I’d like to introduce you to a project between the Children’s Book Council (where I work as Marketing Director) and Knowledge Quest (the AASL journal). While many ALSC members are also AASL members, some of you are not and will be interested in this new initiative. We have partnered to bring readers a series of articles by children’s book authors and illustrators entitled “Meet the Author/Illustrator.”
I am a member of the KQ Editorial Board. When I joined the Board, KQ Editor Debbie Abilock and I sat down to discuss how we could bring more children’s book coverage to the journal. Debbie had been a fan of our online “Meet the Author/Illustrator” columns and thought such articles would be a great complement to the theme-based issues KQ covers.
As the project developed, we realized that each column really does embody common goals that AASL and CBC share – belief in the power of reading enjoyment and immersive learning and a commitment to a high level of literacy for every child. Columns are written by authors and illustrators with a wide variety of styles, genres and publishers. Readers can draw inspiration by learning about their lives and work.
The first article, by Ying Chang Compestine, author of Revolution Is Not A Dinner Party (Holt, 2007), appeared in the September/October 2007 issue of the journal and can be found on KQ Web and on the CBC website. The theme of the KQ issue was “A Test of Character.” If you’ve already read Revolution Is Not A Dinner Party, you probably already have a good idea about why Ying was the perfect match for the issue.
The second article by Laurie Lazzaro Knowlton, author of Red, White and Blue (Pelican, 2002), appears in the November/December 2007 issue which recently arrived in mailboxes. This article can also be found on KQ Web and on the CBC website. With “Intellectual Freedom” as the KQ theme and Red, White and Blue as the book title, you can guess the connection.
Future articles from Stefan Pertrucha, author of the Nancy Drew graphic novels (Papercutz); Amanda Lumry and Laura Hurwitz, the author and photographer for The Adventures of Riley (Eaglemont); and Frank Beddor, author of The Looking Glass Wars (Dial, 2006), are scheduled for the Spring 2008 issues. These articles are fabulous insights into the lives and work of the creators of today’s children’s literature. I know readers will find them as fascinating and wonderful as both Debbie and I did when we received them in our email inboxes.
-Michelle Bayuk