April
Book Celebrations
Happy EARTH DAY
Congratulations Patricia Newman!
SEA OTTER HEROES
Millbrook / photos Annie Crawley
the recent Sibert Honors recipient
WINS
the Nature Generation's
#GreenEarthBookAward for non-fiction.
This is Patti’s second Award, following PLASTIC AHOY! INVESTIGATING THE GREAT PACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH, most recently featured on The Horn Book’s Earth Day blog.
As featured in SLJ’s Scope Notes – “2018 Books from Sibert Winner” — next up from Newman: EAVESDROPPING ON ELEPHANTS (Lerner)
Congrats to Gayle E. Pitman's FEMINISM FROM A TO Z (Magination Press)
–winner of a Gold Medal / IPPY Award (Independent Publisher Book Awards 2018),
for Juvenile Young Adult Non-fiction.
The STARS are shining for Jim Averbeck's upcoming
TWO PROBLEMS FOR SOPHIA
McEldery
Yasmeen Ismail / June 2018
Including:
"Fun, clever, and empowering,
this is the rare case of a sequel that outshines its predecessor."
–KIRKUS
Evanston Public Library calls Gianna Marino's IF I HAD A HORSE
(Roaring Brook)
“… a mesmerizing masterpiece.”
Nora Hilb is featured in ChildrensIllustrators.com's Talent Pool.
Some may know author/illustrator Chris Gorman, whose picture book, ONE OF A KIND, hits the shelves on May 8th, as the drummer for the alt-rock band, Belly, who has a new release: Shiny One. The quartet includes singer Tanya Donelly, guitarist Tom Gorman, bassist Gail Greenwood, and Gorman.
ICYMI:
Fully Booked featured Shannon Hitchcock on their recent podcast about her new middle-grade novel,
ONE TRUE WAY, set in 1977 North Carolina,
as two seventh-grade girls fall for one another.
An excerpt from an interview with ONE TRUE WAY author, Shannon Hitchcock:
In the book, you do a wonderful job with a few characters who have to reconcile their religious teachings with the notion of homosexuality. Can you tell us how you came to formulating those ideas presented?
Three books were invaluable to me: Defrocked: How A Father’s Act of Love Shook the United Methodist Church by Franklyn Schaefer, Crooked Letter i: Coming Out in the South by Connie Griffin, and When Christians Get It Wrongby Adam Hamilton. Once I had formulated my own opinions, I discussed my beliefs with the Reverend Vicki Walker. I knew I was on to something when she said, “You have no idea how many parents have sat where you are, struggling to accept their gay children, and how many children have sat in the same seat, afraid of disappointing their parents.” If ONE TRUE WAY can help those families in any way, I will consider it a success.
Hitchcock also answered questions on
MGM: With “Ruby Lee & Me” and now “One True Way” you’ve chosen to write about controversial topics of that time period. Why?
SH: All of my books have an equality theme. My first book, The Ballad of Jessie Pearl, is set two years after women got the right to vote, and it’s about Jessie’s right to an education. Ruby Lee & Me has a Civil Rights sub-plot, One True Way tackles LGBTQ issues…I’m an activist at heart, and the way I choose to protest is through my stories.
"Hitchcock sensitively explores the girls’ romantic relationship the story in relation to family, community, and faith. Allie’s feelings for Sam leads readers through the complicated tangles of adolescence life and first love, demonstrating that no one should have to walk alone and there really is no one true way to walk."
— The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
"Homosexuality is not the only taboo topic openly discussed in One True Way; Christianity plays a central role in the story and its characters, a subject not often discussed in mainstream middle grade fiction. The depictions of people’s religious beliefs are quite diverse, reflecting the realities of differing beliefs under the umbrella of Christianity. The result is a gentle portrayal of differing beliefs, a welcome change from more heavy-handed rhetoric."
"These familiar pangs of understanding reinforce my belief that One True Way is sorely needed, for not just young gay and lesbian readers but for all young readers. Hitchcock has tried to create work that speaks to gay kids and those who care about them. But the best part of One True Way is the gentle tickle of first love, the moment when two people realize the other feels something too. When Sam and Allie acknowledge their feelings for each other and touch hands, the moment fairly lifts off the page, taking my young, romantic heart with it. One True Way works because it reinforces the universality of the human experience, in religion and in love. Readers are fortunate to have a book like this one."
Sarah and Ian Hoffman (JACOB'S NEW DRESS/ Albert Whitman) were part of a panel at the Association of Children’s Librarians conference at the SF Public Library: “Beyond Binary: Embracing Diverse Gender Identities.” They were joined by Leslea Newman (“Heather Has Two Mommies,” “Sparkle Boy,”), Alex Gino (“George”) and Maya Gonzalez ("They She He Me: Free to Be!”).
CONGRATULATIONS
newlyweds Jason and Annette
who tied the knot this month!
Jason O. Silva's first film, Lonely Hearts Club,
is premiering next month at LA IFS Fest.
Congrats Jason, on your recent Hollywood Magazine interview.
*CONGRATULATIONS ONE AND ALL*
We are thrilled and thankful to represent such amazing talent.
