The Children’s Book Council of Australia has just announced the winners of this year’s awards. I’ve spotted two of my favorite books of the past year among them: Shaun Tan’s Tales from Outer Suburbia (Winner, Older Readers Book of the Year) and Home and Away by John Marsden, illustrated by Matt Ottley (Honour, Picture Book of the Year). Read this rather sobering post from The Book Chook outlining the awards and highlighting possible changes afoot in Australian publishing and their potential effect on the many wonderful small independent publishers in Australia.

Just One More Book has this podcast about Ten Days and Nine Nights: An Adoption Story by Yumi Heo.

Shelf Elf has a review of Mitali Perkins‘ Secret Keeper (you can also read PaperTigers’ review here).

And read Chicken Spaghetti’s great post, “Neesha Meminger on Kids’ Books by South Asian Authors” – including Neesha’s South Asian selection of books she would add to the CCBC’s list of “50 Multicultural Books Every Child Should Know” – apparently soon to become 75… – Hmmm – take a look at the list and tell us what you would add…

On April 8th, author Christine Kohler (Turkey in the News: Past, Present and Future) read the book Yoshi’s Feast to a first grade classroom at the Ballinger Elementary School in Ballinger, Texas. Today we are thrilled to have her share her experience with us, as a guest blogger.

Yoshi’s Feast by Kimiko Kajikawa, illustrated by Yumi Heo (DK Publishing, 2000)

I love Yoshi’s Feast as much for the rich tale of two squabbling stubborn neighbors who learn to cooperate and develop a friendship as for the intricate fall-colored Japanese illustrations (and I’m not talking about just any illustrations, but Yumi Heo’s exquisite oil, pencil and handmade paper collages!).

Before reading the book to a class of first graders, I practice on a three-year-old. Yoshi’s Feast is best read with props, and since I lived in Japan, Guam, and Hawaii, I have the perfect ones (a fan, a small wooden box, chopsticks and a Japanese tea cup). My audience of one is enthralled. (more…)

While researching to put together our website’s celebration of children’s book illustrators, I’ve come across some wonderful things that never made it to the site. I learned, for instance, that in 1997 Keene State College Children’s Literature Festival director, Dr. David E. White, came up with an interesting way to add to the Festival Gallery Collection of original artwork related to children’s book illustration. He started the Festival Owl Project by inviting children’s book illustrators to donate owl renditions, in honor of the schools’ mascot, to the gallery. The project also had another goal: to raise money, through sales from materials featuring the owls, for the purchasing and framing of original pieces for the collection.

The gallery currently counts with 93 original owls, and the first 60 can be seen in these two gorgeous posters, available for sale. The posters include works by Grace Lin, Alissa Imre Geis, David Diaz, Lulu Delacre, Chris Soentpiet, Yumi Heo and many more.

Keene State College turns 100 in 2009 and Dr. White would like to have at least 100 owls by the time of their centennial celebration. Illustrators wishing to spread the wisdom have until early September 2008 to donate their owls. Owl #100 and additional ones will be unveiled during a special ceremony in October. There is no limit to the number of owls that can be in the collection, and the only requirement for participating is that the illustrator has published children’s books and that the owl itself hasn’t been previously published.

Now, who is answering the owls’ call and joining the parliament?… If you already have, please send us a link to your owl and we’ll post it here.