Last year I joined Rutgers’ (the State University of New Jersery, USA) Child_Lit service. This is a free, unmoderated discussion group convened for the express purpose of examining the theory and criticism of literature for children and young adults. For anyone interested in any aspect of children’s literature, I highly recommend signing up. The service provides a wealth of information and also makes my job a bit easier when looking for events that can be added to our Eventful World calendar.

Last week there was a post on Child_Lit that talked about  Drawing from a Story: Illustrations by Selected Caldecott Medal Winners, an exhibit taking place though May 23rd at the Brandywine River Museum in Chadds Ford, PA, USA.

Myths, fables, fairy tales, and folk tales are usually a child’s first steps into the world of literature, and the illustrations that often accompany the text when such stories are published for children stir the imagination and provide entrée to magical worlds. First awarded in 1938, the Caldecott Medal is considered the most prestigious award for children’s illustration. This exhibition will feature the works of selected Caldecott winners from seven decades, including Maurice Sendak, Dorothy Lathrop, David Wiesner [see image at right], Paul O. Zelinsky, Leo and Diane Dillon, Robert McCloskey, and 2010 medal winner, Jerry Pinkney, among many others.

Deidre Johnson responded on Child_Lit with the following comments which she has also allowed us to share with our readers :

I’ve seen it twice and can’t praise it enough. There’s material from most of the major archival collections, such as the Kerlan and deGrummond, as well as a generous sampling from the illustrators’ private collections.

The display is arranged beautifully — sometimes thematically (fairy tales grouped together, for example), sometimes by medium. There’s even an entire corner devoted to art from David Wiesner’s three winners. The exhibit includes not only art from the first Caldecott (and one of Caldecott’s own sketches for John Gilpin’s Ride!) but also from the two most recent winners. Some of the other materials show process (the McCloskey studies for Make Way for Ducklings seen in Marcus’s Caldecott Celebration are on display, and there are also studies for Rohmann’s My Friend Rabbit).

The Brandywine has hosted some fine exhibits associated with children’s literature in the past, but I think this is one of the best.

The National Museum of Taiwan Literature’s recently renovated Children’s Literature Reading Room is now reopened. To honor the occasion a new exhibit has been launched: Lin Hai-yin’s Stories from Childhood. Children and their parents are invited to come join in a variety of activities that celebrate Lin Hai-yin’s works and encourage interest in reading. Lin Hai-yin was a well-known Taiwanese writer of Chinese ethnicity who published some 18 books, including novels, short story collections, radio drama and children’s literature.

(Click on event name for more information)

2009 Bologna Illustrators Exhibition of Children’s Books~ ongoing until Dec 6, Ishikawa, Japan

Guadalajara International Book Fair~ ongoing until Dec 6, Guadalajara, Mexico

Jewish Book Month~ ongoing until Dec 12, Canada and USA

When Cinderella Went to the Ball: Five Hundred Years of Fairy Tales~ ongoing until Dec 12, Toronto, ON, Canada

CJ Picture Book Festival~ ongoing until Dec 24, Seoul, Korea

Summer Reading Club: Read on the Wild Side~ ongoing until Jan 31, 2010, Australia

Golden Legacy: Original Art from 65 Years of Golden Books Featuring Artwork from Iconic Children’s Books~ ongoing until Feb 28, 2010, Amherst, MA, USA

Mother Goose in an Air-Ship: McLoughlin Bros. 19th Century Children’s Books from the Liman Collection~ ongoing until Apr 18, 2010, Amherst, MA, USA

Heart and Soul: Art from Coretta Scott King Award Books, 2006–2009~ ongoing until Apr 18, 2010, Chicago, IL, USA

From The Tiger Who Came to Tea to Mog and Pink Rabbit; A Judith Kerr Retrospective~ ongoing until May 2010, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom

Grace Lin, Author of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, Appears on NBC’s TODAY Show~ Dec 4

Family Trees: A Celebration of Children’s Literature~ Dec 4 – Jan 3, 2010, Concord, MA, USA

International Antiquarian Book Fair~ Dec 4 – 6 Hong Kong

The Children’s Literature Centre at Frostburg State University Presents Storybook Holiday~ Dec 5, Frostburg, MD, USA

Irish Children’s Literature and Culture Symposium~ Dec 5, Dublin, Ireland

The Making of the Word Witch: The Poetic & Illustrative Magic of Margaret Mahy & David Elliot~ Dec 5 – Mar 14, 2010, Ashburton, New Zealand

Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Children’s Book: An Afternoon with Anita Silvey~ Dec 5, New York City, NY, USA

Who Will Speak for the Child? Human Rights at Home and the Convention on the Rights of the Child~ Dec 7, New York City, NY, USA

BookFest@Singapore~ Dec 11 – 20, Singapore

The Best of the Best in 2009: Distinguished American Picture Books for Children~ Dec 12, Amherst, MA, USA

2009 Bologna Illustrators Exhibition of Children’s Books~ Dec 13 – Mar 1, 2010, Seoul, Korea