"Voyage of the Reader" moderator Ben Schrank. Photo: Beowulf Sheehan.

Shaun Tan was a small kid who compensated for his short stature by aspiring to be the best artist in school. Mariken Jongman was a shy girl who had only an imaginary friend to keep her company. Neil Gaiman was an energetic mischief-maker who excelled at the school subjects that interested him, and failed miserably at those which did not. Though they came from different backgrounds and had vastly different childhoods, they all eventually grew up to become celebrated children’s book authors. And to hear them tell it, they are as surprised as anyone.

The Evolution Revolution

(From l.): Mary Ann Hoberman, Deborah Heiligman, Tijs Goldschmidt and Vicki Cobb.

Two hundred years after Charles Darwin began a discussion of human evolution, people are still talking. The discussion, and specifically the issue of teaching evolution to children, continued Sunday at a PEN World Voices panel held at powerHouse Books in Brooklyn. Entitled, "Evolution for Children: The Fight Goes On," the panel brought together authors Vicky Cobb, Tijs Goldschmidt, Deborah Heiligman and Mary Ann Hoberman, all of whom have been in the forefront in one way or another in the quest to keep the teaching of evolution in schools.

The Power of Visual Storytelling

This year’s BookExpo America convention, being held in New York City at the end of this month, will feature a host of programs and events for those interested in children’s books. In addition to our previous roundup of activities and our extensive listing of Galleys to Grab at the show, here are a few more tidbits to know about.

The countdown is almost over—this year’s Children’s Book Week begins next Monday, May 11. Response to the Children’s Choice Book Awards has been much larger than expected, and they have received four times the number of votes as last year, which was the inaugural year for the kid-chosen book awards program. More than 220,000 votes have been logged this year; the winners will be announced on Tuesday, May 12, at the Children’s Choice Book Awards Gala. See our roundup of Book Week events here, and check out the Children’s Book Council’s Web site for more information on events in New York, Boston, Seattle and Chicago.


Candlewick Moves Special Sales to Random

Candlewick Press in Somerville, Mass., is extending its distribution arrangement with Random House, which already handles its back-office, by adding special sales. Under a new agreement, which went into effect at the beginning of May, Random House will oversee Candlewick’s sales into the specialty retail and wholesale area, as well as premium and gift trade. Candlewick will continue to manage sales in all other channels, including national accounts, traditional bookstores and wholesalers, mass market, nonprofit literacy accounts, display marketers, and school and library accounts. 

Anne Hoppe, executive editor of HarperCollins Children’s Books, first discovered the character around 2001 on a t-shirt in a Brooklyn boutique. "I loved the graphics, with their clean, direct quality, and the wit of the sayings that went with her," she says. "I like Emily a lot for her strong individualism. She’s really meant to be a figure of empowerment." read more