SAVE THE DATE! "Exquisite Converstation" Program to be Held December 3

The Exquisite Conversation:
An Adventure in Creating Books!

starring

Katherine Paterson

National Ambassador for Young People's Literature

M. T. Anderson    +    Natalie Babbitt

Susan Cooper     +   Timothy Basil Ering

Steven Kellogg    +   Patricia MacLachlan

James Ransome

The National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance and the Cambridge Public Library are thrilled to announce our special program “The Exquisite Conversation: An Adventure in Creating Books,” to be held Saturday, December 3 at 1:00 PM in the Kresge Auditorium at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

We invite you to join us for this lively and informative event to discuss the NCBLA's newly published book, The Exquisite Corpse Adventure (Candlewick Press), as a springboard to a broader discussion about the writing and illustration processes employed by each of the program's participants in their own individual works.  

The program will feature renowned authors and illustrators for young people M.T. Anderson, Natalie Babbitt, Susan Cooper, Timothy Basil Ering, Steven Kellogg, Patricia MacLachlan, Katherine Paterson, and James Ransome in a roundtable discussion moderated by Mary Brigid Barrett, Executive Director of The National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance.

The program is free and open to the public. The suggested audience includes young people (ages 10 and above) and adults who love children’s books.  Attendees are encouraged to bring a new paperback for a child or teen to donate as a holiday gift to children and young adults in family shelters in Cambridge.

Books will be sold by Porter Square Books before and after the presentation. Autographing will follow the presentation.

Wine and Cheese Reception with the Authors and Special Guests!

We also invite you to meet each of the participating authors and illustrators at a ticketed, adults-only Wine and Cheese Reception to take place in Room 307 of the Stratton Center from 3:30 to 5:00 PM. The reception will include a Book Basket Raffle and Silent Auction.

A limited number of tickets are available for the reception. Don't miss out! Order your tickets today!

For complete information about the "Exquisite Conversation" program and reception, including ticket purchases, click here.

What Is The Exquisite Corpse Adventure?

The Exquisite Corpse Adventure is a progressive story game originally published on the Library of Congress' Read.gov website as the foundation of a national reading and writing initiative, created by The National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance and the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. The Exquisite Corpse Adventure is now available in paperback and hardback from Candlewick Press. It is also available on audio.

To learn more about The Exquisite Corpse Adventure, click here.

To check out the NCBLA's extensive online educational resources that support The Exquisite Corpse Adventure (including supplemental articles, classroom activities, reading lists, art activities, discussion questions, and more!), click here.

And, to check out the Exquisite Prompt Redux Writing Challenge for students in grades K-12 from Reading Rockets and AdLit.org, click here!

Ask for The Exquisite Corpse Adventure at a bookstore or library near you!

ACTIVIST ALERT!

Funding for School Libraries Is in Jeopardy

Your Support Is Needed for SKILLS Act

Please call both of your U.S. senators at the capitol switchboard, 202-224-3121, and ask them to co-sponsor S. 1328 the “Strengthening Kids’ Interest in Learning and Libraries Act,” also known as the SKILLs Act.

The SKILLs Act was introduced on July 6 by Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Thad Cochran (R-MS) and will amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) by:

• Ensuring that funds will serve school libraries in elementary, middle, and high schools;
• Improving literacy and college and career readiness through effective school library programs;
• Encouraging coordination and shared planning time among school librarians and classroom teachers;
• Expanding professional development to include digital literacy instruction that is appropriate for all grade levels, an assessment of student literacy needs, the coordination of reading and writing instruction across content areas, and training in literacy strategies in all content areas;
• Requiring books and materials to be appropriate for students in all grade levels and students with special learning needs, including English language learners;
• Providing grants on a competitive basis for a period of three years;
• Targeting funding to school districts with 20% or greater levels of students in poverty;
• Ensuring an equitable distribution of funds among the different geographic regions of the country and among urban and rural areas; and
• Requiring greater coordination among other literacy, technology, and professional development funds and activities.

This legislation is critical to the future of school libraries. Please call today and encourage your colleagues, neighbors, friends, family, and others to do the same.  Click here to quickly find information for your two senators.

As of October 3, the following senators have agreed to co-sponsor the bill:  

Jack Reed (D-RI)
Thad Cochran (R-MS)
Patty Murray (D-WA)
Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)
Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
John Kerry (D-MA)

For more information about how you can support literacy and libraries, please visit the NCBLA's "Become an Activist" page.

In Case You Missed It!

Publishers Weekly Celebrates Success of
2011 National Book Festival
with Photo Essay Featuring
Children's Book Authors and Illustrators

In the piece titled "Children's Books at the 2011 National Book Festival: A Photo-Essay," John A. Sellers writes:

"With a theme of 'Celebrating the Joys of Reading Aloud,' the 11th annual National Book Festival took place this past weekend, September 24 and 25, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., marking the first time the festival was spread over two days. An estimated crowd of 200,000 turned out to attend presentations and have books signed by more than 100 authors; children’s book authors in attendance included Katherine Paterson, Brian Selznick, Kadir Nelson, Tomie dePaola, Gary Schmidt, Jack Gantos, Cassandra Clare, Shelia P. Moses, and Susan Cooper. 

Click here to view the complete photo tour of the country’s preeminent festival of books.

Photo at top right of  Sarah Dessen (What Happened to Goodbye) and National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Katherine Paterson on the National Mall. Photo by John A. Sellers.