On Wednesday, Older Brother, Little Brother and I had the thrill of hearing this year’s Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award winner Shaun Tan speak at Seven Stories in Newcastle, during his whistle-stop visit to the UK. I’ve loved his work since being mesmerised by The Arrival four years ago; and we’ve also had the privilege of featuring Shaun’s work in our PaperTigers Gallery. Shaun’s picture books truly tap into something essential in our existence so that no matter how old you are and whatever your life experience, there is something there for everyone to absorb and distill. His books have had a big impact on the boys too, and it was a real eye-opener for them to meet their creator and hear about the drawn out process and sheer hard work that goes into producing a book. Now we are all desperate to see the Oscar-winning short of The Lost Thing!

Older Brother was most struck by Shaun saying that imperfection was a “very important concept for an artist”; and that he is always aiming for simplicity, because it’s through that apparent simplicity that he can achieve layer upon layer of meaning. Then accompanying the text with unexpected illustrations to create further tensions – but he pointed out that he wouldn’t call his work surreal per se: rather, the unexpected juxtaposition of familiar objects in his work is what is surreal.

Little Brother especially loved the first in Shaun’s series of cartoons depicting a day in his life: Waking to the Sound of a Solitary Cicada – a huge cicada looming in through the open window. He’s still laughing about that (but, as is so often the case with Shaun’s work, for me, the more I think about it, the more the funniness is tempered with a feeling of unease…). Little Brother also came home thinking about the humor and tensions achieved by people/creatures doing extrordinary things as though they are completely normal – like feeding Christmas decorations to a huge, friendly monster-machine aka the Lost Thing. And when Shaun pointed out that, as per the element of the familiar present in all his creations, the Lost Thing is a cross between a dog, a horse and an elephant, yes, you can absolutely see it.

I was bowled over by (more…)

Just announced, this year’s winner of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award 2011 is Australian illustrator and author Shaun Tan.

The jury’s citation reads:

Shaun Tan is a masterly visual storyteller, painting the way ahead to new possibilities for picture books. His pictorial worlds constitute a separate universe where nothing is self-evident and anything is possible. Memories of childhood and adolescence are fixed reference points, but the pictorial narrative is universal and touches everyone, regardless of age.

Behind a wealth of minutely detailed pictures, where civilization is criticized and history depicted through symbolism, there is a palpable warmth. People are always present, and Shaun Tan portrays both our searching and our alienation. He combines brilliant, magical narrative skill with deep humanism.

Watch the announcement broadcast from Sweden (including a recorded phone-call to Shaun in Melbourne) here; and the presentation of Shaun Tan’s work given by member of the jury Maria Lassèn-Seger here. View our Gallery feature of some of Shaun Tan’s work and read our reviews of two of his masterpieces The Arrival and Tales from Outer Suburbia.

Many, many congratulations to Shaun Tan!

Grace Lin,
Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same
Little, Brown and Company, 2010.

Ages: 4-8

Ling & Ting by Grace Lin (Where the Mountain Meets the Moon) is a story about twins.  Drawn to look identical, Ling and Ting are nonetheless, as the title indicates “not exactly the same.”  The difference is established early with the first story in the book called “The Haircuts.”  The girls’ personalities come through in the way they handle their haircuts, and the results will mark them throughout the rest of the book. Readers will learn how to identify the girls despite their matching dresses and similar names.

Lin has arranged this book as a series of tales about the girls that build on each other.  Starting with “Haircuts,” there are six stories altogether that work not only to establish the difference between the girls but also to illustrate their friendship and sisterly affection.  Among my favorites was “Chopsticks” and “The Library Book.”  In “Chopsticks,” Ting prefers to use chopsticks while Ling does not.  Although Ting tries to help Ling use them, in the end Ling comes up with her own solution which, predictably enough, is to use a fork!  In “The Library Book,” the girls’ different tastes in reading are revealed: Ting prefers fairy tales while Ling wants a book about dogs…

Lin has created a delightful and playful collection of stories here that is engaging to read.  It is perfect for anyone looking for good books for children about twins or indeed sisters.  Her colorful and distinctive illustrations make the book a visual delight as well; Ling and Ting are vibrantly and expressively depicted in the pictures.  Of particular appeal to a young reader  – as I discovered in reading this book with my daughter – was distinguishing between the two girls  since they look so much alike with such similar names and are always dressed the same.

Lin is an accomplished writer of children’s books, and Ling & Ting, her first foray into Early Readers, is yet another example of her finely tuned skill.  She is PaperTigers’ nominee for the Astrid Lindgren award for 2011.

Sally Ito
March 2011

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Entries Accepted for The Growing up Asian in America Contest~ ongoing until Mar 10, San Francisco, CA, USA

2011 PBBY-Alcala Prize~ submissions accepted until Mar 30, Philippines

Sun Gallery’s Twenty-second Annual Children’s Book Illustrator Exhibit~ ongoing until Apr 16, Hayward, CA, USA

15th Annual Writing for Children Competition~ submissions accepted until Apr 24, Canada

The National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature Exhibit: Anita Lobel – All the World’s a Stage~ ongoing until May 28, Abilene, TX, USA

Look! The Art of Australian Picture Books Today~ ongoing until May 29, Melbourne, Australia

The Art Institute of Chicago Exhibit: Real and Imaginary: Three Latin American Artists – Raúl Colón, David Diaz and Yuyi Morales~ ongoing until May 29, Chicago, IL, USA

Animal Fair: Birds, Beasts, and Bugs in Children’s Book Illustrations~ ongoing until Jun 5, New Brunswick, NJ, USA

Seven Stories (the National Home of Children’s Books in Britain) Events~ Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom

International Youth Library Exhibits~ Munich, Germany

The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art Exhibits~ Amherst, MA, USA

Dromkeen National Centre for Picture Book Art Exhibits~ Riddells Creek, Australia

Mirror, an Exhibition by Children’s Author and Artist Jeannie Baker~ Australia

Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Events

New Zealand Book Month

Read Across America Day~ Mar 2, USA

Sutradhar’s Story Revolution~ Mar 2 – 5, Bangalore, India

Primary Source’s Global Read of The Red Umbrella by Christina Diaz Gonzalez~ Mar 2 – 9

World Book Day~ Mar 3, United Kingdom and Ireland

Summer Reading Relay~ Mar 3, Melbourne, Australia

The Big Write Festival~ Mar 3 – 13, Stratford, United Kingdom

42nd Annual Georgia Children’s Book Awards and Conference on Children’s Literature~ Mar 4 – 5, Athens, GA, USA

Charlotte S. Huck Children’s Literature Festival~ Mar 4 – 5, Redlands, CA, USA

Perth Writers Festival~ Mar 4 – 7, Perth, Australia

Penguin Books India Presents Spring Fever~ Mar 4 – 13, New Delhi, India

Your School Library’s Sixth International Professional Development Online Conference: Advocacy, Evidence and Image~ Mar 4 – 18

Shanghai International Literary Festival~ Mar 4 – 19, Shanghai, China

Western Washington University Children’s Literature Conference~ Mar 5, Bellingham, WA, USA

Singapore Young Author Award Ceremony~ Mar 5, Singapore

Singapore Children’s Book Club Discuss S. M. De Silva’s Blood on the Moon~ Mar 5, Singapore

Pratham Books Sabha 2011~ Mar 5, Bangalore, India

Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices Day~ Mar 5, Madison, WI, USA

World Book Night ~ Mar 5

International Research Conference: What Exactly is “Overseas Manga/Comics”? – The Forefront of Comics and Globalization~ Mar 6, Kyoto, Japan

The Poetry Society’s Foyle Young Poets 2011 Competition Launch~ Mar 7, United Kingdom

Engaging Hearts and Minds: Equity, Social Justice and Global Citizenship in Action~ Mar 7 – 8, Toronto, ON, Canada

YALSA’s Teen Tech Week~ Mar 7 – 13, USA

Share a Story – Shape a Future, A Blog Tour for Literacy: Unwrapping the Gift of Literacy~ Mar 7 – 11

New Dog, New Tricks: Insideadog Website Relaunch by the Centre for Youth Literature~ Mar 8, Melbourne, Australia

Emirates Airline Festival of Literature~ Mar 8 – 12, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

The Hong Kong International Literary Festival~ Mar 8 – 18, Hong Kong

World Read Aloud Day~ Mar 9

Children’s Literature Conference: The Power of Story~ Mar 10, Tucson, AZ, USA

SCBWI Lit Fest Dinner with Aleesah Darlison and Adrian Tilley~ Mar 10, Hong Kong

31st Annual Children’s Literature Conference~ Mar 11, DeKalb, IL, USA

Art Blocks for Ghana Online Auction~ Mar 12

Oxford Children’s Book Group Presents: Author Aidan Chambers in Conversation~ Mar 12, Oxford, United Kingdom

Silverfish Books’ Meet the Author Session: Singaporean Children’s Author Ho Lee-Ling~ Mar 12, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

CLN Presents: Picture Books as Writing Tools with author Lisa Bulllard~ Mar 12, Plymouth, MN, USA

Pratham Books Sabha 2011~ Mar 14, New Delhi, India

Somerset Celebration of Literature~ Mar 14 – 18, Mudgeeraba, Australia

14th Time of the Writer – International Writers Festival~ Mar 14 – 19, Durban, South Africa

School Library Journal’s Battle of the Kids’ Books~ Mar 14 – Apr 4, USA

Supporting UAE Children’s Book Authors: The ‘Emirati Authors Write for Emirati Children’ Initiative at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair~ Mar 15 – 20, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Illustrated Talk with Author Shaun Tan: Untold Stories~ Mar 17, Melbourne, Australia

Children’s Book Illustration: The Picture Book World of Polly Dunbar~ Mar 17 – 24, London, United Kingdom

Singapore Book Club Discusses the Graphic Novel Gone Case~ Mar 18, Singapore

Celebration of Teaching and Learning~ Mar 18 – 19, New York, NY, USA

Salon du livre de Paris, Guest of Honour: Nordic Countries~ Mar 18 – 21, Porte de Versailles, France

Children’s Books Week~ Mar 19 – Apr 3, Flanders, Belgium

World Storytelling Day~ Mar 20

43rd Annual Children’s Literature Festival~ Mar 20 – 22, Warrensburg, MO, USA

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination~ Mar 21

World Poetry Day (UNESCO)~ Mar 21

Harmony Day~ Mar 21, Australia

Seminar: Children’s Literature in Nordic Countries~ Mar 22, Paris, France

Reading the World: Exciting Literature for the Global Classroom~ Mar 22, Watertown, MA, USA

36th Annual CABE Conference: Language, Culture & Leadership – Co-creating Community~ Mar 23 – 26, Long Beach, CA, USA

A Different Trend: Canadian Children’s Literature in Sweden and Finland with Author Roy MacGregor~ Mar 24, Ottawa, ON, Canada

Myths and Fairy Tales in Film and Literature post-1900~ Mar 25 – 26, York, United Kingdom

Bangkok International Book Fair~ Mar 25 – Apr 6, Bangkok, Thailand

Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award Winners Announced~ Mar 29, Vimmerby, Sweden

Bologna Children’s Book Fair, Guest of Honour: Lithuania~ Mar 29 – 31, Bologna, Italy

World Book Summit~ Mar 31 – Apr 2, Ljubljana, Slovenia

The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, which amounts to SEK 5 million (approx. 500 000 EUR), is awarded annually to a single recipient or to several. Authors, illustrators, oral storytellers and promoters of reading may be rewarded.  For the past two years PaperTigers has had the honor of being a nominating body for the award.

Today, the 2011 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award Nominees were revealed at the Frankfurt Book Fair by the Chairman of the Jury, Mr. Larry Lempert. 175 candidates representing 62 different countries are eligible for the world’s largest children’s and young adult literature award. We are so pleased to see PaperTigers’ three nominees on the list: author and illustrator Allen Say, author and illustrator Grace Lin, and Katha, a “profit-for-all” organization based in India. You can view the complete list of nominated candidates  here.

On March 29, 2011, the winner or winners of the 2011 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award will be announced at the birthplace of Astrid Lindgren in Vimmerby, Sweden. The announcement will be held simultaneously at Bologna Book Fair and will also be broadcast live on the award website.

To keep abreast of  today’s exciting announcement and to learn more about the nominated candidates, be sure to check out the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award blog.

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Fremantle Children’s Literature Centre 2010 Exhibits~ Australia

Canadian Library  Month: Your Library, Your World~ Canada

National Book Month~ USA

Reading Association of Ireland Annual Conference~ Sep 30 – Oct 2, Dublin, Ireland

Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read~ ongoing until Oct 3, USA

Words+Pictures=Book, Contemporary Malaysian Picture Book Illustration~ ongoing until Oct 3, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

National Young Writers’ Festival~ ongoing until  Oct 4, Newcastle, Australia

Mirror, an Exhibition by Children’s Author and Artist Jeannie Baker~ ongoing until Oct 10, Australia

Hispanic Heritage Month~ ongoing until Oct 15, USA

3rd CJ Picture Book Award Submissions Accepted~ ongoing until Oct 20, Seoul, Korea

Dromkeen National Centre for Picture Book Art Exhibit: From the Collection~ ongoing until Oct 24, Riddells Creek, Australia

International Youth Library Exhibit: Shaun Tan, Pictures and Books~ ongoing until Oct 31, Munich, Germany

Entries Accepted for the 2011 PBBY-Salanga Prize~ ongoing until Nov 15, Philippines

The Children’s Bookshow: Stories From Around The World~ ongoing until Nov 17, United Kingdom

Everyday Adventures Growing Up: Art from Picture Books ~ ongoing until Nov 28, Chicago, IL, USA

Hedwig Anuar Children’s Book Award 2011~ entries accepted until Dec 31, Singapore

Eric Carle: A Feast for the Eyes~ ongoing until  Mar 20, Amherst, MA, USA

Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards for Excellence in Children’s Literature Awards Ceremony~ Oct 1, Boston, MA, USA

SCBWI Presents: Writing and Illustrating Long Walk to Freedom with Author Chris van Wyk and Illustrator Paddy Bouma~ Oct 1, Cape Town, South Africa

The Center for Children’s Literature Presents: The Business of Children’s Publishing~ Oct 1 – 2, Kenosha, WI, USA

Reading Association of Africa Annual Conference: It All Starts with Literacy~ Oct 1 – 3, Port Elizabeth, South Africa

5th Annual Cybils (Children’s and Young Adult Bloggers’ Literary Awards) Nominations Open~ Oct 1 – 15

The Children’s Book Festival~ Oct 1 – 31, Ireland

Nambook-010: The 5th Nami Island International Children’s Book Festival~ Oct 1 – Nov 15, Nami, Korea

The Horn Book at Simmons: A One Day Colloquium~ Oct 2, Boston, MA, USA

2010 Bologna Illustrators Exhibition of Children’s Books~ Oct 2 – 31, Yokkaich, Japan

Orange County Children’s Book Festival~ Oct 3, Costa Mesa, CA, USA

14th Poetry Africa International Poetry Festival~ Oct 4 – 9, Durban, South Africa

Children’s Book Week: Books Around the World~ Oct 4 – 10, United Kingdom

TaleBlazers Literary Arts Festival~ Oct 4 – 29, Province of Alberta, Canada

Wellesley College Presents: Mitali Perkins “Books Between Cultures: How Stories Help Kids Keep Their Balance”~ Oct 5, Wellesley, MA, USA

2nd Unisa Conference on Reading Promotion and Storytelling for Children and Storytelling Festival for Children~ Oct 6 – 8, Pretoria, South Africa

Ubud Writers and Readers Festival~ Oct 6 – 10, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

Frankfurt Book Fair~ Oct 6 – 10, Frankfurt, Germany

2011 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award Nominees Announced~ Oct 7, Frankfurt, Germany

The Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award Winners Announced~ Oct 7, London, United Kingdom

No Small Matter: A Fundraiser for Children’s Book Press~ Oct 7, San Francisco, CA, USA

A is for Anansi: Literature for Children of African Descent~ Oct 8 – 9, New York, NY, USA

The Times Cheltenham Literature Festival~ Oct 8 – 17, Cheltenham, United Kingdom

Teachers 4 Social Justice 10th Annual Conference: Teaching for Social Justice – A Labor Of Love~ Oct 9, San Francisco, CA, USA

13th Los Angeles Latino Book & Family Festival ~ Oct 9 – 10, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Japan Writers Conference~ Oct 9 – 11, Tokyo, Japan

20th Annual Monterrey International Book Fair~ Oct 9 – 17, Monterrey, Mexico

Inky Awards Shortlist Announced, On-line Voting Begins~ Oct 12, Australia

Writers Against Racism: A Conversation About Books with Amy Bowllan and Zetta Elliott~ Oct 13, New York, NY, USA

Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Awards Ceremony~ Oct 14, San Marcos, TX, USA

15th Annual New England Conference on Multicultural Education~ Oct 14, Hartford, CT, USA

National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature Presents From Houdini to Hugo: The Art of Brian Selznick~ Oct 14 – Jan 29, Abilene, TX, USA

57th Jane Addams Children’s Book Awards Ceremony~ Oct 15, New York, NY, USA

Sheboygan Children’s Book Festival: Shared Stories. Shared Worlds~ Oct 15 – 17, Sheboygan, WI, USA

Benefit for The 1st Annual El Salvador Children’s Poetry Festival~ Oct 16, San Francisco, CA, USA

CHARACTER COUNTS! Week~ Oct 17 – 23, USA

YALSA’s Teen Read Week: Books with Beat @ your library~ Oct 17 – 23, USA

1st Screening of Library of the Early Mind~ Oct 19, Cambridge, MA, USA

Vancouver International Writers and Readers Festival~ Oct 19 – 24, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Chapter & Verse, a Book Club for Adults Discussing Children’s Lit~ Oct 21, USA

Rabbit Hill Festival of Literature: Collaboration~ Oct 21 – 23, Westport, CT, USA

British Columbia Literacy Council 2010 conference~ Oct 22, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Bournemouth Multicultural Literary Festival: Freedom, Books & Imagination~ Oct 22 – 28, Bournemouth, United Kingdom

Celebrate 70 Years of Children’s Book Week~ Oct 23, Minneapolis, MN, USA

SCBWI Children’s Book Seminar~ Oct 23, Bacolod City, Philippines

Kidlitosphere 2010 Conference~ Oct 23, Minneapolis, MN, USA

Américas Book Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature Winners Ceremony~ Oct 23, Washington, D.C., USA

GobbleDEEbook Literature Festival for Children and Teens~ Oct 23 – 30, Chester, United Kingdom

CROCUS 2010: Celebrate Reading of Culturally Unique Stories~ Oct 23 – 30, India

Scottish International Storytelling Festival~ Oct 23 – 31, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

International Youth Library Exhibit: The World in Miniature. The Family in Historic Picture Books and Children’s Literature~ Oct 24 – Aug 31, Munich, Germany

Sharjah International Book Fair and Announcement of the Etisalat Prize for Arabic Children’s Literature Winner~ Oct 26 – Nov 6, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

6th Annual World Matters Festival: Writers -Disturbing the Peace~ Oct 27 – 31, Eltham, Australia

30th Santiago International Book Fair~ Oct 29 – Nov 14, Santiago, Chile

Singapore Children’s Book Club Presents Serene Wee and her novel Present~ Oct 30, Singapore

Tell-a-Story Day~ Oct 30, Scotland

BookFest @ Bank Street~ Oct 30, Manhattan, NY,USA

Waikato Children’s Literature Association Annual Seminar~ Oct 30 – 31, Hamilton, New Zealand

Children’s Literature Festival~ Oct 30, Keene, NH,USA

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Skipping Stones Youth Honor Award Winners Announced

Fremantle Children’s Literature Centre 2010 Exhibits~ Australia

Beijing International Book Fair~ ongoing until Sep 3, Beijing, China

Taranaki Children’s Book Festival~ ongoing until  Sep 4, Taranaki, New Zealand

Western Australia Spring Poetry Festival and National Poetry Week~ ongoing until  Sep 5, Australia

Melbourne Writers Festival: Stories From Every Angle~ ongoing until Sep 5, Melbourne, Australia

Singapore International Storytelling Festival~ ongoing until Sep 8, Singapore

Childrens Books Ireland and SCBWI Ireland Present: Between The Lines, an information seminar on writing and illustrating for children ~ Sep 11, Dublin, Ireland

Dromkeen Exhibitions: Mbobo Tree, The Race for the Chinese Zodiac, and Stranded~ ongoing until Sep 17, Dromkeen, Australia

2010 Bologna Illustrators Exhibition of Children’s Books~ ongoing until  Sep 26, Nishinomiya, Japan

An Exquisite Vision: The Art of Lisbeth Zwerger~ongoing until Sep 26, Amherst, MA, USA

Lee and Low’s Books New Voices Award Entry Submissions~ ongoing until Sep 30, USA

The National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature Exhibit: Golden Kite, Golden Dreams: the SCBWI Awards~ ongoing until Oct 1, Abilene, TX, USA

International Youth Library Exhibition: The Treasury of Binette Schroeder~ ongoing until Oct  1, Munich, Germany

Words+Pictures=Book, Contemporary Malaysian Picture Book Illustration~ ongoing until Oct 3, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Mirror, an Exhibition by Children’s Author and Artist Jeannie Baker~ ongoing until Oct 10, Australia

Dromkeen National Centre for Picture Book Art Exhibit: From the Collection~ ongoing until Oct 24, Riddells Creek, Australia

International Youth Library Exhibit: Shaun Tan, Pictures and Books~ ongoing until Oct 31, Munich, Germany

Everyday Adventures Growing Up: Art from Picture Books ~ ongoing until Nov 28, Chicago, IL, USA

Hedwig Anuar Children’s Book Award 2011~ entries accepted until Dec 31, Singapore

Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) Annual Conference~ Sep 1 – 3, Brisbane, Australia

Brisbane Writers Festival~ Sep 1 – 5, Brisbane, Australia

Moscow International Book Fair~ Sep 1 – 6, Moscow, Russia

Writers’ and Literary Translators’ International Congress ~ Sep 2 – 5, Istanbul, Turkey

Bendigo Children’s Literature Conference: Texts Mark the Spot – Getting Real: Debating the what, why and how of realism in children’s and YA texts~ Sep 3 – 4, Bendigo, Australia

Asian Digital Storytelling Congress: Beyond Words ~ Sep 4, Singapore

CYA Later, Alligator – Children’s and Young Adult Writers And Illustrators Conference~ Sep 4, Brisbane, Australia

KATHA’s I Love Reading! Week~ Sep 4 – 10, Delhi, India

International Literacy Day~ Sep 8

UNESCO Literary Prize Awards Presentation~ Sep 8, Paris, France

IBBY’s Biennial Congress: The Strength of Minorities~ Sep 8 – 12, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

Nu Wa International Storytelling Tour of China~ Sep 10 – 26, China

The Kennedy Center’s 15th Annual Multicultural Children’s Book Festival~ Sep 11, Washington, D.C., USA

African Library Project’s 5th Anniversary Celebration and Fundraiser~ Sep 11, Menlo Park, CA, USA

SCBWI Ireland Conference~ Sep 11, Dublin, Ireland

First International Conference on Language, Literature and Cultural Studies~ Sep 11 – 13, Skele, Albania

Book Blogger Appreciation Week~ Sep 13 – 17

The Manila International Book Fair: Words Without Borders~ Sep 15 – 19, Manila, Philippines

International Children’s and Youth Literature Festival~ Sep 15 – 25, Berlin, Germany

Hispanic Heritage Month~ Sep 15 – Oct 15, USA

Chapter & Verse, a Book Club for Adults Discussing Children’s Lit~ Sep 16, USA

Children’s Author Virginia Pilegard to Speak at Arne Nixon Center for the Study of Children’s Literature~ Sep 17, Fresno, CA, USA

Eden Mills Writers’ Festival~ Sep 17 – 19, Eden Mills, ON, Canada

3rd International Biennial SCBWI Australia and New Zealand Conference~ Sep 17 – 19, Sydney, Australia

SCBWI Children’s Book Seminar~ Sep 18, Iloilo City, Philippines

Adarna House’s 30th Anniversary Celebration and Storybook Launch~ Sep 18, Pasay City, Philippines

PINKS Festival – Penang International Kids Storytelling Festival~ Sep 18, George Town, Malaysia

57th St. Children’s Book Fair~ Sep 19, Chicago, IL, USA

Telling Tales: A Family Festival of Stories~ Sep 19, Rockton, ON, Canada

Thin Air – Winnipeg International Writers Festival~ Sep 19 – 26, Winnipeg, MB, Canada

International Day of Peace~ Sep 21

What Children’s Literature Tells Us~ Sep 21, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Eric Carle: A Feast for the Eyes~ Sep 21 – Mar 20, Amherst, MA, USA

Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) Biennial Institute~ Sep 23 – 25, Atlanta, GA, USA

Göteborg Book Fair~ Sep 23 – 26, Göteborg, Sweden

Wigtown Book Festival~ Sep 24 – Oct 3, Wigtown, United Kingdom

Bath Festival of Children’s Literature~ Sep 24 – Oct 3, Bath, United Kingdom

Once Upon a Time: Fairy Tales and Childhood~ Sep 25, Amherst, MA, USA

National Book Festival~ Sep 25, Washington, D.C., USA

Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read~ Sep 25 – Oct 2, USA

The Word on the Street National Book and Magazine Festival: Celebrating Reading. Advocating Literacy. ~ Sep 26, Canada

School Library Association of Queensland / International Association of School Librarianship Joint Conference~ Sep 27 – Oct 2, Brisbane, Australia

Canwest Raise-a-Reader Day~ Sep 29, Canada

The Carle Honors 2010~ Sep 30, Amherst, MA, USA

Northwoods Children’s Book Conference~ Sep 30 – Oct 1, Cable, WI, USA

Reading Association of Ireland Annual Conference~ Sep 30 – Oct 2, Dublin, Ireland

The Children’s Bookshow: Stories From Around The World~ Sep 22 – Nov 17, United Kingdom

To celebrate the release of her new book Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same, author Grace Lin is hosting a party! Here are the details:

WHAT: Come celebrate Ling & Ting’s book birthday! My very first early reader will be available on June 19th and I’m having a party for it! As usual, I will be reading and signing and giving away cupcake + more loot-filled goodie bags!

And the fun game this time? It’s a costume party! Ling and Ting are twins so… Come with a friend (or relative) in a MATCHING OUTFIT and get a special-while-they-last-handmade prize!!

WHERE: Porter Square Bookstore
25 White St. Cambridge, MA, USA
617-491-2220

WHEN: Saturday, June 19th 3pm

Feel free to invite others and spread the word! The more the merrier! If you can, please RSVP gracelin(dot)manager(at)gmail(dot)com so I have an idea of how many goodie bags I should make–but you can always show up last minute, I’ll make extras! Hope to see you!!

Not local? Don’t worry! I’m going to have some online fun available too! Stay tuned…

To give you a bit of a sneak peak, I’ve made a short little book trailer (my niece, Lily, did the voice)!

So far Ling & Ting has received three starred reviews with Booklist saying that it will “…suit the target audience beautifully.” And most recently, Shelf Awareness declared that Ling & Ting is “…sure to be a hit. Young readers will clamor for more adventures about these charming sisters.”

Grace’s previous book Where the Mountain Meets the Moon was a huge success and won many awards including the prestigious Newbery Honor.  It was chosen as one of seven books in our Spirit of Paper Tigers Book Set and Grace is one of our nominations for the  2011 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. Don’t miss our interview with Grace or her two Gallery features here and here.

Saturday was the deadline for nominations for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA) 2011. Having barely caught our breath from this year’s announcement of Kitty Crowther as the ALMA winner for 2010, we found ourselves working right up to the mark to get our nominations submitted in time, but in they are and it’s very exciting to be able to share them with you all now, along with our 500-character nomination statements:

Author and illustrator, Allen Say, whom we also nominated last year (and if you haven’t already, do read our interview with Allen and enjoy our Gallery of his work):

Often drawing on his own background, Allen Say captivates his readers through beautifully honed prose and luminous watercolors. He embraces a striving for happiness with a blend of gentle humor and realism, and touches on many aspects of being human, such as race, migration, disability and age. Even young children can empathize with and find echoes in many of his stories. Say opens young hearts and minds both to new cultures and to their own potential; and his portrayal of the human condition provides a forum for children to recognize their own value and to dream.

Author and illustrator, Grace Lin (and don’t miss our interview with Grace, either, or her two Gallery features here and here; and do visit her blog):

Grace Lin is passionate about writing for children. Her child-centred creativity is filled with energy and imbued with core values such as family, friendship, loyalty and love. Her readers respond to the warmth of her stories, whether founded on reality or imagination, and to the charm of her illustrations, which demonstrate a commitment to unobtrusive detail. Often drawing on her Asian American heritage, and with a gift for interweaving old and contemporary elements in her work, Grace is not afraid to step away from tradition to create new, meaningful narrative for today’s children.

And Katha, a “profit-for-all”organisation based in India:

Katha is an Indian non-profit organization working in the areas of literacy and education. Since 1988, it has been successfully promoting the literacy to literature continuum in urban disadvantaged communities across India. Its multi-faceted school and community-based outreach approach, including reading campaigns, the supporting of pavement schools in slum clusters and the translation and publishing of Indian literature, among other initiatives, are playing an essential role in helping create a more literate, less divisive India.

You can explore Katha further via their website and we are looking forward to featuring them on PaperTigers in the not too distant future.