Adriana Dominguez
July 16, 2020 In Events

Adriana Domínguez Workshop

It’s Not a Trend: #OwnVoices as a Publishing Imperative

Adriana DominguezToday we bring you our second workshop for Picture Book Summit Special Edition: Finding Your Voice on October 3, 2020. No Summit with the theme of “Finding Your Voice” would be complete without an examination of #ownvoices. Agent Adriana Domínguez brings a unique perspective having worked with authors, illustrators, and editors alike on bringing more diverse voices to the publishing industry.

Adriana is presenting It’s Not a Trend: #OwnVoices as a Publishing Imperative

Agent Adriana Domínguez will discuss the importance of stories from people whose voices have long been suppressed, and that representation is not just about who appears in books, but from whose perspectives the stories are told. The session will cover what #ownvoices is (and isn’t), what progress has been made to increase diversity in children’s publishing, and the work that is yet to be done.

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Betsy Bird
July 14, 2020 In Events

Betsy Bird Workshop

Performance on the Page: Constructing the Perfect Picture Book Read-Aloud

Betsy BirdLet’s dig in to the first workshop coming to Picture Book Summit Special Edition: Finding Your Voice on October 3, 2020. We would be remiss if we hosted a picture book conference about voice and didn’t talk about people actually using their voices to read our stories to kids. That’s a key component of picture books, right? So we asked picture book curator and read-aloud expert Betsy Bird to join us!

Betsy is bringing us Performance on the Page: Constructing the Perfect Picture Book Read-Aloud!

Join author and librarian Betsy Bird for an in-depth examination of what separates the good picture book read-alouds from the great picture book read-alouds. Librarians have always known that picture books can often break down into two groups: one-on-one titles and read-aloud titles. One-on-ones are great for getting snuggly at bedtime, but if you want to engage a large crowd of kids, you need a text that pops in an entirely different way. Betsy breaks down some of the most successful read-alouds, from classics to lesser known titles to brand new 2020 books.

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Peter Reynolds
July 11, 2020 In Author Studies, Events

Peter H. Reynolds – Author Study

Three Things You Can Learn from the Bestselling Author-Illustrator

Peter ReynoldsToday we conclude our 2020 Author Study series with Peter H. Reynolds! (You can read our author studies on Sophie Blackall and Lesa Cline-Ransome here and here.) Written by Keila V. Dawson, our author studies focus on a few elements from our Superstar Speakers and what you can learn from their work before the big online conference on October 3, 2020. Here are three things you can learn from Peter H. Reynolds.

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Lesa Cline-Ransome
July 9, 2020 In Author Studies, Events

Lesa Cline-Ransome – Author Study

Three Things You Can Learn from this Nonfiction Expert

Lesa-Cline-Ransome blogToday we continue our 2020 Author Study series! Our first 2020 Author Study put the spotlight on author-illustrator Sophie Blackall. You can still read that post here. Written by Keila V. Dawson, our author studies focus on a few elements from our Superstar Speakers and what you can learn from their work before the big online conference on October 3, 2020. Here are three things you can learn from Lesa Cline-Ransome.

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Sophie Blackall Picture Book Summit blog
July 7, 2020 In Author Studies, Events

Sophie Blackall – Author Study

Three Things You Can Learn from the Author-Illustrator

Sophie Blackall Picture Book Summit blogToday we begin our 2020 Author Study series! In case you missed it, last week we announced our Superstar Speakers for Picture Book Summit 2020: Special Edition. We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Sophie Blackall, Lesa Cline-Ransome, and Peter H. Reynolds to this year’s Summit: Finding Your Voice. Written by Keila V. Dawson, our author studies are a chance to dig into our speakers’ work before the big online conference on October 3, 2020. Here are three things you can learn from Sophie Blackall.

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Finding Your Voice - PBSummit 2020
July 1, 2020 In Events

2020 Registration Now Open!

Finding Your Voice - PBSummit 2020Registration is now open for our 2020 Picture Book Summit!

For our 6th annual event, we are pleased to bring you Caldecott Medal winner Sophie Blackall, Coretta Scott King Honor winner Lesa Cline-Ransome, and New York Times bestselling author-illustrator Peter H. Reynolds. Our theme this year is:

Finding Your Voice

Our Superstar Speakers will help you find your voice in writing picture books in these three in-depth keynote presentations.

 

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Picture-Book-Summit-Podcast_feature_image_Andrea-Davis-Pinkney
June 9, 2020 In Podcast

Podcast – Andrea Davis Pinkney

Andrea Davis Pinkney - Picture Book Summit podcastToday’s episode is from New York Times Bestseller and Coretta Scott King award-winner Andrea Davis Pinkney. Andrea’s Picture Book Summit presentation was “Nonfiction with a Twist.” Andrea is known for picture books such as POEM FOR PETER and MARTIN AND MAHALIA. She’s also written biographies of Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald among others. In this excerpt of Andrea’s presentation, she shares how she gets her ideas and the unusual role a flip flop played in capturing the voice of her biography of Ella Fitzgerald. Remember, nonfiction doesn’t mean nonfun!

Listen here:

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Tomie DePaola - Picture Book Summit Podcast
May 26, 2020 In Caldecott, Podcast

Podcast – Tomie DePaola

Picture Book Summit Podcast - Tomie DePaola

Earlier this year we lost the legendary author-illustrator Tomie DePaola.

Beloved author/illustrator Tomie dePaola wrote and illustrated books for children for over 50 years. In that time, Tomie always drew from life experience. His books were inspired by everything from his Irish-Italian roots to his adventures in musical theater. Other influences included his time as a Benedictine monk and his work as a fine artist and teacher. Tomie’s 260+ books have sold 25 million copies worldwide, including Strega Nona, 26 Fairmount Avenue, The Art Lesson, and Christmas Remembered. The American Library Association has honored him with a Caldecott Honor Book, a Newbery Honor Book, and the 2011 Laura Ingalls Wilder Award (now known as the Children’s Literature Legacy Award) for his “substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children.”

Today, we celebrate his life by remembering the light and joy he brought us in this Picture Book Summit interview.

Listen here:

 

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Laura Backes - Picture Book Summit Podcast
May 26, 2020 In Podcast

Podcast – Laura Backes – 500 Word Picture Book

Laura Backes - Picture Book Summit Podcast

Picture book texts are getting shorter. In fact, many agents and editors have put a 500-word limit on new picture book manuscripts. But how do you write a story—complete with fully-developed characters, a plot with a beginning, middle and end, and page-turning action— in 500 words?

In this episode, Picture Book Summit Co-Founder Laura Backes gives us advice on how to start writing your picture book so you can stay on track throughout the process and not add too many words to your story.

Laura Backes is publisher of Children’s Book Insider, The Children’s Writing Monthly, and co-owner of WritingBlueprints.com (along with husband Jon Bard). Laura has edited and critiqued thousands of picture book manuscripts. Her credits include Best Books for Kids Who (Think They) Hate to Read (Random House); articles for Writer’s Digest, The Writer and Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market; and technical editor of Writing Children’s Books for Dummies.

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May 26, 2020 In Caldecott, Podcast

Podcast – Peter Brown

Welcome to the Picture Book Summit Podcast where we share insight on the craft of writing, illustrating, and publishing picture books from the industry’s best and brightest. In each episode, we feature an excerpt from a keynote or presentation given at Picture Book Summit, the annual world-class online conference for picture book writers and illustrators around the globe that takes place every October.

Peter Brown - Picture Book Summit PodcastIn our inaugural episode, we share a portion of our Picture Book Summit interview with Caldecott Medal-winning author-illustrator Peter Brown.

Peter Brown has written and illustrated many books for children and earned numerous honors. His awards include a Caldecott Honor, a Horn Book Award, two E.B. White Awards, two E.B. White Honors, a Children’s Choice Award for Illustrator of the Year, two Irma Black Honors, a Golden Kite Award, and a New York Times Best Illustrated Book Award. Peter has six New York Times bestselling books for children. His bestselling titles include The Curious Garden, Children Make Terrible Pets, and Mr. Tiger Goes Wild. Peter’s illustrations for Creepy Carrots!, written by Aaron Reynolds, earned him a Caldecott Honor.

Listen in as Peter discusses how he creates character development by digging into his own personal experiences.

 

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