On October 16th, a chilly Friday afternoon, the Jane Addams Children's Book Award ceremony took place. In a crowded room overlooking the historic United Nations Plaza, CBP author Lucía Gonzalez received an Honor Award on behalf of both herself and illustrator Lulu Delacre for their collaboration on The Storyteller's Candle / La velita de los cuentos. Given annually by the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, the award honors children's books that, per award committee chair Susan C. Griffith, "most effectively and engagingly invite children to think deeply about issues related to peace, social justice, world community and racial and gender equality."

 The Storyteller's Candle was in truly wonderful company at the awards ceremony, which also recognized award winners Margarita Engle and Claire Nivola, and honor book awardees James Rumford, Anne Laurel Carter, Scott Reynolds Nelson, and Marc Aronson. Enjoy these few photos of the ceremony, and be sure to check out The Storyteller's Candle if you haven't already.

 
Each awardee was introduced by a different committee member.

 
Susan C. Griffiths, Chair of the Awards Committee, Margarita Engle, Scott Reynolds Nelson, and Marc Aronson.

 
Lucia González gave a moving acceptance speech on behalf of herself and illustrator Lulu Delacre, in which she acknowledged the important work of New York City's first Latina librarian, Pura Belpré.

The ceremony was following by a book signing and reception. Many thanks to the committee for this wonderful honor and for a delightful afternoon in New York!

Submitted by Childrens Book Press on Thursday, October 22, 2009 2:59pm

Did you know that Anthony Robles, author of our own Lakas and the Manilatown Fish and Lakas and the Makibaka Hotel, is also an established poet? Tony was recently featured in "harriet: a blog of the poetry foundation" for his recent poetry collection that has just been published, entitled Filipino Building Maintenance Company. Learn more about Tony and his poetry here.

Submitted by Childrens Book Press on Wednesday, October 14, 2009 9:58am

What do you do when you receive a note from Justice Sonia Sotomayor? Well, first you jump up and down, then you blog about it!

For so many children across the country—especially young Latinos and Latinas—the appointment of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court of the United States is a huge inspiration. It is so important for children across the country to see themselves reflected, not just in books or movies or on TV, but also in our national leadership. As such, we sent a note of congratulations to the Honorable Justice Sotomayor along with a sampling of our books. A couple of weeks later, we received a personal note from the Justice herself. Needless to say, we were thrilled! You just have to read the note for yourself (addressed to Lorraine García-Nakata, our Publisher & Executive Director):

Congratulations, Justice Sotomayor. You are an inspiration to us all.
 

Submitted by Childrens Book Press on Monday, October 5, 2009 3:28pm

This month, we are proud to highlight our long-time partner, Project Cornerstone and their Los Dichos de la Casa program. Los Dichos de la Casa is a parent program in Santa Clara County, CA that promotes school involvement and leadership with the Spanish-speaking community through the use of bilingual children's literature. Los Dichos de la Casa has hundreds of parent volunteers serving tens of thousands of students every month. Children’s Book Press (CBP) books have been a core component of the Los Dichos program since 2003. Below is an interview with Linda Silvius, Project Cornerstone's School Partnerships Director.

Submitted by Childrens Book Press on Thursday, October 1, 2009 12:35pm