper
April 19, 2022 In Caldecott

Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre

Welcome to the third video in our 2022 Caldecott Breakdown series.  Today, we explore UNSPEAKABLE: THE TULSA RACE MASSACRE. If you missed our previous discussions, check them out at the links below.

Today’s analysis centers around Caldecott Honor Book UNSPEAKABLE: THE TULSA RACE MASSACRE written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by the late great Floyd Cooper.

Here’s a brief description:

Unspeakable by Carole Boston Weatherford and Floyd CooperCelebrated author Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrator Floyd Cooper provide a powerful look at the Tulsa Race Massacre, one of the worst incidents of racial violence in our nation’s history. The book traces the history of African Americans in Tulsa’s Greenwood district and chronicles the devastation that occurred in 1921 when a white mob attacked the Black community.

News of what happened was largely suppressed, and no official investigation occurred for seventy-five years. This picture book sensitively introduces young readers to this tragedy and concludes with a call for a better future.

In today’s video, Emma shows how the illustrations and text introduce readers to this terrible event in an accessible way.READ MORE

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Have_You-Ever_Seen_A_Flower
April 12, 2022 In Caldecott

Have You Ever Seen a Flower?

Welcome to the second video in 2022 Caldecott Breakdown series. The committee honored five picture books this year, so look for more videos over the coming weeks! If you missed last week’s discussion on WONDER WALKERS with Emma Walton Hamilton, you can check it out here.

In today’s analysis, we discover the 2022 Caldecott Honor Book HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A FLOWER? This delightful picture book is written and illustrated by Shawn Harris.

Here’s a quick description:

Have You Ever Seen a Flower by Shawn HarrisHAVE YOU EVER SEEN A FLOWER? is an enchanting picture book exploring the relationship between childhood and nature. In this simple yet profound story, one child experiences a flower with all five senses–from its color to its fragrance to the entire universe it evokes–revealing how a single flower can expand one’s perspective in incredible ways.

In today’s video, Katie Davis shares Shawn Harris’ authorial debut and what happens when you look at seemingly ordinary things in an extraordinary way.  READ MORE

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Wonder Walkers by Micha Archer
April 5, 2022 In Caldecott

Wonder Walkers

Our Caldecott Breakdown Series is back for 2022! Each year, our founders give an in-depth analysis of the winning books. We examine the illustrations, analyze the text, and discuss how they combine to create an award-winning picture book. Over the next five weeks, we’ll dive deep into each of this year’s amazing books and share insights into the illustrators and their processes. Most importantly, we hope these talks will give you a new perspective as you work on your own manuscripts.

First off, congratulations to the 2022 Caldecott Medal Winner: WATERCRESS written by Andrea Wang and illustrated by Jason Chin! This book is a thing of beauty and we can’t wait to share it with you in the coming weeks.

This year the Caldecott Committee recognized four books as 2022 Caldecott Honor Books:

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