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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Debut Authors Panel
August 26, 2021 In Events, Giveaway

Free Mini Summit 2021 – Debut Authors Panel

Every year after Picture Book Summit, we survey our attendees to see what they loved, what worked, and what they’d like to see at future Summits. Several of our Summiteers suggested a panel with debut authors where they could hear from writers who recently made the jump from pre-published writer to debut picture book author.

We listen to our Summiteers!

Today we are excited to announce we’re hosting a FREE online Mini Summit to showcase three debut authors and their recent success in publishing. On August 31st at 8pm ET/5pm PT, join the Picture Book Summit Team for:

Hot Off the Press!

Three Debut Authors Share Their Journey to Publication

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Samantha-Berger
August 24, 2021 In Podcast

Podcast – Samantha Berger

Samantha-Berger

In today’s episode, we’ll hear from Samantha Berger, a twice Emmy-nominated writer and award-winning author of over 80 books for young readers, including Crankenstein, Monster’s New Undies, Snail Mail, and Rock What You Got! Now, she’s revealing five things you need to know about being AND writing funny.

Samantha Berger may not be an otter with an attitude, a monstrously cranky boy, OR a Snail crossing America, but she has written about them all. Sam is a twice Emmy-nominated writer and award-winning author of over 80 books for young readers. Samantha LOVES picture books, and loves sharing them with people of all ages. She wrote for Nickelodeon for 12 years, and currently writes for Sesame Street in Communities, Sesame Street International, and various preschool shows. Sam likes to see as much of the world as she can, and do as much good as she can along the way. She is an official We Need Diverse Books Mentor, and looks forward to helping new voices and new stories shine.

Wondering what it takes to be funny in picture books? Listen in to Samantha Berger’s top 5 tips:

Listen here:

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Picture-Book-Summit-Podcast_feature_image_Emma-Walton-Hamilton
August 3, 2021 In Podcast

Podcast – Submission Savvy

Picture-Book-Summit-Podcast_feature_image_Emma-Walton-Hamilton

In Submission Savvy, Emma Walton Hamilton talks about the three things you should do before you start submitting, submissions dos and don’ts, query etiquette, and the key components of your query letter, including how to craft your hook and what to include in your bio.

Emma Walton Hamilton is a best-selling children’s book author, editor, and writing coach.  With her mother, actress/author Julie Andrews, Emma has co-authored over thirty children’s books, eight of which have been on the NY Times Bestseller list, including The Very Fairy Princess series. She is Director of the Children’s Lit Fellows program at Stony Brook University and co-host of the Julie’s Library Podcast.

Are you asking yourself what is it going to take to get from query to offer? Listen in as Emma reveals all!

Listen here:

READ MORE

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August 1, 2021 In Giveaway

Book Bundle Giveaway Winners 2021!

It’s time to announce our Book Bundle Giveaway Winners! Thank you to everyone who helped get the word out about the giveaway. Without further ado, here are our winners:

Congratulations, Marla, Lyn, and Jeanne! Email support (at) picturebooksummit.com with your mailing address so we can get you your new books!

Learn More

If you didn’t win this time, head to your local library and check out these books to get to know our 2021 Superstar Speakers better! Be sure to join us October 2nd to hear the stories behind these books and to discover how to the tell the stories only YOU can tell! It’s going to be an awesome day of picture book writing fun! Don’t miss your chance to see Superstar Speakers Yuyi Morales and Jon Klassen and workshop presenter Rob Sanders LIVE ONLINE at Picture Book Summit 2021: Discover the Story Only You Can Tell.

Join us for the LIVE online conference October 2, 2020. For a limited time, you can register at the Early Bird price. (That’s $100 off this year’s regular price!)

Click this button to see the full program and register today!

Register Today!

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picture_book_podcast_Jennie Dunham
July 22, 2021 In Podcast

Podcast – Jennie Dunham

picture_book_podcast_Jennie Dunham

Today’s episode showcases literary agent Jennie Dunham, founder of Dunham Literary Inc. Jennie shares insight on what agents do, what they don’t do, and how to prepare for working with an agent.

Jennie Dunham has been a literary agent since 1992 and founded Dunham Literary, Inc. in 2000. She represents literary fiction and non-fiction for adults and children. Her clients’ books have appeared on the New York Times Best Sellers lists and have won numerous awards including: New York Times Best Illustrated Book, The Schneider Family Award, Boston Globe Horn Book Honor, and Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist.

Wondering what an agent really does and what they’re really looking for? Jennie Dunham’s here to give you The Agent’s Perspective.

Listen here:

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July 15, 2021 In Giveaway

Book Bundle Giveaway 2021!

 

New book alert! It’s time for our annual Picture Book Summit Book Bundle Giveaway! This is your shot to win one of three fantastic book bundles with books from this year’s Superstar Speakers and one of our workshop presenters! Enter to win:

Picture Book Summit Book Bundle Giveaway 2021!

 

The Rock from the Sky written and illustrated by Jon Klassen

Jon Klassen - The Rock from the SkyHere comes The Rock from the Sky, a hilarious meditation on the workings of friendship, fate, shared futuristic visions, and that funny feeling you get that there’s something off somewhere, but you just can’t put your finger on it. Merging broad visual suspense with wry wit, celebrated picture book creator Jon Klassen gives us a wholly original comedy for the ages.

Dreamers written and illustrated by Yuyi Morales

Yuyi Morales - DreamersDreamers is a celebration of making your home with the things you always carry: your resilience, your dreams, your hopes and history. It’s the story of finding your way in a new place, of navigating an unfamiliar world and finding the best parts of it. In dark times, it’s a promise that you can make better tomorrows.

Two Grooms on a Cake written by Rob Sanders, illustrated by Robbie Cathro

Two Grooms on a Cake by Rob SandersLong before marriage equality was the law of the land, two grooms stood on a wedding cake with their feet firmly planted in fluffy white frosting. That cake belonged to Jack Baker and Michael McConnell, who were wed on September 3, 1971, becoming the first same-sex couple in America to be legally married. This beautiful book celebrates the love story of two pioneers of marriage equality for all through the baking of their wedding cake!

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Read In Color
July 13, 2021 In Charity Partner

Read in Color – Our 2021 Charity Partner!

One of our favorite parts of each year’s Summit is partnering with a new charity partner each year. We make it a point to donate to charities that bring books to kids around the globe and around the corner.

So we give a portion of our proceeds to a reading-related charity each year. Over the last six years we’ve donated over $34,000 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

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 to Little Free Library’s Read in Color Program.

Little Free Library Logo

Read in Color is a new initiative bringing diverse books to Little Free Library book-sharing boxes around the world. Read in Color distributes books that provide perspectives on racism and social justice; celebrate BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other marginalized voices; and incorporate experiences from all identities for all readers.

Read in Color boxLess than 25% of children’s books depict non-white characters. We believe everyone should be able to see themselves in the pages of a book. We also know that books can be a window into experiences that are different from our own.

By reading diverse books, we can increase understanding, empathy, and inclusion.

Horizontal_Readers - Little Free Library

In 2021, Read in Color will expand nationwide! The program, which originated in Minneapolis, will launch in nine additional cities, including Tulsa, Boston, Washington DC, New York, Detroit, Atlanta, and more. You can read more about this amazing program on Little Free Library’s website here.

We are excited to give a portion of this year’s Picture Book Summit proceeds to this worthy cause.
If you’d like to be a part of helping all kids see themselves in the books they read, we invite you to be part of Picture Book Summit 2021 on October 2nd.
Come be a part of something BIG!
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