Each year, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) presents a Member of the Year Award to a member who has given outstanding service to the organization. This year the award went to author Chris Cheng, SCBWI Australia regional advisor.

Always true to his gregarious and friendly nature, Chris is one busy and very effective bee when it comes to making connections, spreading the word on good books and projects, volunteering to read to children in schools, and more. And he seems to do it all—it takes a special kind of person, really—without ever losing sight of his own writing. Congratulations, Chris! It’s great to see your hard work and passion for all things book recognized by your peers!

You can read more about the award, which was given during the SCBWI LA Summer Conference (at the Golden Kite Luncheon, on Aug 2) and see some pictures of a stunned and happy Chris here and here.

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Adarna House’s Workshops for Literacy~ Philipinnes

Cape Town Book Fair~ ongoing until Aug  2, Cape Town, South Africa

The 39th Annual SCBWI International Summer Conference~ ongoing until Aug 2, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Lima International Book Fair~ ongoing until Aug 4, Lima, Peru

Simply Life, Simply Color: An Exhibit of Illustrator Ruben de Jesus’ Work~ ongoing until Aug 8, Makati City, Philippines

2010 Bologna Illustrators Exhibition of Children’s Books~ ongoing until Aug 16, Tokyo, Japan

Caroline Irby’s Exhibition: A Child From Everywhere~ ongoing until Aug 30, London, United Kingdom

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

Submissions Accepted for Lee & Low’s New Voices Writers Award~ 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

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

Expo 2010~ ongoing until  Oct 31, Shanghai, China

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

Seminar on Korean History & Culture for K – 12 Teachers and Administrators~ Aug 2  – 6, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Booktalkers: Girls Read Too~ Aug 2, Melbourne, Australia

International Youth Library Exhibition: The Treasury of Binette Schroeder~ Aug 4 – Oct 1, Munich, Germany

Kazakhstan Reading Association Conference~ Aug 5 – 7, Taraz, Kazakhstan

Books, Brushes, and Ashley Bryan~ Aug 8, Amherst, MA, USA

Landscapes of Literacy: From Library to Studio in the Early Childhood Centers of Pistoia, Italy~ Aug 8 – 9, Amherst, MA, USA

The Canadian Book Camp~ Aug 9 – 13, Vancouver, BC, Canada

World Library and Information Congress: 76th IFLA General Conference and Assembly~ Aug 10 – 15, Gothenburg, Sweden

FinRA Finnish Reading Association 2nd Baltic Sea Conference, 15th Nordic Reading Conference: Literacy Skills for Learning~ Aug 11 – 13, Åbo/Turku, Finland

Puffinalia: An Exhibition of Puffin Books 1940 – 2010~ Aug 11 – 31, Melbourne, Australia

21st International Book Biennial of São Paulo~ Aug 12 – 22, São Paulo, Brazil

SCBWI Austin Presents: Representing Diversity in Children’s Books~ Aug 14, Austin, TX, USA

Edinburgh International Book Festival~ Aug 14 – 30, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

The Storylines Festival of New Zealand Children’s Writers and Illustrators~ Aug 15 – 22, New Zealand

LIANZA Children’s Book Awards Ceremony~ Aug 16, Wellington, New Zealand

Library Week~ Aug 16 – 22, New Zealand

Reading Association of Nigeria Biennial Conference~ Aug 18 – 21, Makurdi, Nigeria

Chapter & Verse, a Book Club for Adults Discussing Children’s Lit~ Aug 19, USA

Children’s Book of the Year Awards Winners Announced~ Aug 20, Australia

The Crichton Award for New Illustrators Winner Announced~ Aug 21, Australia

Summer Dream Literary Arts Festival~ Aug 21, Vancouver, BC, Canada

CBCA’s Children’s Book Week: Across the Story Bridge~ Aug 21 – 27, Australia

2010 Bologna Illustrators Exhibition of Children’s Books~ Aug 21 – Sep 26, Nishinomiya, Japan

Indigenous Literacy Project’s I Heart Art – Art Auction~ Aug 25, Sydney, Australia

Western Australia Spring Poetry Festival and National Poetry Week~ Aug 27 – Sep 5, Australia

Melbourne Writers Festival: Stories From Every Angle~ Aug 27 – Sep 5, Melbourne, Australia

Singapore International Storytelling Festival~ Aug 30 – Sep 8, Singapore

Taranaki Children’s Book Festival~ Aug 31 – Sep 4, Taranaki, New Zealand

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Books Illustrated Exhibition: Animalia and other Animals – from Real to Fantastic~ ongoing until Jul 12, Middle Park, Australia

International Youth Library Exhibit: Darkness Had fallen, The Night-time World in International Children’s Literature~ ongoing until Jul 31, Munich, Germany

Hollins University: Children’s Literature Lectures~ ongoing until Jul 31, Roanoke, VA, USA

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

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

Expo 2010~ ongoing until  Oct 31, Shanghai, China

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

Manchester Children’s Book Festival~ Jul 1 – 4, Manchester, United Kingdom

Beyond The Border International Storytelling Festival~ Jul 2 – 4, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales,United Kingdom

Children’s and Young Adult Literature Festival: Reaching the World ~ Jul 3, Rozelle, Australia

aWAy With Words: Exploring the Ambiguities in Literacy and English Education~ Jul 4 – 7, Perth, Australia

West Cork Literary Festival~ Jul 4 – 10, Bantry, Ireland

NAIDOC Week~ Jul 4 – 11, Australia

Voices on the Coast, A Youth Literature Festival~ Jul 7 – 12, Sunshine Coast, Australia

Tokyo International Book Fair~ Jul 8 – 11, Tokyo, Japan

4th Annual Book Passage Children’s Writers & Illustrators Conference~ Jul 8 – 11, Corte Madera, CA, USA

The National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature Exhibit: Golden Kite, Golden Dreams: the SCBWI Awards~  Jul 8 – Oct 1, Abilene, TX, USA

Children’s Literatrure Conference: Changing A-genders in Children’s Literature~ Jul 9 – 10, Hatfield, United Kingdom

UKLA’s 46th Annual International Conference: The Changing Face of Literacy: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow~ Jul 9 – 11, Winchester, United Kingdom

Hey, Your Pixels are Showing! A Photoshop Workshop and Creative Exchange with Illustrator Jed Henry~ Jul 11, Tokyo, Japan

2010 Bologna Illustrators Exhibition of Children’s Books~ Jul 11 – Aug 16, Tokyo, Japan

World Congress on Reading~ Jul 12 – 15, Auckland, New Zealand

Mazza Museum: International Art from Picture Books Summer Conference~ Jul 12  – 16, Findlay, OH, USA

Children’s Book Fair~ Jul 12 – 31, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Whitsunday Voices Youth Literature Festival~ Jul 14 – 17, Mackay, Australia

Chapter & Verse, a Book Club for Adults Discussing Children’s Lit~ Jul 15, USA

19th Storytelling Festival at the Edge~ Jul 16 – 18, Stokes Barn, United Kingdom

Storytelling Saturday at Fully Booked~ Jul 17,  Quezon City, Philippines

11th Annual Pacific Northwest Children’s Book Conference~ Jul 19 – 23, Portland, OR, USA

National Children’s Book Day~ Jul 20, Philippines

White Ravens Festival For International Children’s and Youth Literature~ Jul 20 -  25, Munich, Germany

Racial Harmony Day~ Jul 21, Singapore

Book Launch and Art Exhbition of the Winning Book from the Romeo Forbes Children’s Story Writing Competition~ Jul 21, Philippines

Hong Kong Book Fair~ Jul 21 – 27, Hong Kong

Lima International Book Fair~ Jul 22 – Aug 4, Lima, Peru

Storytellers of Canada Annual Conference~ Jul 28 – Aug 1, St. John’s, NF,  Canada

Southampton Children’s Literature Conference~ Jul 28 – Aug 1, Southampton, NY, USA

Text+Image: Picture Books and Graphic Novels One Day Seminar~ Jul 30, Melbourne, Australia

Cape Town Book Fair~ Jul 30 – Aug 2, Cape Town, South Africa

The 39th Annual SCBWI International Summer Conference~ Jul 30 – Aug 2, Los Angeles, CA, USA

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World Book Fair~ ongoing until Jun 7, Singapore

SCBWI Hawaii Illustrators’ Exhibit: The Art of Picture Books~ ongoing until Jun 16, Honolulu, HI, USA

Skipping Stones Magazine’s Youth Honor Award Program – Multicultural Awareness and Nature Appreciation~ entries accepted until Jun 25

Dromkeen National Centre for Picture Book Art Exhibit: Seven Little Australians~ ongoing until Jun 25, Riddells Creek, Australia

The National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature Exhibit: Why Grow Up? Etienne Delessert~ ongoing until Jun 26, Abilene, TX, USA

Monash Woodfest~ ongoing until Jul 31, Monash, Australia

International Youth Library Exhibit: Darkness Had fallen, The Night-time World in International Children’s Literature~ ongoing until Jul 31, Munich, Germany

Monsters and Miracles: A Journey Through Jewish Picture Books~ ongoing until  Aug 1, Los Angeles, CA, USA

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

Expo 2010~ ongoing until  Oct 31, Shanghai, China

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

Canadian Library Association National Conference and Trade Show~ Jun 2 – 5, Edmonton, AB, Canada

Tracing the History of Translated Children’s Fiction in New Zealand: Problems and Insights~ Jun 3, Wellington, New Zealand

The 2010 Young Authors’ Fiction Festival Celebration~ Jun 4, Paris, France

Once Upon an Island: The Waiheke Festival of Story~ Jun 4 – 7, Auckland, New Zealand

Nairn Book and Arts Festival~ Jun 5 – 13, Nairn, United Kingdom

Librarian’s Day~ Jun 7, Cuba

The Frances Lincoln Diverse Voices Children’s Book Award Winners Announced~ Jun 8, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom

Children’s Literature Association’s 2010 Conference: Children’s Literature and Media~ Jun 10 – 12, Ypsilanti/Ann Arbor, MI, USA

International Youth Library Exhibit: Shaun Tan, Pictures and Books~ Jun 10 – Oct 31, Munich, Germany

SCBWI Tokyo Translation Day 2010:  Bringing Japanese Children’s Books to the World~ Jun 12, Yokohama, Japan

3rd Annual Mixed Roots Film and Literary Festival~ Jun 12 – 13, Los Angeles, CA, USA

SCBWI Philippines Children’s Lit Booktalk~ Jun 14, Makati City, Philippines

International Day of the African Child~ Jun 16

The Torquay Froth and Bubble Literary Festival~ Jun 16 – 20, Torquay, Australia

Biennial Conference on Literature and Hawaii’s Children~ Jun 17 – 19, Honolulu, HI, USA

Borders Book Festival~ Jun 17 – 20, Melrose, United Kingdom

Children’s and Young Adult Literature in New Zealand Symposium~ Jun 18 – 20, Wellington, New Zealand

World Refugee Day~ Jun 20

CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Children’s Book Awards Winners Announced~ Jun 24, London, United Kingdom

American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference~ Jun 24 – 29, Washington, D.C., USA

ALSC Activities During the ALA Annual Conference~ Jun 24 – 30, Washington, D.C., USA

YALSA Activities During the ALA Annual Conference~ Jun 24 – 30, Washington, D.C., USA

ALA Kidlit Drink Night hosted by SCBWI Mid-Atlantic~ Jun 25, Washington, D.C., USA

“Libraries to the World” National and International Library Collections of Materials for Young People ~ Jun 26, Washington, D.C., USA

Sunthorn Phu Day (celebrated poet)~ Jun 26, Thailand

Canadian Multiculturalism Day~ Jun 27, Canada

Third Annual Children’s Literature Conference~ Jun 28, Los Angeles, CA, USA

PROtrack Program Children’s Publishing in the Digital Age~ Jun 30, Fairfax, VA, USA

The last booth Aline, Marjorie and I visited at the 2010 Bologna Book Fair belonged to the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and what a way to end the fair!  We had an absolute blast visiting with the SCBWI members, some of whom we had corresponded with via email before but had never met in person: and we were in for a couple of surprises too.  SCBWI members not only share the same passion for children’s literature as we do at PaperTigers but in two cases share the same first name!  Here’s a special shout out about several of the SCBWI members who made us feel so welcome and took the time to share their work with us.

PaperTigers’ Marjorie (in green) with Marjorie van Heerden, co-Regional Advisor SCBWI South Africa.

Marjorie van Heerden has written and/or illustrated more than 100 children’s books and has been published in 33 languages in Africa, Europe, Canada and the USA.  In 2008 Marjorie won the M.E.R Award for best South African illustrated children’s book.

PaperTigers’ Corinne (in pink) with Corinne Fenton, Assistant Regional Adviser SCBWI Victoria, Australia.

Corinne Fenton’s classic award-winning picture book Queenie: One Elephant’s Story was followed in 2008 by The Dog on the Tuckerbox (shortlisted in the Younger Readers Category of the Australian Book Industry Awards and named a Notable Book in both the Picture Book and Eve Pownall Information Book categories of the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards for 2009). Her latest book Flame Stands Waiting was released in March 2010.

Yoko Yoshizawa, Assistant Regional Advisor SCBWI Tokyo (more…)

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Get Caught Reading Month~ USA

National Share-a-Story Month~ United Kingdom

Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month~ USA

Asian Heritage Month~ Canada

BOOKtopia Children’s Literature Festival~ ongoing until May 7, West Vancouver, BC, Canada

Buenos Aires Book Fair~ ongoing until May 10, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Drawing from a Story: Illustrations by Selected Caldecott Medal Winners~ ongoing until May 23, Chadds Ford, PA, USA

Once Upon a Time . . . Children’s Book Illustrators, Then and Now~ ongoing until May 27, Oakland, CA, USA

Mitali Perkins’ 2010 Fire Escape Short Fiction and Poetry Contest~ entries accepted until Jun 1, USA and Canada

Into the Wood: Antonio Frasconi’s Art for Children~ ongoing until Jun 13, Ameherst, MA, USA

Skipping Stones Magazine’s Youth Honor Award Program – Multicultural Awareness and Nature Appreciation~ entries accepted until Jun 25

The National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature Exhibit: Why Grow Up? Etienne Delessert~ ongoing until Jun 26, Abilene, TX, USA

Monsters and Miracles: A Journey through Jewish Picture Books~ ongoing until  Aug 1, Los Angeles, CA, USA

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

BOOKFEST – The Vancouver Island Children’s Book Festival~ May 1, Nanaimo, BC, Canada

“Second to the Right, and Straight on Till Morning:” Navigating the Narrative Realm(s) of Children’s Texts~ May 1, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Old Passions – New Technologies: Children’s and Young Adult Literature
in a Web 2.0 World~ May 1, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Expo 2010~ May 1 – Oct 31, Shanghai, China

SCBWI Presents: Shaping a Picture Book/Shaping Character~ May 6, Paris, France

Asian Festival of Children’s Content~ May 6 – 9, Singapore

Bermuda International Literary Festival~ May 6 – 9, Hamilton
Bermuda

SCBWI Hawaii Illustrators’ Exhibit: The Art of Picture Books~ May 6 – Jun 16, Honolulu, HI, USA

One Hen Inc.’s First Anniversary Celebrations: It Takes a Village~ May 7, Wellesley, MA, USA

National Centre for Research in Children’s Literature Conference~ May 8, London, United Kingdom

Mt. San Antonio College’s Children’s Literature Day~ May 8, Walnut, CA, USA

SCBWI Presents: Children’s Books and our Phil-Chinese Heritage~ May 8, Philippines

Children’s Book Week~ May 10 – 16, USA

New Zealand Post Book Awards Festival~ May 10 – 19, New Zealand

Forest of Reading, Festival of Trees~ May 12 – 13, Toronto, ON, Canada

Auckland Writers and Readers Festival~ May 12 – 16, Auckland, New Zealand

Seoul International Book Fair~ May 12 – 16, Seoul, Korea

Follow the Yellow Brick Road to Fresno! Oz the Books! A Conference~ May 14 – 16, Fresno, CA, USA

2nd Conference on Children’s Literature and Translation~ May 15, Taichung City, Taiwan

Children’s Books Ireland Conference: Nurturing the Seed: Prospects and Possibilities for Children’s Books~ May 15 – 16, Dublin, Ireland

Sydney Writers’ Festival~ May 15 – 23, Sydney, Australia

Mountain Echoes – A Literary Festival~ May 17 – 20, Thimphu, Bhutan

New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards Winners Announced ~ May 19, New Zealand

WriteAway Conference: READ, PLAY, THINK, CREATE: generating delight in learning~ May 21, London, United Kingdom

National Black Book Festival~ May 21 – 23, Houston, TX, USA

Bisto Children’s Book of the Year Awards Presentations~ May 23, Dublin, Ireland

Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award Week~ May 23 – Jun 1, Sweden

Library and Information Week~ May 24 – 30, Australia

The Foundation for Children’s Books New England Voices Series~ May 25, Boston, MA, USA

International Latino Book Awards~ May 25, USA

BookExpo America~ May 25 – 27, New York, NY, USA

National Simultaneous Storytime~ May 26, Australia

Book Blogger Convention~ May 28, New York City, NY, USA

World Book Fair~ May 28 – Jun 6, Singapore

World Village Festival~ May 29 – 30, Helsinki, Finland

The Guardian Hay Festival~ May 29 – Jun 6, United Kingdom

SCBWI Presents: THE BIG PICTURE: Exploring the Art and Business of Children’s Book Illustration~ May 30, Tokyo, Japan

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National Poetry Month~ Canada and USA

Growing Up Asian in America Art and Essay Contest Winners Announced~ San Francisco, CA, USA

The Mathieu Da Costa Challenge Winners Announced~ Canada

38th National Book Fair & 8th Bangkok International Book Fair~ ongoing until Apr 6, Bangkok, Thailand

Exhibit of Sally Rippin’s Illustrations for Peeking Ducks~ ongoing until Apr 11, Melbourne, Australia

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

New York Public Library Exhibit: 2010 Caldecott Winner Jerry Pinkney’s African-American Journey to Freedom~ ongoing until Apr 18, New York City, NY, USA

Once Upon a Time . . . Children’s Book Illustrators, Then and Now~ ongoing until May 27, Oakland, CA, USA

International Children’s Book Day~ Apr 2

SCBWI Presents Details, Details: The Snap, Crackle, and Pop of Good Writing with author Jane Kurtz~ Apr 2, Tokyo, Japan

SCBWI Presents Bologna and Beyond~ Apr 3, The Hague, Netherlands

43rd Annual Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival~ Apr 7 – 9, Hattiesburg, MS, USA

The Foundation for Children’s Literature Presents What’s New in Children’s Books~ Apr 8, Boston, MA, USA

26th Annual Virginia Hamilton Conference on Multicultural Literature for Youth~ Apr 8 – 9, Kent, OH, USA

Salisbury University’s Children’s and Young Adult Literature Festival: Read Green~ Apr 8 – 12, Salisbury, MD, USA

Border Book Festival~ Apr 8 – 11, Mesilla, NM, USA

Monsters and Miracles: A Journey through Jewish Picture Books~ Apr 8 – Aug 1, Los Angeles, CA, USA

The Green Earth Book Award Presentation Ceremony~ Apr 9, McLean, VA, USA

Cambridge WordFest~ Apr 9 – 11, Cambridge, United Kingdom

The Federation of Children’s Book Groups 2010 Conference~ Apr 9 – 11, Berkshire, United Kingdom

SCBWI Presents Children’s Books and our Phil-Hispanic Heritage~ Apr 10, Philippines

National Library Week: Communities Thrive @ Your Library~ Apr 11  – 17, USA

BC Book Prizes On Tour~ Apr 11 – 23, Province of British Columbia, Canada

Young Poets Week~ Apr 12 – 16, Canada

Chicago Latino Book & Family Festival~ Apr 17 – 18, Cicero, IL, USA

London Book Fair~ Apr 19 – 21, London, United Kingdom

MASC Young Authors and Illustrators Conference~ Apr 21 – 23, Ottawa, ON, Canada

Blue Metropolis Montreal International Literary Festival and Children’s Festival: Reading the World~ Apr 21 – 25, Montreal, QC, Canada

41st Annual Saskatchewan Reading Council Convention: Guiding the Way with Literacy~ Apr 22 – 24, Regina, SA, Canada

Marba International Children’s Literature Festival~ Apr 22 – 25, Valleta, Malta

Camara Chilena del Libro Book Fair~ Apr 22 – 30, Santiago, Chile

Buenos Aires Book Fair~ Apr 22 – May 10, Buenos Aires, Argentina

World Book and Copyright Day~ Apr 23

Connecting Cultures & Celebrating Cuentos: National Latino Children’s Literature Conference~ Apr 23 – 24, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA

Building Cultural Bridges: Integrating Languages, Linguistics, Literature and Translation into Education~ Apr 23 – 24, Almaty, Kazakhstan

Spring Festival of Children’s Literature~ Apr 23 – 24, Frostburg, MD, USA

Goolwa Poetry Festival~ Apr 23 – 26, Goolwa, Australia

La Fiera del Bambino / Children’s Book Fair~ Apr 24 – 25, Naples, Italy

Los Angeles Times Festival of Books~ Apr 24 – 25, Los Angeles, CA, USA

International Reading Association’s Annual Convention: Reading in Many Languages~ Apr 25 – 28, Chicago, IL, USA

One Hen: From Children’s Book To Educator Movement For Social Change~ Apr 26, Chicago, IL, USA

PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature~ Apr 26 – May 7, New York, NY, USA

Ezra Jack Keats Awards for Excellence in Children’s Literature Ceremony~ Apr 28, New York, NY, USA

Awâsis 2010 Aboriginal Education Conference~ Apr 28 – 30, Saskatoon, SA, Canada

El Día de los Niños/El Día de los Libros~ Apr 30, USA

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Bath Literature Festival~ ongoing until Mar 7, Bath, United Kingdom

Exhibition of Joy Mallari’s Artwork From the Book Doll Eyes~ ongoing until Mar 9, Makati City, Philippines

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

The Making of the Word Witch: The Poetic & Illustrative Magic of Margaret Mahy & David Elliot~ ongoing until  Mar 14, Ashburton, New Zealand

21st Annual Children’s Book Illustrators Exhibit~ ongoing until Apr 3, Hayward, CA, USA

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

New York Public Library Exhibit: 2010 Caldecott Winner Jerry Pinkney’s African-American Journey to Freedom~ ongoing until Apr 18, New York City, NY, USA

Read Across America Day~ Mar 2, USA

Papirolas Festival for Children and Youth~ Mar 2 – 7, Guadalajara, Mexico

20th Abu Dhabi International Book Fair~ Mar 2 – 7, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

World Book Day~ Mar 4, United Kingdom and Ireland

New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards Finalists Announced and On-Line Voting Begins~ Mar 4, New Zealand

Irish Society for the Study of Children’s Literature Conference Mar 5 – 6, Dublin, Ireland

The Environmental Imagination and Children’s Literature~ Mar 5 – 6, Toronto, ON, Canada

Shanghai Literary Festival~Mar 5 – 21, Shanghai, China

Western Washington University Children’s Literature Conference~ Mar 6, Bellingham, WA, USA

Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) Choices Day and Charlotte Zolotow Award Presentation~ Mar 6, Madison, WI, USA

SCBWI Conference: Creating Diversity in Children’s Literature~ Mar 6, Frederick, MD, USA

SCBWI Writers’ Day with Holly Thompson (Includes a session entitled “Plotting Across Cultures: A Workshop on Writing Intercultural Fiction”)~ Mar 6 – 7, Hong Kong

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

Share a Story – Shape a Future, A Blog Tour for Literacy~ Mar 8 – 14

SCBWI Presents From Literature to Theatre~ Mar 9, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Writing Across Cultures~ Mar 9 – 10, Hong Kong

13th Time of the Writer International Writers Festival~ Mar 9 – 13, Durban, South Africa

New Zealand Post Writers & Readers Week~ Mar 9 – 14, New Zealand

IBBY Ireland Celebrates Hans Christian Andersen~ Mar 10, Dublin, Ireland

California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE) Annual Conference~ Mar 10 – 13, San Jose, CA, USA

Emirates Airline Festival of Literature~ Mar 10 – 13, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

The Arabian Reading Association (TARA) and the Teachers of Young Children (TOYC) 2010 Conference~ Mar 11, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia

The Man Hong Kong International Literary Festival~ Mar 11 – 14, Hong Kong

The 14th Annual Charlotte S. Huck Children’s Literature Festival~ Mar 12 – 13, Redlands, CA, USA

My Biggest Writing/Illustrating Challenge and How I Solved It with Panelists Elise Broach, Lita Judge, Grace Lin, Sara Pennypacker~ Mar 13, Amherst, MA, USA

Storytelling by Winners of the First Time Writers & Illustrators Publishing Initiative 2009~ Mar 13 and 20, Singapore

Tucson Festival of Books~ Mar 13 – 14, Tucson, AZ, USA

Children’s Book Week~ Mar 13 – 28, Belgium

42nd Annual Children’s Literature Festival For Children in Grades 4-10~ Mar 14 – 16, Warrensburg, MO, USA

Somerset Celebration of Literature: Reading Locally, Learning Globally – Creating a Universal Experience~ Mar 15 – 19, Mudgeeraba, Australia

Into the Wood: Antonio Frasconi’s Art for Children~ Mar 16 – Jun 13, Amherst, MA, USA

All Saints’ College 9th Festival of Children’s and Young Adult Literature~ Mar 17 – 19,Bull Creek, Australia

40th Annual Conference on Children’s Literature~ Mar 19 – 20, Athens, GA, USA

Multicultural Literature Advocacy Group Presents Books By the Bay 2010 Annual Multicultural Literary Conference~ Mar 19 – 21, Mobile, AL, USA

World Storytelling Day~ Mar 20

Stories Day and Night: A Celebration of Storytelling~ Mar 20, Singapore

Music for Literacy~ Mar 20, Stafford, TX, USA

The Norman Lindsay Festival of Children’s Literature~ Mar 20 – 21, Faulconbridge, Australia

Harmony Day~ Mar 21, Australia

World Poetry Day~ Mar 21

Exhibit of Sally Rippin’s Illustrations for Peeking Ducks~Mar 22 – Apr 11, Melbourne, Australia

Hans Christian Andersen Award Winners Announced~ Mar 23, Bologna, Italy

Once Upon a Time . . . Children’s Book Illustrators, Then and Now~ Mar 23 – May 27, Oakland, CA, USA

Public Library Association’s National Conference~ Mar 23 – 27, Portland, OR, USA

Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award Winners Announced~ Mar 24, Vimmerby, Sweden

Salon du livre de Paris~ Mar 26 – 31, Porte de Versailles, France

38th National Book Fair & 8th Bangkok International Book Fair~ Mar 26 – Apr 6, Bangkok, Thailand

Discovering Buried Fairy Tales: Adventures of a Scholarly Scavenger~ Mar 27, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Margaret Mahy Day~ Mar 27, New Zealand

The Piece by Piece Storytelling Mash-Up~ Mar 28, Toronto, ON, Canada

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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,  Amherst, MA, USA

2009 Bologna Illustrators Exhibition of Children’s Books~ ongoing until Mar 1, Seoul, Korea

Osborne Collection of Early Children’s Books Presents: Journey to Adventure~ ongoing until Mar 6, Toronto, ON, Canada

The Making of the Word Witch: The Poetic & Illustrative Magic of Margaret Mahy & David Elliot~ ongoing until  Mar 14, Ashburton, New Zealand

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

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

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

2009 Cybils (the Children’s and Young Adult Bloggers’ Literary Awards) Finalists Announced~ Jan 1

Launch of the 5th Romeo Forbes Children’s Story Writing Competition~ Jan 4, Philippines

Announcement of the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature~ Jan 5, USA

Costa Book Awards Winners Announced (formerly the Whitbread Literary Awards)~ Jan 5, London, United Kingdom

Canadian Literature Centre Presents Brown Bag Lunch with Award Winning Poet, Author and Cultural Worker Afua Cooper~ Jan 13, Edmonton, AB, Canada

8th Annual Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities~ Jan 13 – 16, Honolulu, HI, USA

21st Annual Children’s Book Illustrators Exhibit~ Jan 13 – Apr 3, Hayward, CA, USA

American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting~ Jan 15 – 19, Boston, MA, USA

Storytelling by Winners of the First Time Writers & Illustrators Publishing Initiative 2009~ Jan 16, Singapore

The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art Presents: The Wonder of Words, The Power of Pictures~ Jan 17, Amherst, MA, USA

ALA’s Youth Media Awards Presentations~ Jan 18, Boston, MA, USA

Jaipur Literature Festival~ Jan 21 – 25, Jaipur, India

Book Reading and Signing with Uma Krishnaswami author of Chachaji’s Cup~ Jan 22, New York, NY, USA

ZORA! Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities~ Jan 23 – 31, Eatonville, FL, USA

No Name-Calling Week~ Jan 25 – 29, USA

“Tea with Chachaji” A Musical Production based on Chachaji’s Cup by Uma Krishnaswami~ Jan 25 – Feb 11, New York, NY, USA

Yabun 2010: Celebrating Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Cultures~ Jan 26, Sydney, Australia

Family Literacy Day~ Jan 27, Canada

CCBC Presents: ALA Award-Winning and Outstanding Books for K-5 (video can be watched on-line)~ Jan 27, Madison, WI, USA

Kolkata Book Fair~ Jan 27 – Feb 7, Kolkata, India

SCBWI Tokyo Presents: Cut to the Chase with Patrick Gannon: Discovering and Making Cut Paper Art and Illustration~ Jan 27, Tokyo, Japan

Galle Literary Festival~ Jan 28 – Feb 1, Galle, Sri Lanka

Hay Festival Cartagena de Indias~ Jan 28 – 31, Cartagena, Columbia

Children’s & Young Adults’ Book Fair~ Jan 29 – 31, Marousi, Greece

Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Winter Conference~ Jan 29 – 31, New York, NY, USA

Winter Words Festival 2010~ Jan 29 – Feb 7, Pitlochry, United Kingdom

With over 22,000 members worldwide in over 70 regions, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators is the largest children’s writing organization in the world and acts as a network for the exchange of knowledge between all those involved with literature for young people. Twice a year the SCBWI brings together top professionals to share their knowledge at the annual Summer and Winter conferences. Each month regional chapters sponsor or organize events around the globe and often times these events are open to both members and non-members. (Some of the events are included on our PaperTigers’ Calendar of Events but you can click here to see the full list.) If an event catches your eye, contact a Regional Advisor for more information. Whether you are already established in the children’s industry, just starting to enter the world of children’s book writing and illustrating, or simply have a passion for children’s literature, I’m sure you will find a warm welcome.

Here are a few highlights in September:

JAPAN – This past weekend SCBWI Japan hosted Storyboards and Picture Book Dummies for Good Bookmaking with author/illustrator Naomi Kojima. Holly Thompson, Regional Advisor for SCBWI Tokyo, has kindly sent me photos from the event which I will post soon.

AUSTRALIA – Sunday the 20th

Breakfast with the Visiting SPRUNG Children’s Authors. Share coffee and croissants with visiting children’s authors and illustrators then walk up the road to enjoy a range of sessions at the Albany SPRUNG Writers Festival.

KOREA – Thursday the 24th – Sunday the 25th

The 6th Canadian Children’s Book Seminar at the Embassy of Canada located in Jeong-dong, Seoul. A few hundred children’s books from major Canadian publishing companies will be displayed. This event is not sponsored by SCBWI but Jenny Desmond-Walters, Regional Advisor for SCBWI Korea, found out about it and was kind enough to forward the information. If Jenny is able to attend I’m sure she’ll send us some photos. Stay tuned. Thanks Jenny!

PHILIPPINES – Saturday the 26th

Children’s Book Seminar at the University of the Philippines, Visayas (City Campus). Regional Advisor Beaulah Pedregosa Taguiwalo tells me that this event will appeal to anyone published or aspiring to be a children’s book writer or illustrator.