Founders

Kelli Panique
September 3, 2024 In Founders

Kelli Panique – Top 10 Picture Book Summit Moments

Kelli PaniqueWow! Ten years of Picture Book Summit. I guess it’s true what they say that time flies when you’re having fun. I hope you’ve been enjoying our team’s top 10 lists this week. If you missed any of them, you can find Emma’s here, Katie’s here, and Julie’s here.

When this journey started, I was a picture book novice to say the least. Katie and Julie asked me to come onboard because I had experience in customer service and online conferences. (Back then we still had to explain what a web room was and how it worked. THAT was my job!) As that background person, my memories skew a little differently from the rest of the team, so if you’re a lover of behind-the-scenes peeks, I think you’ll enjoy my Top 10 List.

1. It worked!

Mac Barnett was our last Superstar Speaker of the day at our very first Summit. Once he logged in and his camera and mic worked. It was a HUGE sigh of relief for me and the rest of the behind-the-scenes team. (Shout out to Aaron and Kristin!) Then there was the surge of adrenaline realizing that WE DID IT! That Summit was immediately followed by online toasts and celebratory beverages! (In fact, all Summits are immediately followed with this kind of celebration!)

2. “Do you want to see my studio?”

Yes, please! When Julie and I did our tech check with the late beloved Tomie DePaolo, he offered to take us on tour of his studio. First off, Tomie was just a big beautiful light in this world. Even through a video screen, his smile lit up the room and his eyes twinkled in that special way of someone who is truly happy to see you. So, he loaded up his laptop and took us round his studio and gave us the grand tour. He laughed and giggled as he showed us around. It was such a special moment and Julie and I could not believe our luck! I still have the email he wrote me after the Summit signed with x’s and o’s. He was a gem of a human being.

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PBS Julie Hedlund Top 10
August 28, 2024 In Founders

Julie Hedlund – Top 10 Picture Book Summit Moments

PBS Julie Hedlund Top 10Today it’s my turn to share my Top 10 favorite moments from 10 years of Picture Book Summit! Although as Katie said, it’s impossible to choose ONLY 10, so here is a small sampling of some of the magical experiences I’ve enjoyed as one of the founders of this incredible conference.

I found myself quite emotional after writing this post. I’m so proud to be part of the  Picture Book Summit team, and I can honestly say I’m looking forward to the next 10 years!

1. First Day Jitters

Somehow, I drew the straw of interviewing our first speaker (author/illustrator Peter Brown) of the first Summit. I was SO nervous, and the night before I barely slept because I had stress dreams all night (the usual—showing up late, forgetting to wear clothes, not being able to log in…). But the interview was, of course, amazing! Afterward, I just knew the rest of the day was going to be incredible – that we had really created something special.

2. David Shannon’s Big Oops!

I love myself a great pun. I also love stories where authors and illustrators we love share their goofs and gaffes with us. Like David Shannon telling us how important it is for illustrators to revise for consistency in their illustrations. In the first edition of Duck On a Bike, all of the illustrations featured a bell on the bike except the last one, which was missing the bell. He got called on it by a kid and decided to make bell stickers. From then on, when any kid wrote in to point out the lack of a bell on the last bike, he sent a sticker saying they received the “No-Bell Prize.” Get it? Get it? (laugh emoji)

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PBS Katie Davis Top 10
August 27, 2024 In Founders

Katie Davis – Top 10 Picture Book Summit Moments

PBS Katie Davis Top 10When we first started Picture Book Summit, I had no thought of doing it for a decade. I had no idea how many we would end up helping, both our attendees, as well as the charities we would give a portion of the proceeds. Now, as I look back and think of my top 10 memories of the last 10 years of dozens of brilliant presentations, I’m overwhelmed with options. So I’m lying here. These aren’t my top 10. They are among dozens of stellar memories of Superstar Speakers. But I had to choose 10, so here are the first 10 that popped into mind, in no particular order.

(Did you miss Emma’s Top 10. Catch up here!)

#1 – Paul O. Zelinsky

I remember Paul O. Zelinsky’s poignant reflection of being in his crib at his great-grandmother’s. Over the crib hung a painting she’d made of Hansel and Gretel and he talked about the intense feelings this painting gave him and how you never have such such strong reactions to things again once you’ve grown up.

#2 – Jane Yolen

Jane Yolen’s comment about being called prolific and how she preferred “versatile” because “Prolific always has that whiff of, ‘She does too much, she does too fast, how can it be any good?’ And then there’s the word versatile, which I like better because it means that you can do a variety of things, that you can do them well…”

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PBS Emma Walton Hamilton
August 26, 2024 In Founders

Emma Walton Hamilton – Top 10 Picture Book Summit Moments

PBS Emma Walton Hamilton Picture Book Summit is 10 years old!

So much has happened in the picture book industry in these past ten years… we’ve said goodbye to some treasured industry colleagues and welcomed many new ones. There has been a long overdue push towards greater diversity in characters, stories, and creators, and a surge in picture books that focus on STEM, STEAM, and SEL. Today’s picture books explore all sorts of fresh ideas and approaches—non-linear narratives and unconventional formats. Topics that were once considered too complex for young readers are now addressed regularly in picture books. And the publishing industry not only survived the challenges of pandemic but proved that picture books play a critical role in young people’s lives and are definitely here to stay.

With all this evolution, one thing has remained constant—the quality of learning at Picture Book Summit. We have been fortunate to have some of the industry’s best and brightest writers, illustrators, editors, and agents deliver memorable and inspiring keynotes and workshops over the past ten years.

In keeping with the theme of our 10th anniversary, here are 10 of my most memorable moments from Picture Book Summits past, and what they taught me…

 

  1. Andrea Davis Pinkney’s flip-flop – Andrea swims every morning at the crack of dawn. One day, while doing her laps, the idea for Seven Candles for Kwanzaa came to her—and because she didn’t have her trusty notebook with her poolside, she wrote it on her flip-flop. Never postpone capturing an idea, no matter where you may be!

 

  1. Mac Barnett’s page turns – Mac opened our eyes to the power and magic of the page turn. “Page turns are the most important property of picture books,” he said. “Think of a 32-page picture book as, once front matter and back matter are taken into consideration, 13 page turns. And each page turn is a chance to surprise, to change themes, or to amplify the narrative, to have things happen. The space between page turns is a very exciting space. It’s a moment that builds anticipation. Anything can happen between your page turns.”

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