November 2011

Picture Book Month Featured on the Oprah Blog, Life Lift

by dlcasas on November 20, 2011

Oprah Blog - Life Lift

“Children can have too many toys, but never enough books.” – Jarrett Krosoczka from his Picture Book Month Essay.

I created an initiative to designate November as “Picture Book Month.” Katie Davis, Elizabeth Dulemba, Tara Lazar, Wendy Martin, and Australian International Liaison, Christopher Cheng, came on board to help me champion the cause and spread the word. A logo was designed by Joyce Wan. Videos were created by motion graphics designer, Carter Higgins. PictureBookMonth.com features essays from “Picture Book Champions,” thought leaders in the children’s literature community. Each day in November, a new essay is posted from such notable contributors as Peter Brown, Suzanne Bloom, Denise Fleming, Leslie Helakoski, Eric A. Kimmel, Jarrett Krosoczka, Tammi Sauer, Dan Yaccarino, and Jane Yolen. Looking ahead, 2012 Picture Book Month Champions include such notables as Doreen Cronin,Toni diTerlizzi, Brett Helquist, Tom Lichtenheld, John Rocco, and Karma Wilson.

Though the website officially opened on November 1, the site saw over 25,000 visitors in the first couple weeks. The initiative became a movement and the movement went viral. Imagine my surprise to find out that Picture Book Month had been featured on the Oprah Blog, Life Lift! Read the post in its entirety: http://www.oprah.com/blogs/November-is-Picture-Book-Month

Now, not even a third of the way through November, a Google search of “Picure Book Month” lists nearly 10 million results. It has been tweeted, Facebooked, Googled, linked, and blogged. Besides Oprah, Picture Book Month has been featured in Huffington Post, School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, and Kirkus Reviews, to name a few. Organizations such as the Children’s Book Council, Reading is Fundamental, and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators support the initiative as partners.

The Picture Book Month website also features links to picture book resources, authors, illustrators, and kidlit book bloggers. In addition, parents, educators, and librarians can download the theme calendar to help them plan their picture book celebrations and access picture book activities. Libraries and schools worldwide are holding Picture Book Month celebrations.

Join the celebration! Visit www.picturebookmonth.com.

“But if you really want more curious, intelligent, creative children in the world, then go ahead and give them picture books.” – Peter Brown from his Picture Book Month Essay

Read * Share * Celebrate!

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November is Picture Book Month!

by dlcasas on November 1, 2011

November is Picture Book Month!

“I have always believed that literature begins in the cradle — the poems we say to the babies, the stories we tell them — prepare them to become part of the great human storytelling community. We humans are the only creatures in the known universe who make and remake our world with story.” – Jane Yolen from her Picture Book Month essay

The New York Times declared, “Picture Books No Longer A Staple for Children” in an article published in October 2010. The controversial article incited a barrage of responses from the children’s book industry, many in defense of the venerable picture book. In addition, the digital age has ushered in an unprecedented amount of ebooks and, with devices like the iPad, the color Nook, and the Kindle Fire, picture books are being converted to the digital format.

Thus, Picture Book Month was born. Founder Dianne de Las Casas decided it was time to celebrate picture books in their printed format so she created an initiative to designate November as “Picture Book Month.” Katie Davis, Elizabeth Dulemba, Tara Lazar, and Wendy Martin came on board to champion the cause and spread the word. A logo was designed by Joyce Wan. A website (www.picturebookmonth.com) was created to feature essays from “Picture Book Champions,” thought leaders in the children’s literature community. Each day in November, a new essay will be posted from such notable contributors as Suzanne Bloom, Denise Fleming, Leslie Helakoski, Eric A. Kimmel, Tammi Sauer, Dan Yaccarino, and Jane Yolen.

Better World Books and organizations like Scholastic Book Fairs Philippines are lending their support. The website will also feature links to picture book resources, authors, illustrators, and kidlit book bloggers. In addition, parents, educators, and librarians can download the theme calendar to help them plan their picture book celebrations and access picture book activities.

Join the celebration! Visit www.picturebookmonth.com. The website officially opens on November 1, 2011. Read * Share * Celebrate!

“Picture books are important because they are with us for life. They are the most important books we’ll ever read because they’re our first. No matter how many books we’ve read since, they will always have a place in our hearts.” – Dan Yaccarino from his Picture Book Month Essay

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