I know every state has their claims to fame–people or events that bring about pride of place and cause for celebration. When you don’t live in California or New York those local celebrities or occurrences are just a little less known to the rest of America. While every resident thinks their person/place/thing is the best, I have to say being a children’s librarian in Beverly Cleary’s city really is something to cheer about. Considered a local heroine, Beverly Cleary (April 12, 1916 – March 25, 2021) was born in McMinnville and lived in rural Yamhill before moving to Portland. Most of her books are set in Northeast Portland where she was raised, and the truly special thing about her and her work was that she was a champion of children as they really exist.
Category: Author Spotlight
34th Annual Virginia Hamilton Conference
Last week, I attended the 34th Annual Virginia Hamilton Conference at Kent State University, focusing on multicultural literature for children and young adults. Living in Northeast Ohio, I have attended several times in the past; however, this year I am a newly minted member of the Conference’s Advisory Board and got to see a bit “behind the curtain” of the event as well. In addition, this year was unusual. The typical April date was changed to October to be combined with a Literacy Conference Kent State was hosting this year, and that content was also included in breakdown sessions. The Conference began Thursday evening with dinner, the Arnold Adoff Poetry Awards, and one of the Conference’s three keynote speakers, poet Marilyn Nelson. Present to pick up their poetry awards, and to read excerpts from their work, were winner Nikki Grimes (One Last Word) and honor recipients Hope Anita Smith (My Daddy…
How Author Visits Helped Heal Our Community
This past November, tragedy struck my elementary school community when one of our fifth grade students died. Within hours of her passing, reporters and cameramen showed up on school grounds, filming our children on the playground and through the windows of the cafeteria, placing blame for her death on bullying at our school. In all the chaos, we didn’t have time to process anything. There really aren’t words to describe how difficult this experience was for us. We were grieving – not only for our student, but also for our community. After an emotional staff meeting, I realized that all of us needed something positive to rally our community around. Since we are located in a suburb of Denver, and ALA’s Midwinter Conference was taking place here in February, I began contacting authors in hopes of coordinating school visits. First, I reached out to Marley Dias’s agent with Scholastic. Scholastic…
An Interview with Deborah Hopkinson
Author Deborah Hopkinson shares her process of writing Ordinary, Extraordinary Jane Austen and the role children’s librarians play in supporting the dreams of their young patrons. What motivated you to write a book about Jane Austen for young readers? I’ve been an Austen fan for a long time. I was perhaps in sixth grade when I first discovered her books. I still have a few old battered paperbacks from those days. And I once took my daughter on a “literary pilgrimage” in England. And yes, we went to Bath. I don’t anticipate young readers to rush out and devour Pride and Prejudice, of course. But I think it’s wonderful to give readers the chance to discover accomplished women of the past from all cultures. And Austen offers a model for an ordinary person determined to follow her own path, which seems especially relevant in our celebrity-focused culture. What do you…
An Interview with Author Richard Torrey
Author and illustrator Richard Torrey shares his thoughts on the role of libraries and his process creating Ally-Saurus & the Very Bossy Monster. How would you describe your book ALLY-SAURUS & the Very Bossy Monster to children’s librarians sharing this book with young readers? Like the first book (ALLY-SAURUS & the First Day of School), it’s primarily a celebration of the incredible resilience and flexibility of children’s imagination. In this story, Ally-saurus and her friends are having a wonderful time playing pretend, each in their own way. But everything changes when the bossy new neighbor, Maddie, shows up. Maddie insists they play what she wants to play-and according to her rules. When she finally goes too far, Ally-saurus ROARS into action, helping Maddie understand that bossiness is no fun at all. What inspired you to tackle the issue of bossiness in this book? I never intentionally set out to tackle specific issues when…
Interview with Mary Cronk Farrell
Author Mary Cronk Farrell shares how libraries impacted her research process in her latest book, Fannie Never Flinched: One Woman’s Courage in the Struggle for American Labor Union Rights. I received a complimentary copy of this book in preparation for this interview.
Interview with Author Sharon Mentyka
Author Sharon Mentyka discusses writing, the role of libraries, and her latest book Chasing at the Surface. I received a complimentary ARC of this book in preparation for this blog interview.
Jacqueline Woodson & the 2017 Arbuthnot Lecture
Save the date for the 2017 Arbuthnot Honor Lecture featuring Jacqueline Woodson!