Children's Lit Newsletter 8/22/2025

AS THE SCHOOL YEAR BEGINS, I THOUGHT THIS MIGHT BE A GOOD POST TO RUN AGAIN

A few years ago I was at one of my favorite conferences, Children's Literature New England (it was like camp for children's literature aficionados) in Essex, Vermont. One of the keynote speakers was Katherine Paterson (http://www.terabithia.com/about.html). She told a lovely and aggravating (given the state of schools and testing today) story about a friend of hers. Because I am the Queen of Procrastination, I asked Mrs. Paterson for permission to put this story on my blog TWO YEARS AGO, which she generously gave me on the spot (so the delay is entirely my fault). So, here is her story, but sadly in my words, about her friend (any errors are entirely mine and my sieve-like memory):

Many years ago there was a single mother with three highly energetic sons. She was doing her best to raise them by herself in the city, so she was thrilled when the opportunity came to send them to the countryside for the summer where they could work on a farm and enjoy the wide open spaces.

One of the young men (let's call him Steve) was in high school and he was often getting into trouble and always doing poorly in his classes. He was no more cooperative when he was sent to the farm. By the second day, the farmer had decided he'd had enough of this young man and locked him in the attic as punishment.

First Steve railed at the unfairness of it all. The farmer was not a nice person and he treated all the boys unkindly, but he had the least patience with Steve. Steve stormed around the attic until he was too tired to continue. He then looked around his surroundings.

All around him were bookcases, filled with all kinds of books, especially classics. Steve figured, "Well, as long as I'm stuck in here, let's see what's in these books." and he settled down to read. He curled up on the floor and read for the rest of the afternoon, in that hot, stuffy attic.

The next day, he acted up again and the farmer immediately sent him to the attic. Steve continued his 'misbehavior' in order to be locked up, but instead of being locked up, he was actually escaping.

After a summer of this, Steve and his brothers returned to the city where Steve began his senior year of high school. In his fall semester, he was required to take the boards for college. He aced them. His principal, his teachers, they all believed that he had cheated. There was no way that this lazy troublemaker could have done it any other way.

They made him take the test again, this time closely observed by two adults who stayed in the room with him.

And, yes, he aced it.

He went on to go to college, to grad school, to have a very successful career and family life - all because he read voraciously over one summer in his youth (and, of course, continued as a voracious reader ever after).

As Mrs. Paterson says when she tells this story, "What do you think would have happened if he'd been locked in an attic full of test prep materials? Do you believe we'd have the same happy ending?"

I certainly don't. Do you?

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Tali loves spending time with her grandmother, her “Nona,” especially when they prepare traditional Sephardic Jewish dishes together. But as they cook, Tali notices that her nona sometimes forgets things—calling her by her mother’s name or losing track of the meal they’re making. As Tali navigates these moments, she begins to understand Nona's "Timeless Time," where memories from the past and present come together in beautiful and complex ways.

• Ideal for children ages 4-8, especially those experiencing a grandparent’s memory loss.
• A heartfelt story that opens up gentle conversations about aging and family connections.
• Beautiful illustrations bring to life the rich traditions and the love between a grandmother and granddaughter.

Tali and the Timeless Time poignantly and sensitively tells the story of a young girl’s empathy and curiosity about her grandmother’s confusion and memory loss. Perfect for children navigating a changing relationship with an aging family member, this heartwarming tale also centers on the importance of traditions that bind us together across time and generations.

Upcoming Webinar: Building Foundational Literacy Skills in Early Childhood with Contemporary Indigenous & Native American Content

https://www.leeandlow.com/blog/upcoming-webinar-building-foundational-literacy-skills-in-early-childhood-with-contemporary-indigenous-native-american-content/

Proposal Submission Process – 2026 Events

Every Child a Reader and the Library of Congress are currently accepting proposal submissions from schools and school libraries, public libraries, bookstores for offsite events, and other community organizations interested in hosting an official event with Mac Barnett, the 9th National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature.

Please carefully review the event information and proposal requirements below before submitting a proposal via our online form (link at bottom of page).

Proposal Window for 2026 Events with the National Ambassador: August 12 to September 22

Email shaina.birkhead@cbcbooks.org with any questions.

Important Information about Completing a Proposal

• Each proposal MUST include a school visit.
• While a school visit is required, proposals do not have to be submitted by a school. We will accept proposals from any organization, bookstores, public libraries, etc. as long as they are in direct contact with the school that will host Mac.
• We encourage schools to consider partnering with another location or community organization (public library, independent bookstore, PTA, etc) to offer a public event in addition to the school program.
• If you plan to host both a school event and a public event, please coordinate with all partners to submit a single, unified proposal.
• Please complete the form to the best of your ability with the information you have now. We will work with selected locations to finalize all details and to personalize/modify potential public-facing programming.
• Proposals collected in fall of 2025 will be considered for 2026 events only. A new Ambassador will be announced in early 2027 with a new proposal process.
• Mac is excited to meet with students of all ages to share the magic and art of the picture book. His school events will be tailored to age range. We encourage applications from elementary, middle, and high schools for an opportunity to host Mac.

More info and application here: https://everychildareader.net/ambassador/proposals/

Join us for a day where the Bay Area’s most talented kid-lit authors, illustrators, publishers, sellers, and educators come together to celebrate the magic of BOOKS!

• Meet 30+ kid-lit book creators ready to inspire.
• Enjoy captivating stories read aloud by the authors themselves.
• Watch talented illustrators bring stories to life before your eyes.
• Cheer on the remarkable 8 to 12-year-olds from our Youth Writers’ Workshop, hosted by Rob Liu-Trujillo.
• Shop for books by all the participating book creators with Books on B
• Enjoy play-based and educational activities provided by our community partners.
• Check out the family literacy resource fair
• Hosted by Oakland’s beloved educator, Mr. Limata

It is SO MUCH FUN!!!!! More info here:

https://fairyland.org/event-calendar/book-festival/

THE DOT: https://d3kr0g7umcubly.cloudfront.net/candlewick-press-us/pdfs/activity-kit/9780763619619-kit-1.pdf

EL PUNTO: https://d3kr0g7umcubly.cloudfront.net/candlewick-press-us/pdfs/activity-kit/9781536240764-kit-1.pdf

https://www.leeandlow.com/blog/watch-the-recording-lee-low-books-fall-2025-seasonal-showcase/

Hey all!!

Recently I have given Book Talks to students and parents that can focus on Engaging Reluctant Readers, Diversify Your (home or school) Bookshelves, and Great and Engaging Books (for various ages/grades). They've been well received and participants leave with TONS of information (and quite a few win prizes). I do these in schools or libraries, but would love to be hired by companies as a 'Perk' for their employees who have children in their lives. So, using my 'Social Capital' (that's you all) to spread the word.

I also work with teachers to help find great books that fit (and expand) the curriculum (otherwise known as my idea of a good time).

Please feel free to spread the word and send people my way: sharonlevin @ mindspring.com

We now return to our regular programming.

I try (when I have time/energy/spoons) to visit store websites and pull event information. However, the best way to get your events in is to e-mail me directly with FOR THE NEWSLETTER as the subject line. There are over 2000 subscribers to this newsletter - plus it gets posted on Facebook, Twitter (I said what I said), BlueSky and my local NextDoor. I am happy to spread the word, it's just easier if 'the word' (not the religious one) comes directly to my inbox

I'm only as good as my sources, so please do feel free to share events, good news, etc.! Please e-mail me at sharonlevin at mindspring dot com and put For the Newsletter as your subject line.

I'm always happy to feature giveaways. There is NO paid advertising in this newsletter - I do not require anything to feature a giveaway. I'm just happy to do it.