Watch highlights of Shaun Tan’s visual masterpiece The Arrival featuring a live score by Ben Walsh and The Orkestra of the Underground.

The Arrival is a migrant story told as a series of wordless images. With his Orkestra of the Underground, Ben Walsh pooled a diverse range of musical talent and composed a score to accompany Tan’s beautiful illustrations in a rare and unique audio-visual experience.

Click here to watch

184 candidates from 66 countries are nominated for the world’s largest award for children’s and young adult literature. This was revealed today at the Frankfurt Book Fair by Larry Lempert, Chairman of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award jury. The figures show a distinct increase compared to last year.

– It’s very gratifying that the number of nominated candidates and countries represented continue to increase, says Larry Lempert. The jury is full of enthusiasm for the exciting and difficult task to consider the work of so many qualified candidates.

Among the nominees are 38 per cent authors, 21 per cent illustrators, 20 per cent promoters of reading and organisations, and one per cent oral storytellers. 20 per cent of the candidates are nominated in more than one category. Among the candidates are 81 men, 74 women and 29 organisations and projects dedicated to promotion of reading.

The nomination list has eight new countries represented compared to last year: Cyprus, Ecuador, Eritrea, Greenland, Moldova, Mongolia, Tanzania and Zambia.

A complete list of nominees is published on www.alma.se/en. The recipient or recipients of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award 2012 will be announced on March 20^th 1:00 p.m. CET in Vimmerby, the birthplace of Astrid Lindgren, and online at www.alma.se/en. In 2012 the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award will be presented for the 10^th time.

In 2011 the Australian illustrator and author Shaun Tan was awarded the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. The previous laureates are: Kitty Crowther (2010), Tamer Institute (2009), Sonya Hartnett (2008), Banco del Libro (2007), Katherine Paterson (2006), Philip Pullman (2005), Ryôji Arai (2005), Lygia Bojunga (2004), Christine Nöstlinger (2003) and Maurice Sendak (2003).

The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, which amounts to SEK 5 million (approx. $750,000 usd), is awarded annually to a single recipient or to several. Authors, illustrators, storytellers and promoters of reading may be rewarded. The award is for lifelong work or artistry rather than for individual pieces and the prize can only be awarded to living people. The body of work must uphold the highest artistic quality and evoke the deeply humanistic spirit that Astrid Lindgren treasured. For the past three years PaperTigers has had the honor of being a nominating body for the award.

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Skipping Stones Youth Honor Award Winners Announced

Fremantle Children’s Literature Centre Exhibits and Programs~ Fremantle, Australia

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

Books Illustrated Events and Exhibitions~ Middle Park, Australia

Screenings for Library of the Early Mind: a documentary film exploring childrens literature~ Canada and USA

International Youth Library Exhibits~ Munich, Germany

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

Discover Children’s Story Centre~ London, United Kingdom

The National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature Exhibits~ Abilene, TX, USA

Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Events

1st Biennial IBBY Africa Conference~ ongoing until Sep 2, Polokwane, South Africa

IBBY Germany Presents Kein Kinderspiel! [No child's play!]: A Workshop for Translators~ ongoing until Sep 2, Hamburg, Germany

Western Australia Spring Poetry Festival and National Poetry Week~ ongoing until Sep 4, Australia

Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF)~ ongoing until Sep 4, Beijing, China

Delhi Book Fair~ ongoing until Sep 4, Delhi, India

Museum of Childhood Exhibit: Author and Illustrator Judith Kerr~ ongoing until Sep 4, London, United Kingdom

Nairn Book & Arts Festival~ ongoing until Sep 4, Nairn, United Kingdom

Children’s Books Link the World – Hans Christian Andersen Award 2010 & IBBY Honour List 2010~ ongoing until Sep 11, Tokyo, Japan

Meet Your Friends From Japan! An Exhibit at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art~ ongoing until Sep 20 Amherst, MA, USA

Submissions Accepted for Lee and Low Books New Voices Award~ ongoing until Sep 30, USA

Mirror, an Exhibition by Children’s Author and Artist Jeannie Baker~ ongoing until Oct 11, Ipswich City, Australia

2012 Scholastic Asian Book Award~ entries accepted until Oct 17, Singapore

Once Upon A Wartime: Classic War Stories for Children~ ongoing until Oct 30, London, United Kingdom

E-Mote Digital Storytelling Competition: When We Put Aside Our Differences~ entries accepted until Oct 31, Singapore

The Art Institute of Chicago Presents: Artful Alphabets: Five Picture Book Artists~ ongoing until Nov 6, Chicago, IL, USA

2012 PBBY-Salanga Prize~ entries accepted until Nov 11, Philippines

2012 South Asia Book Award~ entries accepted until Dec 31

Budding Writers Project~ entries accepted until Jan 6, 2012, Singapore

Exhibits of Winning Entries from the 2011 Growing Up Asian in America Contest~ ongoing until Feb 2012, USA

Singapore International Storytelling Festival (SISF)~ Sep 1 – 5, Singapore

heARTlines: Children’s Literature and Book Illustration Festival ~ Sep 2 – Oct 9, Mundaring, Australia

Asian Congress of Storytellers~ Sep 3 – 4, Singapore

Ipswich Festival of Children’s Literature~ Sep 3 – 14, Woodlands, Australia

Kathalaya Storytelling Course~ Sep 5 – 10, Bangalore, India

SCBWI Tokyo Illustrators Exhibition~ Sep 6 – 11, Tokyo, Japan

Brisbane Writers Festival~ Sep 7 – 11, Brisbane, Australia

International Children’s and Youth Literature Festival~ Sep 7 – 17, Berlin, Germany

Moscow International Book Fair~ Sep 7 – 12, Moscow, Russia

International Literacy Day~ Sep 8

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

The Snowy Day and the Art of Ezra Jack Keats Exhibition~ Sep 9 – Jan 29, 2012, New York, NY, USA

CYA Later, Alligator – Children’s and Young Adult Writers And Illustrators Conference~ Sep 10, Brisbane, Australia

Book Blogger Appreciation Week~ Sep 12 – 16

The Manila International Book Fair: Words Without Borders~ Sep 14 – 18, Manila, Philippines

Chapter & Verse Meeting (a Book Club for Adults Discussing Children’s Lit)~ Sep 15, USA

REFORMA National Conference~ Sep 15 – 18, Denver, CO, USA

Eden Mills Writers’ Festival~ Sep 15 – 18, Eden Mills, ON, Canada

Hispanic Heritage Month~ Sep 15 – Oct 15, USA

Children’s Literature Scholar and Author, Leonard Marcus Gives Talk on “The Art of Leonard Weisgard” at Arne Nixon Center for the Study of Children’s Literature~ Sep 16, Fresno, CA, USA

5th Annual Kidlitosphere Conference~ Sep 16 – 17, Seattle, WA, USA

The Canadian Children’s Book Centre Presents: Get Published! Seminar~ Sep 17, Toronto, ON, Canada

2nd SCBWI Children’s Book Seminar~ Sep 17, Bacolod, Philippines

57th St. Children’s Book Fair~ Sep 18, Chicago, IL, USA

Telling Tales: A Family Festival of Stories~ Sep 18, Rockton, ON, Canada

Thin Air – Winnipeg International Writers Festival~ Sep 18 – 24, Winnipeg, MB, Canada

International Day of Peace~ Sep 21

SCBWI Children’s Book Seminar~ Sep 21, Maasin, Philippines

The Carle Honors 2011 Annual Gala and Art Auction~ Sep 22, New York, NY, USA

First Story Festival~ Sep 22 – 23, Banbury, United Kingdom

Northwoods Children’s Book Conference~ Sep 22 – 23, Hayward, WI, USA

Göteborg Book Fair~ Sep 22 – 25, Göteborg, Sweden

The Pictorial Worlds of Shaun Tan~ Sep 22 – 25, Göteborg, Sweden

23rd Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava~ Sep 22 – Oct 26, Bratislava, Slovakia

Wigtown Book Festival~ Sep 23 – Oct 2, Wigtown, United Kingdom

Bath Festival of Children’s Literature~ Sep 23 – Oct 2, Bath, United Kingdom

The Children’s Bookshow: Stories From Around The World~ Sep 23 – Dec 7, United Kingdom

3rd Annual Elizabeth York Children’s Literature Festival~ Sep 24, Anderson, IN, USA

Fairytale Town’s 11th Annual Children’s Book Festival~ Sep 24 – 25, Sacramento, CA, USA

National Book Festival~ Sep 24 – 25, Washington, D.C., USA

Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read~ Sep 24 – Oct 1, USA

Appledore Book Festival (featuring Michael Rosen)~ Sep 24 – Oct 2, Appledore, United Kingdom

The Word on the Street National Book and Magazine Festival: Celebrating Reading. Advocating Literacy ~ Sep 25, Canada

The Hindu Lit for Life Festival~ Sep 25, Delhi, India

Postmedia Raise-a-Reader Day~ Sep 28, Canada

Reading Association of Ireland Annual Conference: Creating Multiple Pathways To Powerful Literacy In Challenging Times ~ Sep 29 – Oct 1, Dublin, Ireland

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 Shaun’s generosity in handing over his creations to their audience with an open invitation to interpret. He told us how in his writing, he pares the words down, excluding any emotional words because he wants the readers to have space to bring their own interpretation to his work. And he took us through his creation of the water buffalo giving directions to the little girl with a box from Tales from Outer Suburbia (you can see it in Shaun’s interview with Drawn here): how initially there was something peeping out of the box, and how he felt it wasn’t fair on the viewer to be so prescriptive, so he left it up to each person to imagine what was in the box.

It was also a real treat to see two extracts from the animated version of The Lost Thing and to hear about the ten-year project to bring the book to the screen, including Shaun’s determination to retain the flatness of the illustrations, so as not to imbue the animation with too much ‘reality’. Fascinating!

Shaun told us about his early days as an artist, with examples form his early childhood (yes, his talent was immediately apparent), and about his path to becoming an illustrator, including his first major picture book The Rabbits; how The Arrival started out as a conventional picture-book before evolving over five years to the genre-changing work it proved itself to be; about his unwillingness to be pinned down to a single interpretation of The Red Tree; and about how his immigrant background and his suburban upbringing have each affected his work.

Here are some of Shaun’s thought-provoking gems:

[About his studio] It’s not romantic… It’s like a kitchen with pencils.

[In his narratives] Big no no; never explain.

I’m always trying to work against language. Pictures provide an invitation to resolve differences.

[About people today being very visually literate] We’re so good at reading pictures, we do it very quickly. Through my artwork, I’m trying to get people to examine, to contemplate, to look at things for a long time and really think.

Images can expand or contract time. A picture book doesn’t have to be linear.

[We should read a picture book] three or four times. The first reading doesn’t count – all you get is an idea of the story.

One of the functions of fiction is to fill in the gaps in personal/social/collective memory.

Whatever readers see [for example, in The Arrival] is only a thin slice of the situation – like in real life.

I’m very fond of charcters pointing off into the distance at the end of a story.

Sometimes the best story is one without words or pictures at all.

I do want my work to be about everything - quite a tall order…

And despite it being well after midnight according to his bodyclock, Shaun then undertook a marathon and much appreciated book signing. I didn’t think my copy of The Arrival could be any more precious but now it’s priceless. Thank you, Shaun, for being so open and generous a speaker, and for signing our books. It was a truly inspirational talk.

The good news is that Seven Stories filmed the talk and I’ll keep you posted as to when it becomes available. In the meantime, do also read Seven Stories’ write-up of the event, as well as this post from the Templar Publishing Blog and Genkijen’s post, in which she reflects on Shaun’s talk from her perspective as a teacher. We were the family sitting next to her

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National Share a Story Month~ United Kingdom

Get Caught Reading Month~ USA

Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month~ USA

Asian Heritage Month~ Canada

Discover Children’s Story Centre Events~ London, United Kingdom

International Youth Library Exhibits~ Munich, Germany

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

The National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature Exhibits~ Abilene, TX, 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

Feria del Libro~ ongoing until May 5, Santiago, Chile

TD Canadian Children’s Book Week~ ongoing until May 7, Canada

Buenos Aires Book Fair~ ongoing until May 9, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Art, Children’s Literature, and the Environment: Art and Photography from Green Earth Book Award Recipients~ ongoing until May 15, Salisbury, MD, USA

Booktopia, the West Vancouver Children’s Literature Festival~ ongoing until May 15, West Vancouver, BC, Canada

Reading Crusade 2011~ ongoing until May 23, Christchurch, New Zealand

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

Mitali Perkins’ 2011 Fire Escape Short Fiction and Poetry Contest~ entries accepted until Jun 1, USA and Canada

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

Golden Kite, Golden Dreams: The SCBWI Awards Exhibit~ ongoing until Jun 24, Hattiesburg, MS, USA

2012 South Asia Book Award~ entries accepted until Dec 31

Exhibits of Winning Entries from the 2011 Growing Up Asian in America Contest~ ongoing until Feb 2012, USA

Paula Yoo’s Third Annual National Picture Book Writing Week~ May 1 – 7

Picture Book Week with Malaysian Illustrators~ May 2 – 7, Bangsar, Malaysia

Children’s Book Week~ May 2 – 8, USA

10º Congreso Nacional de Lectura~ May 3 – 6, Bogota, Columbia

Bogota Book Fair~ May 4 – 16, Bogota, Columbia

Children’s Literature Book Club for Adults Discusses Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park and Water Hole Waiting by Jane and Christopher Kurtz~ May 5, Fresno, CA, USA

The 5th International Conference on the Fantastic and the Miraculous (FANCUD): In the Mirror of the Past: Journeys from History to HISTORY~ May 5 – 7, Zielona Góra, Poland

The Childhoods Conference: Mapping the Landscapes of Childhood~ May 5 – 7, Lethbridge, AB, Canada

8th Thessaloniki Book Fair and International Conference: Book and Education: What Has to Change?~ May 5 – 8, Thessaloniki, Greece

The Asia House Festival of Asian Literature~ May 5 – 27, London, United Kingdom

BOOKFEST – The Vancouver Island Children’s Book Festival~ May 7, Nanaimo, BC, Canada

Children’s Literature Council Workshop: Read the Movie? Using Movies Based on Books to Promote Literacy~ May 7, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Children’s Literature Festival~ May 7 – 8, Delhi, India

IRA 56th Annual Convention: The Power of Literacy~ May 8 – 11, Orlando, FL, USA

Auckland Writers and Readers Festival~ May 10 – 15, Auckland, New Zealand

New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards Festival: The Big Read~ May 11, New Zealand

Awâsis 2011 Aboriginal Education Conference~ May 11 – 13, Saskatoon, SK, Canada

Adarna House Workshop: Developing Book-Based Lesson Plans~ May 14, Quezon City, Philippines

Bisto Children’s Book of the Year Awards~ May 16, Dublin, Ireland

Sydney Writers’ Festival~ May 16 – 22, Sydney, Australia

6th Annual Storytelling Marathon~ May 16 -22, Quito, Ecuador

2011 New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards Ceremony~ May 18, Auckland, New Zealand

Library of the Early Mind Screening~ May 19, Westmount, QC, Canada

Rutgers University Conference: Multiple Childhoods / Multidisciplinary Perspectives: Interrogating Normativity in Childhood Studies~ May 19 – 21, Camden, NJ, USA

Mountain Echoes – A Literary Festival~ May 20 – 23, Thimphu, Bhutan

UNESCO World Day for Cultural Diversity, for Dialogue and Development~ May 21

Children’s Books Ireland Conference: Get Together: Childrens Books Collaborations~ May 21 -22, Dublin, Ireland

Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award Week~ May 21 – 30, Sweden

Book Expo America~ May 23 – 26, New York, NY, USA

The Foundation for Children’s Books New England Voices Series~ May 24, Boston, MA, USA

BookExpo America~ May 24 – 26, New York, NY, USA

Library and Information Week~ May 24 – 30, Australia

AFCC Panel Discussion: Building a Nation of Readers via Web 2.0 An Introduction to Kidlitosphere and the YA Blogosphere by Corinne Robson (www.papertigers.org), Tarie Sabido (http://asiaintheheart.blogspot.com) and Dr. Myra Garces-Bacsal (www.gatheringbooks.org)~ May 25, Singapore

A Collective Children’s Book Launch by Coonoor Kripalani (in English & Hindi)~ May 25, Singapore

International Latino Book Awards~ May 25, New York, NY, USA

National Simultaneous Storytime: Feathers for Phoebe by Rod Clement~ May 25, Australia

Reading Matters: Youth Day~ May 26, Melbourne, Australia

Reading Matters: My Favourite Children’s Book~ May 26, Melbourne, Australia

Asian Festival of Children’s Content (AFCC)~ May 26 – 28, Singapore

American Literature Association 22nd Annual Conference~ May 26 – 29, Boston, MA, USA

Book Blogger Convention~ May 27, New York City, NY, USA

Reading Matters Conference~ May 27 – 28, Melbourne, Australia

Librasia 2011 – The Asian Conference on Literature and Librarianship~ May 27 – 30, Osaka, Japan

World Book Fair~ May 27 – Jun 5, Singapore

World Village Festival~ May 28 – 29, Helsinki, Finland

Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences 2011: Coasts and Continents: Exploring Peoples and Places~ May 28 – Jun 4, Fredericton, NB, Canada

The Guardian Hay Festival: A Festival for Tots, Teens and In-Betweens~ May 28 – Jun 5, United Kingdom

Museum of Childhood Exhibit: Author and Illustrator Judith Kerr~ May 28 – Sep 4, London, United Kingdom

Master Class on Picture Books with Anushka Ravishankar, Gavin Bishop and John Mckenzie ~ May 29 – 30, Singapore

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!

Here are details of the rest of the books we all read (you’ll have to go back to here, here and here to find out the first ones…)

Together we read Goodbye Buffalo Bay by Larry Loyie with Constance Brissenden (Theytus Books, 2008). Even though I’d read it before, it was very hard to keep my composure for some of this traumatic but ultimately uplifting story, all the more engaging because it is both autobiographical and narrated in “Lawrence’s” engaging teenage voice. The first half of the book deals with Lawrence’s last year at a Residential School for First Nation children in Canada; and the second part is about how Lawrence then sets about finding himself again after leaving. It was the first time my two had become aware of residential schools and it provoked a lot of discussion about the treatment of First Nation people both in Canada and elsewhere. And as well as the ethical discussion, there was also plenty to talk about as regards Lawrence’s actual, individual experience. We all loathed Sister and we loved Sister Theresa. Then later, Lawrence’s different itinerant jobs, such as firefighting and working at a sawmill, were heroic in the boys’ eyes, and they were delighted at the end that his ambition to become a writer had so obviously come to fruition. We all of us cannot recommend this beautifully written story highly enough – and I would say that it would be a perfect book for reluctant readers, boys especially, as it is fairly short and succinct.

We also read and enjoyed Golden Tales: Myths, Legends, and Folktales from Latin America by Lulu Delacre (Scholastic, 2006) and Myths and Legends of Aotearoa, which I blogged about recently; and Little Brother and I read together the powerful and moving Grandfather’s Story Cloth/ Yawg Daim Paj Ntaub Dab Neegwritten by Linda Gerdner and Sarah Langford, illustrated by Stuart Loughridge (Shen Books, 2008).

Older Brother and Little Brother both read Señor Cat’s Romance: and Other Favorite Stories from Latin America by Lucia Gonzalez and Lulu Delacre, as I mentioned here. Older Brother is just coming to the end of Where in the World by Simon French (Little Hare, 2002); Little Brother read American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang (First Second Books, 2006), filched from Older Brother, and he’s still quoting it; The Rabbits by John Marsden, illustrated by Shaun Tan; and Animal Poems of the Iguazu by Francisco X. Alarcón, illustrated by Maya Christina Gonzalez (Children’s Book Press, 2008).

So we were very nearly there in terms of reading – it was the time limit that really got us. Let’s see how we do this year. I’ll be posting details of the 2011 Reading the World Challenge soon…

And very well done to all of you who managed to complete it; I hope you’ll be joining us again – and it would also be great for readers to persuade the young people in their lives to take part. The 2010 Spirit of PaperTigers book set would definitely make a great springboard – and there’s still a chance for you to win one in our 1,000th Post Draw taking place next week. The deadline is Wednesday 19th January and you’ll find full details here.

(Click on event name for more information)

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

(Click on event name for more information)

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