Category: Authors

Concerned about Book Bans? CLA-SC Webinar Panelists Inform and Empower Attendees

11/29/2022

By Emmaline Ellis, Laurie Esposito, and Jennifer Slagus

In response to an increase in attempts to ban and challenge various children’s and young adult books, the topic of this year’s Children’s Literature Assembly Student Committee (CLA-SC) Annual Student Webinar was “Book Bans: Who, How, and Why?” As a committee with diverse experiences, interests, and roles in the field of children’s literature, the CLA-SC members find these movements to be particularly concerning, as the targeted books are often those that feature characters who are LGBTQIA+, Black, or Hispanic. While some book challenges have received pushback, many others have been successful. These decisions made us wonder - how do books become banned? What is the reasoning supporting these bans? And, who are the decision-makers behind book bans? These burning questions were the guiding focus of this year’s CLA-SC Student Webinar.

In order to learn more about the decision-making processes behind book bans, we enlisted the expertise of four esteemed panelists, all of whom are CLA Committee or Board Members. In this post, we summarize and highlight each panelists’ professional or personal experiences and insight as they relate to book bans, and conclude by sharing the informative and helpful resources shared throughout the Webinar. CLA Members can access a video recording of the webinar within the members-only section of the CLA website.

Dr. Rachel Skrlac Lo
Our first panelist shared the story of a book challenge in her suburban Philadelphia school district. Dr. Rachel Skrlac Lo, Assistant Professor of Education at Villanova University and parent of a child in the district, described the district’s response when a fellow parent challenged Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer. In violation of its own protocol, the district removed the book from the high school library pending review by an anonymous ad hoc committee. Various district stakeholders justified the challenge with concerns about potentially harmful psychological effects and age appropriateness. Dr. Skrlac Lo countered these unsubstantiated concerns with empirical data on the harm under-representation in schools causes LGBTQIA+ youth.

Although Gender Queer was ultimately returned to the library’s shelves in June 2022, Dr. Skrlac Lo pointed out that a single complaint rendered the book inaccessible to all students for nearly an entire academic year. In concluding her presentation, Dr. Skrlac Lo focused on ways in which we can act against book challenges and bans in schools. She encouraged us to share our expertise through engagement in public discourse. For example, we could join community groups, attend committee meetings, write to legislators, and write op-ed pieces for local publications. Perhaps most importantly, she urged us to “resist and push against” deficit narratives as we listen to and support members of groups targeted by censorship efforts.

Breakout Quote for Dr. Skrlac Lo:
...in this case, these book challenges weren’t about pushing us to really think about concern for the child. They are political posturing of power.

Dr. Nadine Bryce
Dr. Nadine Bryce, an Associate Professor of Literacy at Hunter College, presented on “Book Challenges, Book Bans, and Anti-CRT Laws: New York.” Dr. Bryce spoke to the “how” processes behind book bans by sharing information about the history of book bans, particularly in New York, and included personal anecdotes from educators with whom she spoke about this topic. Book challenges and bans seem to occur with more frequency and noise in other states, and Dr. Bryce was surprised to learn that there are two bills currently pending in the New York State Legislature that would restrict the use of certain books or topics based on their reference to racism or Critical Race Theory. Dr. Bryce put forth a passionate argument that while certain books may not be appropriate for certain age groups, adults can make informed choices about whether or not individual readers are equipped to handle critical engagement with literature. Dr. Bryce echoed Rudine Sims Bishop’s (1990) seminal piece on windows, mirrors, and doors, and advocated for children’s access to all books so that they can locate themselves and others within literature. Book bans are restrictive, instill fear, and create complicated power relationships. Instead, by ensuring that children have thoughtful access to all books, literature can continue to create pathways for children to reimagine and transform our world.

Breakout Quote for Dr. Bryce:
We can probably agree that not every book is good for every reader, but books with challenging subject matter that generates strong emotions can teach us a lot about how to harness the power of discomfort that is a part of our lives and our world. Parents are the first arbiters of whether or not a book was appropriate for a child, but banning books from all children is restrictive and has larger implications, instilling fear and seeking control over who has access to difficult stories, and limits opportunities for all.

Dr. Wendy Stephens
As an experienced school librarian and current Associate Professor and School Librarian Chair at Jacksonville State University, Dr. Wendy Stephens has experience navigating the topic of challenged books censorship with both high school students and parents and future librarians. Dr. Stephens poignantly made the case for school librarians to defend libraries as “laboratories of intellectual freedom,” citing the 1982 Supreme Court case Island Trees School District versus Pico, when a group of students legally challenged a movement by local parents to ban “permissive” literature from their district’s libraries. The Supreme Court ruled that based on the rights upheld by the First Amendment, public schools cannot restrict access to books based on their content. Due to this landmark case, Dr. Stephens provided the webinar attendees with “overarching intellectual freedom principles” to aid in the selection of texts for school libraries (i.e. “have a policy and stick to the policy”), as well as strategies for when a book is being reconsidered (i.e. have your reconsideration committee established before a book is challenged). By using these strategies, librarians can minimize outside scrutiny while still serving students’ needs and interests. To preserve students’ intellectual freedom, adults should shift their focus from defending specific titles and authors to advocating against book bans in general. In her conclusion, Dr. Stephens provided a list of useful resources from the Alabama School Library Association: Intellectual Freedom Committee.

Breakout Quote for Dr. Stephens:
It’s incumbent on librarians to defend student expression as well as the right to receive information.

Dr. Lester Laminack
Our final panelist, Dr. Lester Laminack, is a children’s author and educational consultant. He shared his experience growing up gay in the southern United States during a time when children’s books did not hold stories of kids like him. Dr. Laminack traced the historic resonance of this exclusion and discussed how exclusion and fear still inform the rampant book bans seen across the country today. Efforts toward literary exclusion and restriction have resulted in thousands of books facing challenges or bans, many for their LGBTQIA+ and anti-racist content. Yet, Dr. Laminack answered this bleak reality with hope. In harkening back to the 2021 and 2022 theme of Banned Books Week, he shared that “Books unite us, but censorship divides us.” He argued that a child’s only censor for what they read should be their own parents’ decisions, not the opinions of elected officials or other anonymous adults. Like Dr. Bryce, Dr. Laminack emphasized the importance of mirrors and windows (Bishop, 1990) within children’s literature, and provided an emotionally provoking discussion on the benefits of LGBTQIA+ representation. As it is through sharing the stories of diverse experiences—of the reality of fear and pain, but also of joy—that books offer insight and spark conversations that can “help students focus on what they have in common. Those are the windows.” And it is those mirrors and windows that, Dr. Laminack notes, enable children’s literature to have the “power to make us more human.”

Breakout Quote for Dr. Laminack:
Literature provides our youth an opportunity to broaden their visions of what it is like to share their deepest truth, to face their greatest fears, to live through the aftermath of their experience…But until we have access to books, we don’t have those windows. We can’t broaden ourselves.

Conclusion
This year’s Student Webinar was eye-opening and insightful, thanks to our four wonderful panelists whose passionate presentations helped us to understand the decision-making processes behind book bans and book challenges. We hope we can speak for all of the attendees of this event when we say that the webinar helped us feel informed and empowered to push back against such processes.

Throughout the webinar, our esteemed panelists shared a number of resources about banned and challenged books, as well as strategies to advocate for children’s access to all books.

Webinar Resources:

Recording of 2022 Webinar available to CLA Members
Alabama School Library Association: Intellectual Freedom Committee Recommended Resources
Articles from The Radnorite, Radnor High School Student Newspaper:
- "To ban or not to ban: What belongs in Radnor’s classrooms"
- "I experienced censorship, now I fear for our democracy"
Blogpost by Dr. Laminack, "Why We Need LGBTQ+ Literature for Children and Youth"
It Gets Better Project, resources in support of LGBTQIA+ youth
Kenneth Kidd’s “Not Censorship but Selection”: Censorship and/as Prizing (2009)
Nancy Larrick’s The All-White World of Children's Books (1965)
Podcast Read the Room
Video of Rudine Sims Bishop on Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors

Emmaline Ellis (she/her/hers) is a PhD Candidate in the Literacy and Learners program at Temple University and the current Chair of the CLA Student Committee. Emmaline’s research interests include investigating how the design of picturebooks influences book-related discussion in early learning environments.

Laurie Esposito (she/her/hers) is a PhD Candidate in the Literacy and Learners program at Temple University and a member of the CLA Student Committee. She is interested in the use of reader response theories to explore students’ use of immersive reading technologies and culturally conscious texts.

Jennifer Slagus (they/she) is a multiply-neurodivergent PhD student in Social, Cultural, and Political Contexts of Education at Brock University (Canada) and a member of the CLA Student Committee. Their research focuses on neurodivergent representation in 21st century literature for middle grade readers.

CLA-SC Member List:
· Emmaline Ellis
· Laurie Esposito
· Wenyu Guo
· Ling Hao
· Ashley Johnson
· Jennifer Pulliam
· Jennifer Slagus
· Meghan Valerio

Shining the Light on Authentic Native Voices in Children's Literature at the Upcoming NCTE Conference

11/13/2022

by Andrea M. Page

The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) November conference is here! With so many fantastic sessions to attend, I’d like to shine a light on several Indigenous/First Nation/Native creatives who will be presenting at this year’s conference.

Did you know that according to the Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC), of the estimated 3427 books published in 2021 in the U.S. by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) authors, only 60 books, or 0.017% were written by Native authors? An additional 74 books about Indigenous people and their culture were written by non-Natives. The numbers are slowly rising since the first detailed set of data released by the CCBC in 2002, when only six Native authors published books, yet at that time, 64 books were published about Indigenous people and/or culture written by non-Natives.

Educators know how important it is to recognize and appreciate diversity in children’s literature, and ensure children have access to books and characters that represent authentic voices. No group is more diverse than Indigenous cultures across the globe. In the United States alone, there are nearly 600 federally recognized tribes, all with similar traditions and values but very different cultures based on their geographic locations. Each tribe has its own worldview.

         Fall is a time of harvest and celebration.
After the hard work of planting seeds,
                       BIPOC voices are important, new ideas seed new experiences
laboring and growing,
                       Authentic Indigenous voices are taking root and thriving
and reaping the harvest,
                      Fresh Native Creatives, values, culture, and humor are plenty
it is a time to feast and celebrate.

Teachers, Librarians, and other attendees, whose goal is to enlighten readers and reflect with open minds on a variety of worldviews…join these Native Creatives who will be presenting at NCTE. Let’s shine the light on their authentic voices and celebrate together. Hope to see you there!

THURSDAY

Darcie Little Badger
A.28 Shining a Light on Rural YA Literature: Presenting the Winners of the Whippoorwill Award for Rural Young Adult Literature
Thursday, 09:30 - 10:45

Carole Lindstrom
B.04 Birds Aren’t Real: Literature as Truth and Light in Dark Times
Thursday, 11:00 - 12:15

FRIDAY

Traci Sorell
E.31 Possibilities of Poetry: Excavating and Exploring Identity in the Elementary Classroom
Friday, 09:30 - 10:45

Angeline Boulley
F.06 Constellations and Not a Single Star: Shining and Rising Native Voices on Collaboration and Writing Truths
Friday, 11:00 - 12:15

Carole Lindstrom
F.06 Constellations and Not a Single Star: Shining and Rising Native Voices on Collaboration and Writing Truths
Friday, 11:00 - 12:15

Traci Sorell
F.06 Constellations and Not a Single Star: Shining and Rising Native Voices on Collaboration and Writing Truths
Friday, 11:00 - 12:15

Laurel Goodluck
F.06 Constellations and Not a Single Star: Shining and Rising Native Voices on Collaboration and Writing Truths
Friday, 11:00 - 12:15

Traci Sorell
G.04 Bring the Light In: Children’s Literature for Truth Telling
Friday, 12:30 - 13:45

Monique Gray Smith
H.04 Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants with Adapter Monique Gray Smith
Friday, 14:00 - 15:15

Angeline Boulley
HI.01 High School Matters—Learning Liberated: Reading, Writing, and Discussion Grounded in Multimodal Pedagogies
Friday, 14:00 - 16:45

Traci Sorell
H.34 Teaching with the 2022 Charlotte Huck and Orbis Pictus Award Books ROOM 204-A
14:00-15:15

SATURDAY

Traci Sorell
K.10 #DisruptTexts Now More Than Ever
Saturday, 11:00 - 12:15

Angeline Boulley
K.37 Teaching Young Adult Literature: Creating Space to Pursue Light and to Dream
Saturday, 11:00 - 12:15

Joy Harjo
L.30 #TeachLivingPoets and US Poet Laureate Joy Harjo Present Living Nations, Living Words, and Teaching Native Nations Poets
Saturday, 12:30 - 13:45

Traci Sorell
M.14 Connecting through Story: The Transformative Power of Daily Picture Book Read-Alouds
Saturday, 14:45 - 16:00

Arigon Starr
M.14 Connecting through Story: The Transformative Power of Daily Picture Book Read-Alouds
Saturday, 14:45 - 16:00

Jen Ferguson
N.08 Countering Harmful Media Narratives with Young Adult Literature
Saturday, 16:15 - 17:30

NCTE 2022 Native Authors

Darcie Little Badger (Lipan Apache). Author of Elatsoe and A Snake Falls to Earth.
Website: darcielittlebadger.wordpress.com

Carole Lindstrom (Anishinabe/Metis, tribally enrolled with the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe)
Author of Girls Dance, Boys Fiddle, and We are Water Protectors.
Website: carolelindstrom.com

Traci Sorell (Cherokee Nation citizen)
Author of We are Grateful: Otsaliheliga, At the Mountain’s Base, Powwow Day, Classified: The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer, and Contenders: Two Native Baseball Players, One World Series
Website: tracisorell.com

Monique Gray Smith (Cree, Lakota and Scottish)
Author of My Heart Fills With Happiness, You Hold Me Up, When we are Kind, Lucy and Lola and I Hope, Tilly: A Story of Hope and Resilience, Braiding Sweetgrass, and Tilly and the Crazy Eights
Website: moniquegraysmith.com

Angeline Boulley (enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians) Author of Firekeeper's Daughter and Warrior Girl Unearthed.
Website: angelineboulley.com

Laurel Goodluck (Mandan and Hidatsa from the prairies of North Dakota, and Tsimshian from a rainforest in Alaska). Author of Forever Coursins. Fortcoming books: Rock your Mocs and Too Much
Website: laurelgoodluck.com

Joy Harjo (member of the Mvskoke Nation and belongs to Oce Vpofv (Hickory Ground)).
Author of An American Sunrise, The Good Luck Cat and For a Girl Becoming.
Website: joyharjo.com

Arigon Starr (enrolled member of the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma) .
Illustrator of Super Indian and Tales of the Mighty Code Talkers
Website arigonstarr.com

Jen Ferguson (Michif/Métis)
Author of The Summer of Bitter and Sweet
Website: jenfergusonwrites.com

Resource:
Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC)
https://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/literature-resources/ccbc-diversity-statistics/books-by-and-or-about-poc-2018/

Andrea Page (Hunkpapa Lakota / German) is a children’s author, educator, and Board Member of the Children’s Literature Assembly of the NCTE. Her debut middle grade book, SIOUX CODE TALKERS OF WORLD WAR II, is the story of seven Native American Code Talkers’ military service in the Pacific Theater. Andrea lives with her husband in Rochester, New York. Visit her website at WriterAndreaPage.com.

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NCTE 2022 Sessions Sponsored by CLA

A listing of NCTE 2022 Sessions of Interest for CLA Members Assembled by members of CLA’s DEI Committee

Children’s Literature Assembly Art Auction at the 2022 NCTE Conference

10/18/2022

by Peggy Rice and Ally Hauptman representing the Ways and Means Committee

Ways and Means Committee

Raven Cromwell
Michelle Hasty
Ally Hauptman
Mary Lee Hahn
Rachelle Kuehl
Marion Rocco
Peggy Rice

We are excited to share with you some of the artwork we have received and will be available for purchase through the auction this year. There are more pieces coming, so there will be a second blog coming soon! Without further ado, we invite you to view these beautiful contributions by Kevin Henkes, Grant Snider, Juliet Menéndez, Ellen Heck, Bonnie Lui, Alaina Chau, Amanda Calatzis, Brandon James Scott, Dan Yaccarino, and Elizabeth Erazo Baez. As an added bonus this year, each piece of art will be auctioned off with the book in which it appears!

Elizabeth Erazo Baez

Elizabeth Erazo Baez, talented artist, illustrator, curator and art teacher, is of Puerto Rican heritage. Impacted by her experiences growing up in Puerto Rico, she uses bright Caribbean colors and creates lush, tropical views, depicting the cultural lifestyle.

Art for Auction: Elizabeth has contributed three, expressive 11 x 14 pieces, with matting, from Alicia and the Hurricane: A Story of Puerto Rico, a bilingual picture book written by Leslea Newman (2022). Each illustration includes an image of the coqui, a tree frog that is native to the island and beloved by the main character, Alicia.

Amanda Calatzis

Amanda Calatzis, talented author-illustrator, incorporates light into her illustrations to convey warmth.

Art for Auction: This 17 x 11 inch, uplifting illustration is from Mr. Roger’s Gift of Music by Donna Cangelosi (2022), a picture book biography, that celebrates the power of music in his life. It depicts Mr. Rogers and the flow of music in his home.

Alina Chau

Alina Chau, a talented animator, author-illustrator grew up in Hong Kong in an Indonesian-Chinese family. Her work is inspired by her unique Southeast Asian heritage. In 2018, a book she illustrated, The Nian Monster by Andrea Wang, received a Picture Book Honor by the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA)

Art for Auction: This 14 x 10 inch watercolor illustration is from Bonnie’s Rocket by Emmeline Lee (2022), a historical fiction picture book inspired by the experiences of the author’s grandfather with the Apollo 11 space mission. It depicts Bonnie, whose father is an engineer for the Apollo 11 space mission, conceptualizing a rocket that she designs, builds and tests.

Ellen Heck

Ellen Heck, is a talented printmaker who explores identity in her work.

Art for Auction: This 10 x 8 inch piece includes eye-catching black and white scratchboard images from A is for Bee: An Alphabet Book in Translation (2022), her lavishly illustrated debut multilingual alphabet picture book that was inspired by reading Lithuanian alphabet books to her son. Throughout the book, she has included hidden letter forms to create a seek and find element for readers.

Kevin Henkes

Kevin Henkes, is an award-winning, prolific author-illustrator of picture books and novels. He received the 2020 Children’s Literature Legacy Award for his significant and lasting contributions as an American author-illustrator, publishing books in the United States. His award-winning works include Kitten’s Full Moon, winner of the 2005 Caldecott and The Year of Billy Miller, the 2014 recipient of a Newbery Honor.

Art for Auction: This 9.5 x 4 inch illustration of pastel colored, expressive elephants is from A Parade of Elephants (2018), which is an ALA Notable Book. This delightful book for preschoolers focuses on a day-long march of five elephants and includes opportunities for counting, as well as exploration of opposites.

Bonnie Lui

Bonnie Lui, is a talented illustrator of picture books for children who is also a background painter for Dreamworks and WB. In 2021, she published her first children’s book that she authored and illustrated, “ABC of Feelings.”

Art for Auction: This 4 x 6 inch otherworldly illustration from So Not Ghoul by Karen Yin (2022), depicts the main character, Mimi, who is a Chinese-American ghost girl haunting a new American school. In this playful ghost story, Mimi embraces her bicultural identity.

Juliet Menéndez

Juliet Menéndez, a talented Guatemalan American author-illustrator, is a former bilingual teacher in New York City. While teaching, she noticed a need for children’s books depicting Latinas.

Art for Auction: This framed 18 x 23 inch gorgeous illustration is from Juliet’s first children’s book, Latinitas: Celebrating 40 Big Dreamers (2021), a collected biography of influential Latinas who followed their dreams. It depicts Rigoberta Menchu Tum, the 1992 winner of the Nobel Peace prize, in recognition of her work as an advocate of Indian Rights and ethno-cultural reconciliation. Other Latinas included in the collection include Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Evelyn Miralles, NASA’s first virtual reality engineer.

Brandon James Scott

Brandon James Scott, is a critically acclaimed Canadian, creative director working in animation and an author-illustrator of children’s books. He created the award-winning animated series, Justin Time.

Art for Auction: This 20 x 20 inch humorous illustration from A Bear, A Bee, and a Honey Tree by Daniel Bernstrom (2022) captures the high energy of the hungry bear and the angry bee. Brandon’s expressive illustrations delight young readers while inspiring them to write poetry

Grant Snider

Grant Snider, is a talented author-illustrator of children’s picture books and creator of comics that have appeared in publications such as The New Yorker and The New York Times Book Review.

Art for Auction: This 14 x 11 inch brightly colored illustration from One Boy Watching (2022) depicts the boy on his daily bus ride. Grant’s use of color invites young readers to engage with the outside world through observation.

Dan Yaccarino

Dan Yaccarino, is an acclaimed author-illustrator of children’s books and creator of animated series based on his books, such as Doug Unplugs (AppleTV) and Oswald (Nickelodeon).

Art for Auction: This 20 x 20 inch graphic style illustration is from City Under the City (2022). It depicts Bix and her rat friend heading home from the City Under the City with books that they have discovered on their adventure. The charming illustrations and Bix’s appreciation for books inspire young readers to move away from a screen and read a book.

Peggy Rice is an associate professor in the Department of Elementary Education at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. She is a member of the Ways and Means Committee for CLA.

Ally Hauptman is an associate professor at Lipscomb University. She is the chair of the Ways and Means Committee for CLA and a serving CLA board member.

To be able to participate in this year's CLA Art Auction, don't forget to prepurchase your tickets for the 2022 Children's Literature Assembly Breakfast featuring Jerry Craft. Tickets are available through the registration portal for NCTE2022.

CLA invites you to its 2022 Breakfast featuring Jerry Craft. Purchase tickets at https://convention.ncte.org/registration/

And the Children’s Literature Assembly Breakfast Speaker is…

5/24/2022

By Angela Wiseman and Ally Hauptman, Breakfast Committee co-chairs

We are so happy to announce the CLA Breakfast Speaker for 2022 - it’s Jerry Craft!

Mark your calendars now! This will be such a fantastic session, taking place November 20, 2022 in Anaheim, CA.

Jerry Craft is an author and illustrator of many books, but most recently has published the graphic novel trilogy New Kid, Class Act, and an additional book that continues Jordan Bank’s experiences that will be coming out shortly! Craft has won multiple awards, including a Newbery Award, a Kirkus Book Award, and a Coretta Scott King Award for his book New Kid.

We have a breakfast speaker interview that is coming out in the Journal of Children’s Literature in the fall, but we wanted to share our top 10 reasons why you should attend the CLA Breakfast at the NCTE Conference!

10. You will get a Jerry Craft book to add to your collection!

9. After the breakfast, Jerry will be signing books - so you can get your book autographed!

8. He is going to share his creative process with you, including the way his life has shaped his stories.

7. This may be your only opportunity to hear from a graphic novelist who has earned a Newbery Award - he is the first and only person to do this!

6.The passion Jerry Craft has for illustrating and authoring books that represent children of Color and inspiring others to read wonderful books is powerful - you won’t want to miss it!

5. Jerry Craft wants to show Black boy joy and realities of his own lived experiences. You can find out how his stories do this!

4. Jerry Craft is known as the “hardest working author” ever. His story and journey are inspiring!

3. His books are translated into 13 languages!

2. Jerry Craft has brilliant ideas about how to use his books in the classroom!

1. His books are full of “Easter eggs” - hidden jokes, cultural references, and fun facts. You will have to reread all his books after you hear about them!

Jerry Craft

Phote of Jarry Craft and Breaktfast co-chairs

Ally Hauptman is a CLA Board Member and co-chair of the 2022 CLA Breakfast Committee. She is an associate professor at Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN.

Angela Wiseman is a CLA Board Member and is co-chair of the 2022 CLA Breakfast Committee. She is an associate professor of literacy education at North Carolina State University.

Children’s Literature Assembly Art Auction at the Upcoming NCTE Conference (Part 1)

10/26/2021

By Peggy S. Rice and Ally Hauptman on behalf of the Ways and Means Committee

Each year at the NCTE Conference, the Children’s Literature Assembly hosts a breakfast. It is one of our favorite events of the conference because we get to listen to an author speak about their work and we get to see the gorgeous artwork available in the silent auction. The Ways and Means Committee spends a better part of the year communicating with children’s picture book authors/illustrators about donating artwork to support the major goals of our organization. CLA is committed to promoting high quality children’s books in classrooms and supporting research focused on the importance of children’s literature. Because the NCTE Conference is virtual this year, we are holding a virtual auction--more details to come!

The Ways and Means Committee is excited to share with you some of the artwork that will be available for purchase through the auction this year. There are more pieces coming, so there will be a second blog coming soon! Without further ado, we invite you to view these beautiful contributions by Paola Escobar, Deborah Freedman, Aaliya Jaleel, Tim Miller, Pete Oswald, and Melissa Sweet.

Members of the Ways and Means Committee

Raven Cromwell
Michelle Hasty
Ally Hauptman
Rachelle Kuehl
Marion Rocco
Peggy Rice

Paola Escobar, award winning illustrator of picture books such as the Pura Belpré winner, Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré, is also a graphic designer. As a child, she enjoyed illustrating stories about her family and culture that were told by her Columbian grandmother. This inspired her to become a children’s book illustrator. She collaborates with publishers all over the world to celebrate cultural diversity.

Illustration for Auction: This detailed, double-page spread illustration from Queen of Tejano Music: Selena by Silvia Lopez (2020) depicts the cultural diversity of Lake Jackson, Texas, the Southwest town the Quintellas moved to when Selena was a young child in the 1970s. This picture book biography includes a thorough narrative of the singer’s life for children. Paola’s detailed, double-page expressionistic illustrations provide the reader with insights into the family’s immersion in music and their hard work ethic.

Deborah Freedman, noted author-illustrator, creates connections to nature through the creation of lovable personified characters.

Illustration for Auction: This heartwarming matted illustration from Carl and the Meaning of Life depicts the field mouse asking Carl the question that sets him on his adventure, meeting creatures of the forest and discovering that everyone can make a difference by being themselves with even the smallest creature. Freedman presents a worm’s eye view of the web of life through the perspective of lovable Carl, providing children an opportunity to understand the wonder and interconnectedness of nature and develop a love for worms or overcome a fear of worms.

Aaliya Jaleel, a Sri-Lankan American illustrator who illustrates fiction and nonfiction texts that depict perspectives of Muslims, uses bright pastel colors and flowers to create hope and inspiration.

Illustration for Auction: This vibrant, matted and framed illustration from Muslim Girls Rise (Mir, 2019) depicts one of the nineteen Muslim women leaders of the 21st century featured in this collection of brief, information-rich biographies. Jaleel’s vibrant illustrations add inspiration and create hope, encouraging readers to “find their passion” while providing Muslim women role models.

Tim Miller, imaginative author-illustrator of hilarious animal fantasy, written by himself and other authors, uses a cartoon style to capture readers’ attention.

Illustration for Auction: This illustration from Tiny Kitty, Big City depicts a tiny, brave, playful kitty on her adventure through the big city that ends with her finding her forever home. An advocate for animal rescue, the story was inspired by the author-illustrator’s experience rescuing a litter of kittens in New York City and finding them homes.

Pete Oswald, talented author-illustrator of fiction, is also an award-winning production designer of animated films such as The Angry Birds Movie. Many of the books he has illustrated are modern fantasy with delightful personified characters, such as a cookie, providing young readers with opportunities to laugh as they develop understandings of important themes (truth in fantasy).

Illustration for Auction: Although Pete created this original specifically for the CLA auction, this delightful frog could be discovered by the characters in his wordless book, Hike (2020). This adventure of a father and child experiencing the beauty of the natural world includes detail-rich panels and textured panoramas that create opportunities for readers to be immersed in nature.

Melissa Sweet, award-winning American author-illustrator, not only illustrates stories she writes, but also collaborates with other authors. With fiction and biographies, she captures readers’ attention through the use of watercolor, mixed media and collage.

Illustration for Auction: This mixed media illustration from A River of Words depicts the poet, William Carlos Williams, looking out his window for inspiration from nature. Williams earned his living as a physician, but writing poetry was his passion. This picture book biography is the 2009 Caldecott Honor Book, an ALA Notable Book, A New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book, A Charlotte Zolotow Honor Book and an NCTE Notable Children’s Book.

As you can see, there are some striking pieces of art in this year’s auction. A special thank you to all of the illustrators who so generously donated their work and to Patty Rosati at HarperCollins Children’s Books, our publisher liaison. See you at the auction!

2021 Art Auction Details

WHEN
The 2021 CLA Art Auction will take place during the 2021 NCTE Convention. Bidding will begin on Friday, November 19 @ 7 a.m. and conclude on Sunday, November 21 @11: 45 p.m.

PREVIEWING THE ART
The generously donated artwork to be featured in the Art Auction can be previewed through the 2021 ART AUCTION gallery and through CLA's 32Auctions feature.

BIDDING
Bidding will occur during the 2021 NCTE Convenion using the 32Auctions bidding platform. Visit our FAQ with details and guidance about the virtual auction. Winning bidders will be able to process their payment through the platform and will receive their artwork through the mail.

2021 Art Auction Page

preview and bid on 32Auctions

Peggy S. Rice is an associate professor in the Department of Elementary Education at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. She is a member of the Ways and Means Committee for CLA.

Ally Hauptman is an associate professor at Lipscomb University. She is the chair of the Ways and Means Committee for CLA and a serving CLA board member.

Join CLA at the 2020 NCTE Virtual Convention

11/17/2020

BY LAUREN AIMONETTE LIANG

Last year, right around this time, the Fall 2019 issue of JCL arrived in the mail. In the President’s Message I had written a bit about my excitement for the upcoming NCTE conference:

It starts for me with the airplane travel. Coming from my area, it is rare to board a flight heading to a major conference and not encounter fellow teachers, librarians, and researchers embarking on the same adventure. We wave, ask about colleagues and friends, and buzz a bit with excitement. (I often think the other travelers must later wonder about these groups of individuals who are all grading papers and reading thick books, while simultaneously winning all the in-flight trivia and scrabble games.)

Once we arrive at the NCTE city, conference-goers from all over are grabbing bags, looking for shuttles and taxis, and heading off to the area hotels. Immediately there is a shared sense of purpose and anticipation. Conversations break out in the hotel elevators about whether registration is open, and the time of the opening session. Hordes of badge-wearing, tote-bag laden attendees appear in long lines at the coffee stands and take over the sidewalks in their sensible walking shoes as they head off for the day.

And then the conference! Hour after hour of thought-provoking sessions, with speakers addressing the important issues in our field, provoking new ideas, and sharing possible solutions. The vibrant displays of new books in the exhibit hall waiting to be shared by knowledgeable and enthusiastic publishers who offer sneak peeks that might be perfect for your classroom. And, best of all, that amazing shared sense of being present with each other—knowing that the people gathered here care just as deeply as you do about supporting children’s and teen’s literacy experiences and growth.

The Children’s Literature Assembly events at NCTE are a highlight for many attendees. A history of consistent excellence makes our CLA Notables Session, CLA Master Class, and CLA Breakfast the starred events on many personal conference schedules...

This year’s conference will be a little different. No elevator chats with fellow badge-wearing attendees—but more #NCTE2020 tweets taking their place. Less wearing of sensible walking shoes—but likely a lot more feet clad in comfy slippers. However, I am certain that the most important part of the NCTE experience will remain the same: that gathering to passionately share and learn together how to support the literacy experiences and growth of our youth. Perhaps the virtual experience may allow for more to attend this year without the burden or barriers of travel. How we gather is, in the end, much less important than the fact that we simply do—that we find a way to make assembly and community.

For those attending the 2020 NCTE Virtual Convention, we hope our two live events will provide that powerful gathering space.

Interested in registering for the 2020 NCTE Virtual Convention?

Registration

Notable Children’s Books in the Language Arts AwardS

Join the members of the Notable Children’s Books in the Language Arts award committee in a live event on Sunday afternoon from 1:45- 3:00 pm ET. Throughout the fall this blog has featured posts from members of this committee. Join them live for more outstanding 2020 titles and suggestions for classroom use.

NOTABLES live event on Sunday afternoon from 1:45- 3:00 pm ET at NCTE2020

Annual CLA Breakfast

Bring your breakfast to listen to amazing author Jason Reynolds, this year’s CLA Breakfast keynote speaker! In a live session Sunday morning from 9:00 – 10:15 am ET, the 2020-21 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature will talk about his writing and more.

Add to your experience by submitting a question from you, or from your students, to be answered live during the session!

Submit Questions

Prepare by exploring our annual “table trivia” game, this year to be played virtually

Trivia Game

CLA MEMBERS

Explore the interview with Jason Reynolds featured in the Fall 2020 issue of JCL

FALL JCL ISSUE [46(2)]

Lauren Aimonette Liang is an associate professor at the University of Utah and the current president of CLA.

The CLA Blog

By Emmaline Ellis, Laurie Esposito, and Jennifer Slagus

Breakout Quote for Dr. Skrlac Lo: ...in this case, these book challenges weren’t about pushing us to really think about concern for the child. They are political posturing of power.

Breakout Quote for Dr. Stephens: ​It’s incumbent on librarians to defend student expression as well as the right to receive information.​