I recently had the unique opportunity to attend a few sessions of the Picture Book Club for Grownups at the local children’s bookstore, Mr. Mopps’, in North Berkeley, California.
The monthly group is led by long time book buyer and children’s specialist bookseller Clare Doornbos. In the cozy bookstore setting, Clare invited us to contribute in whatever way suits us best.
In addition to grownups that just love picture books, I encountered authors, illustrators, parents, and library workers ready to show-and-tell. They were picking my brain about my experience on the Caldecott Committee and what we looked for in distinguished illustrated books. And I was equally curious about their process as creatives.
I appreciated the opportunity to read aloud from our show-and-tell picture books without it feeling like a formal storytime. At the same time, I shared a combination of nostalgic books from the past and my storytime favorites. (Because storytime is what we do best, right?!)
Today’s blogger is Nicole Powell, of the ALSC Program Coordinating Committee. Nicole served on the 2016 Randolph Caldecott Medal Selection Committee and the 2024 Children’s Literature Lecture Award Committee.