Leonard S.Marcus
Children's Book Historian, Author, Critic
     
         
  What's New/Archive 01
   
The following is a portion of a statement I made on January 27th before the New York State Assembly Committee on Libraries & Education Technology. It's my valentine to children's librarians everywhere:

Because I write primarily about children's literature, I would like to speak briefly on behalf of public library service to children.

A century ago, public libraries in this country posted signs reading, "No dogs or children allowed." In the years that followed, American librarians, including some trained at Brooklyn's Pratt Institute, pioneered the philosophy and techniques of bringing books and children together in the friendly atmosphere of a library reading room created specially for them. The work begun in this way in the 1910s and 20s became a model for public libraries throughout the world, from London to Tokyo. That is a heritage we should be proud of.

But why is library service to children worth supporting now and in the future?

We hear a lot in the news about children's reading scores. People who care about these test scores should care about public library service to children.

Children become strong and effective readers by reading books they truly enjoy. The books they are likeliest to enjoy are the ones that best match their individual interests and needs.
Parents-even highly educated parents--very often do not know what books to choose for their own children. There are many reasons for this. For one thing, more than 4000 new children's books are published in the United States each year. The choices can seem overwhelming. For another, at bookstores today, especially at the chains, parents very often encounter staff who are neither experienced nor knowledgable enough to make informed suggestions. At Parenting magazine, where space is valuable real estate, I am able to review approximately 150 books each year-less than five percent of the total published. And Parenting has one of the strongest commitments to children's literature of any medium I know. The New York Times appears daily but reviews children's books once a month. The Daily News and the New York Post do so, at most, once a year. And how often do you hear children's books discussed on the Tonight Show or the Today Show, unless the author of the book happens also to be a celebrity?

Isn't it strange -and sad, really--that it is so much easier to hear the news that American children can't read than it is learn about the very books that would inspire them to read well, if only they and their parents knew about them? In this distorted environment, one group-the children's librarians--have consistently worked to make things better. Librarians very often do know what the right book will be for a given child. And in my experience, librarians are eager to help make that connection. Over the last century, no group in fact has done more to promote literacy in this country than our children's librarians. Their work should be recognized and supported as the contribution to our nation's future that it is.
Copyright 2000 by Leonard S. Marcus

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  What's New/Archive 02
   
The following is an excerpt from the keynote speech given on May 18th at the Harvard Club, New York, at the presentation of the 2000 Irma Simonton and James H. Black Award, sponsored by the Bank Street College of Education:

Margaret Wise Brown never won a prize for her work. It is true that her long-time collaborator Leonard Weisgard was awarded the Caldecott Medal for The Little Island, a picture book Brown wrote under the pseudonym of Golden MacDonald. But the texts of "baby books," as hers were sometimes dismissively called, were not by and large considered Newbery material. And it is probably just as telling as it is amusing that Brown got hold one day of a stash of gold foil Caldecott medallions, and pasted them, one and sometimes two at a time, onto several of her own unpublished manuscripts. Brown once said that it had not mattered to her as a child who wrote the books she read; it only mattered whether or not a book seemed true. At age 8 or 9 or 10, Margaret Wise Brown might have made a very good Irma S. and James H. Black Award judge.

True, though, in what sense of the word? In an article written in 1951 for that year's Book of Knowledge Annual, Brown offered this standard by which to measure a picture book's success:

"A book should try to accomplish something more than just to repeat a child's own experiences. One would hope rather to make a child laugh or feel clear and happy-headed as he follows a simple rhythm to its logical end, to jog him with the unexpected and comfort him with the familiar; and perhaps to lift him for a few moments from his own problems of shoe laces that won't tie and busy parents and mysterious clock time into the world of a bug or a bear or a bee or a boy living in the timeless world of story."
Copyright 2000 by Leonard S. Marcus

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  What's New/Archive 03
   
The following is an excerpt from a speech given at the opening of the National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature, Abilene, Texas, on September 6, 2000:

Children will learn a lot here.

They will learn that books are made by people-by older, taller versions of their own naturally bright and curious selves. They will learn that art doesn't just happen, that it takes work to make a work of art, and that art work is work worth doing. They will learn that artists make a living that is also a life-a good lesson for anyone pondering their own future to take home.

Children who come here will also be led back to the books from which the exhibitions are drawn. While grown-ups debate the significance of school children's reading test scores, this museum will be a place where children encounter books they absolutely want to read.

And by honoring children's book art, this museum says to children that museums are for them. The museums of my New York childhood were mostly grand but forbidding places. I learned to whisper and to fade into the woodwork-while taking care not to touch the woodwork! The warm welcome that the NCCIL extends to young people will, I predict, serve not only to its own long-term benefit but also to that of cultural institutions generally. Kids who have good experiences here will grow up to be tax-payers who support and prize the arts.

The poet W. H. Auden once observed: "There are some good books which are only for adults, because their comprehension presupposes adult experiences, but there are no good books which are only for children." I doubt there are any good museums that are only for children, either. Certainly this one isn't. The NCCIL is a place where adults and children can come together to share some of the things they care about in common: stories and pictures too good to forget, the joy of making something that delights or touches another person. The NCCIL is a cultural bridge across generations. How appropriate that this museum's inaugural exhibition presents the work of a father and a son.

Children today live in a harsh and uncompromising world, a world in which people are always trying to sell them something. In such a world, in which so many ill-conceived and misleading messages are conveyed in visual terms, children must learn, as early as possible, that seeing is a thought process involving evaluation and choice on our part. They must learn that seeing is something we do not just with our eyes but with our minds and hearts. To understand the art of the illustrator is to begin to understand what seeing is really all about. I cannot imagine a better place for children, or anyone, to learn what they need to know about seeing for themselves than here.
Copyright 2000 by Leonard S. Marcus

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  What's New/Archive 04
   
Among other literary events of note, 2000 saw the 100th anniversary celebration of L. Frank Baum's fantasy classic The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and the demise of Civilization, a monthly magazine published in association with the Library of Congress. The following is a letter published in the April/May 2000 issue of Civilization, commenting on an article on Baum's Wizard, which appeared in the magazine's February/March issue:

L. Frank Baum's editorship of The Show Window, the trade journal of the National Association of Window Trimmers, bears a closer look as a prologue to Oz. In his editorials for that specialized magazine, Baum allows himself occasional flights of fancy. In one such piece, he imagines two public statues coming to life after dark to comment wistfully on the waxwork good looks of a nearby shop-window mannequin. "She . . . stands there," the first statue says, "looking straight ahead, like a bird of paradise under the spell of a serpent's jeweled eye." In two years' time, the author had moved on from mannequins to the Scarecrow and the Tin Man-more effigies, but this time engaged in a poignant search for life's basics. Baum was now looking past the glittering surfaces of things. No wonder his Wizard is exposed in the end as a flimflam artist with window dressing to spare, but none of the "goods" that make life meaningful.
--Leonard S. Marcus © 2000

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  What's New/Archive 05
   
Here is the first in an occasional series of articles contributed by visitors to this site. The writer, Michael N. Geselowitz, PhD., is an historian of science and is the director of the IEEE History Center, Rutgers University. I invite all visitors to contact me about articles of comparable length that they might wish to post in this space in future months.

  The Wizard of Menlo Park Meets The Wizard of Oz
   
The year 2000 was the centennial of one of the enduring classics of American - and perhaps global - children's literature, The Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum (1856-1919). Baum, universally recognized as one of the giants among the writers of juvenile fiction, went on to write 13 sequels (the last published posthumously). The Oz series spawned numerous official and unofficial continuations, various stage versions, and several film adaptations, including the 1939 Judy Garland classic that caused The Wizard of Oz to be forever part of popular culture. Although not as widely celebrated, last year also marked another centennial?that of Thomas Edison's patent for mass production of the phonograph cylinder, the invention that had earlier launched his reputation as the great inventor of his day.

What these two men had in common might not be clear, because lost in the hoopla surrounding the anniversary celebrations for The Wizard of Oz is the fact that this year - 2001 - is the centennial of another book by Baum, The Master Key: An Electrical Fairy Tale Founded Upon the Mysteries of Electricity and the Optimism of Its Devotees. It Was Written for Boys But Others May Read It. Although one of his more obscure works, The Master Key may, as its subtitle suggests, relate to Edison - and we will see that it does! - and it may be of particular interest to Today's Engineer readers (of all genders!).

Baum's title suggests a work of science fiction and, it turns out, many current engineers were fans of science fiction in their youth. In the 20th century, juvenile science fiction had a role to play in introducing youngsters to the concepts of science and technology, and to notions of technological process, both good and bad, but very often good. For example, in 1910 Victor Appleton (originally the pen name for Howard Roger Garis, 1873-1962) began his famous Tom Swift series by publishing the first five volumes about the boy inventor and, respectively, his motorcycle, motorboat, airship, submarine, and, finally, electric runabout. Such works enabled children, mainly young boys in the first half of the century, to dream of becoming electrical inventors and scientists. Although often overlooked because of Baum's reputation as a practitioner of fantasy and "the literary fairy tale," The Master Key was an important early link in the development of this genre.

Published in 1901 just a year after The Wizard of Oz, but before the scope of Wizard's success had fully sunk in, The Master Key is a fable about a young lad who experiments with electrical science and accidentally summons up the "Demon of Electricity" who reveals to him the potential benefits - and risks - of society turning to electricity for its source of energy. Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens, 1835-1910) had already speculated, in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889), on what would happen if a modern man brought knowledge of electricity and other engineering skills to the Dark Ages. Baum, however, was perhaps the first to speculate specifically not just on what electricity was doing, but what it might do, in a more technically detailed way than even his contemporaries Jules Verne (1828-1905) or H. G. Wells (1866-1946).

Perhaps the most telling scene is right near the beginning, when the "Demon" appears to the protagonist and claims to bring knowledge of electricity to humankind. The lad protests that Edison and Tesla already possess such knowledge, but in an exchange quite amusing to the modern engineer, the Demon dismisses our still iconic hero-inventors as ignoramuses. This seems an intentional tweaking of popular perception. Edison's reputation as "The Wizard of Menlo Park" did not escape Baum's notice, and the fact that "The Wizard of Oz" is an "old Kansas Man" who uses chicanery and technology to acquire his new position "over the rainbow" shows that Baum's interest in engineering and engineers was not limited to The Master Key.

The Demon then introduces the boy to what he says are the true marvels of electricity, including a magnetic levitation device and an electric stun ray. This column will not say more, because you may want to discover the joys of this book for yourself. It should be fascinating and amusing to anyone interested in electrical science and engineering today, as well as in their history, and readers will enjoy learning of the Demon's gifts and thinking about their relationship to current electrical engineering practice. Fortunately, The Master Key is still available, thanks to a 1976 reprint edition by Dover Publications, and should be obtainable through a bookshop or on-line book dealer.

Copyright 2001, The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

 
  What's New/Archive 06
   
The following is the introductory talk I gave at the ALA/CBC-sponsored program "The Story Behind the Poem," which took place in San Francisco, as part of the American Library Association convention, on June 18, 2001.

    It took someone with a special sense of humor to choose April, the "cruelest month" of T. S. Eliot's "The Waste Land," to be our National Poetry Month. I don't know for sure what if any comment was intended by the choice. But it has certainly been great to see the extent to which publishers, librarians, teachers, and booksellers have grabbed hold of the event as a chance to look for new ways of bringing poetry and children together. Now here we are in the middle of June and the search goes on.

Marianne Moore, while shrewdly claiming to dislike it, praised poetry as a "place for the genuine." Poets are people who ask to be taken at their word. Children generally ask the same of us as well as of themselves, and so there would seem be some basic connection to be made between poetry and young people.

There are probably as many ways to help make that connection as there are ways of discouraging it, however unwittingly, from ever being made. I wonder how many of you here can remember the first time someone read you a poem, or the first time that you read a poem to yourself. I can't. But I do remember the first time I wrote a poem. I was in the second grade and, as one of the three slowest readers in my class, was having weekly sessions with my school's remedial reading teacher, a Miss Dawson. I'm not sure how I decided this, but I somehow did decide that I needed to show this patient, kindly teacher in the blue polka dot dress that words mattered very much to me, even if I couldn't - or preferred not to- read them quickly. The proof I offered up took the form of a poem. Miss Dawson responded in the best way imaginable: by thanking me for the poem I had written and then asking me if I might like to write another.

You may find it amusing, as I do, to imagine the time that T. S. Eliot had Groucho Marx over for dinner. Eliot was a life - long Marx Brothers fan, and the two men had been corresponding for years, with Groucho for the most part getting the better of "T. S.," as he blithely addressed the Great Man when he did not simply call him "Tom" - with regards to "Mrs. Tom." On meeting, however, at the poet's London home, in June 1964, it was Marx who felt a bit tongue-tied. And when, after a lull in the conversation, Groucho remarked that his daughter's class at Beverly High was studying "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," Eliot smiled faintly, and said in response that he was sorry to hear about it, because he had never wanted to become required reading.

If only writing and reading were as easy breathing out and breathing in. Both are in fact unnatural acts from which, if we are at all lucky, we learn over time to find enjoyment and even great joy.

This afternoon, five poets who have published work for young readers will take turns reading one of their poems and telling us, in whatever ways they can or care to, how that poem came to be written. I have a strong feeling that a part of that process can never be explained. "A poet's words," as Wallace Stevens observed, "are of things that do not exist without the words." What other words, then, could possibly account for those that have come together, so compellingly and in such unique fashion, as verse?

So often in the classroom and perhaps elsewhere it's in the search from those other words that the poem itself is lost. The search, for instance, for light imagery in Book Four of Paradise Lost. Even so, we humans are talkers by inclination as well as by design. And I feel fairly sure that if dolphins have a highly evolved language of their own, that they too not only create something that we would recognize as verse, but that they also take time out, now and then, from their watery grind to discuss its fine points. So, one good question for us to ask today might be: What are some ways to talk about poetry that can add to a reader's, and especially a young reader's, experience of it?

After we've heard from all five poets, there will be time for questions and comments from you. Please don't be shy; I know you won't.

And here is one last thought. In a world littered with words stretched and bent out of shape for the sake of selling us something, the heat - seeking honesty and amazing grace of the poet's words are more valuable than ever, and perhaps more so for young people than for anyone else.

-Leonard S. Marcus

 
  What's New/Archive 07
   
What Does A Book Designer Do? A Conversation with Claire Counihan

    Claire Counihan has over 28 years' experience as a book designer. She received a degree in Book Arts from Pratt Institute, reasoning, she reports, that going into publishing would get her "LOTS of free books." In the children's book field, she has worked with E. P. Dutton, Dodd, Mead, Scholastic, Morrow, and the small, delightful Holiday House. She designed A Caldecott Celebration and Side by Side, both published by Walker. Claire lives in a small brick house in Greenwich Village, with two large cats and an even larger number of books.

Leonard S. Marcus: What, exactly, does a book designer do?
Claire Counihan: A book designer takes the "raw material" of a manuscript and visually organizes the information for a reader, turning it into the recognizable form of a book.

How do you get started?
In the beginning is the word, which for the book designer means a manuscript. A manuscript comes to the designer having been written by the author, edited by the editor, copyedited by someone wise in the ways of punctuation and spelling, and keyboarded and saved onto a floppy disk. I start by reading the manuscript to get a feeling of the content. And I ask myself how graphically to present this copy to give the reader a subliminal feeling of the text. That subtle and basic goal, I find, is best achieved through the choice and arrangement of type.

Let's talk about type. Why do you select one type over another?
In speculating about what style and size of type to use, I first consider who will be reading the book. The typeface chosen should be appropriate to the age and reading skills of its audience. For a young picture book, for instance, the type should be large with simple forms, but not so large that it dominates the illustration. And the type should not be so eccentric that a young reader would have trouble recognizing the letters. The typeface for an illustrated chapter book would be smaller but still have a generous amount of space, or "leading" between lines. (The term leading goes back to the early days of printing when a piece of lead would separate lines of type.) And for a young adult book, the text treatment would essentially be the same as for an adult novel.

For Side by Side, I chose a contemporary computerized reworking of a classic fifteenth-century metal typeface called Garamond. The version I used, called Adobe Garamond, is an easily readable face that complements artwork well. Side by Side is filled with sketches and final art by five artists with highly distinctive styles. I wanted the type to provide a neutral complement or "side dish" to their varied styles and images. I chose the display typeface, Pixie, for its playful, happy look. Children's-book design can be a lot of fun and this type gave a whimsical counterpoint to the classic, elegant typography of the text.

What role do computers play in your work?
When I began in publishing, type was set in metal. Designers pasted copies of the art and the text type onto a board called a "mechanical." The designer chose what size and style he or she wanted for the copy from a limited selection, then wrote the specifications on the manuscript and sent it to the type shop to be set.

Now I am the designer and the typesetter, and the design choices available to me are as great as my patience coupled with my imagination.

What are some of the problems you face as a book designer? How do you go about solving them?
Having limitless possibilities can be overwhelming. For the very reason that it's so easy to change things, designers sometimes change and change and change their work, until time finally runs out.

A project that would have been impossible without the computer was the jacket design for A Caldecott Celebration. The problem for me was how to feature the jackets and illustrators of six Caldecott-winning books attractively and equally. After four or five unsuccessful design efforts, I had a brainstorm. By reducing the book jackets of each of the six featured books to miniature postage-stamp size, placing the illustrators' names in multicolored boxes of about the same size, and creating a repeating allover pattern from these elements, I was able to create a striking quilt-like design. From a distance, the effect was of an elegant visual pattern while up close the subject and contents of the book were immediately apparent. Without the help of a computer, it would have been impossible to make up the tiny grid with its many small rectangles all precisely angled, or to experiment with a variety of different colors until harmony was achieved.

Oh, one other problem. As designer and typesetter, I personally make all text corrections when the author rewrites a passage or sends in additional text at the last minute. Sometimes this task can seem endless!

What do you like best about your work?
I love to read, and reading is basic to my work. But what I like best is the pleasure and satisfaction that comes from making a beautiful, readable book. I hope my work gives readers a subtle sense of pleasure as well, as they open a book I have designed and begin to get caught up in the writer's words.

Interview with Claire Counihan by Leonard S. Marcus

 
  What's New/Archive 08
   
I wrote the following essay in conjunction with the first major exhibition of the art of Fred Marcellino, presented by the Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, MA, from November 9, 2002 to January 26, 2003:

High drama and high jinks, worldliness and wonder freely share center stage in Fred Marcellino's graphically adventurous, exquisitely layered children's book art. In the six picture books and three longer fantasies he completed before his untimely death, Marcellino worked his magic both on classic and contemporary texts, holding each one up to the light of a searching and deeply playful imagination.

Marcellino's illustrations bristle with beguiling would-be contradictions. Stylish and earthy, tender and brash, archly sophisticated and unapologetically silly, they give due and loving attention to naturalistic and period detail while also rejoicing in the quicksilver surfaces of things. Marcellino's cats are cats and rats are rats. But they, like all of his subjects, also play their part in an overarching human comedy, a grand pageant of tricksters, lovers, devils, and fools. Taking their measure was a challenge Marcellino relished.

He began his children's book career during the 1980s, a time when advances in color printing technology, an expanding book market, and the art world's ripening appreciation of illustration combined to produce a great burst of creative energy in the field. In the maverick tradition of Randolph Caldecott and Maurice Sendak, Marcellino embraced the picture book as a kinetic art form worthy of rigorous exploration and children's literature as a true literature that offered designer-illustrators the freedom to create a work that was a world-in-itself.
Nine imperishable books came of the effort.

  What's New/Archive 09
    The following is my gallery guide mini-essay for the current (fall 2003) exhibition of the art of Peter Sís, on view at the National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature, in Abilene, TX:

A spirit of discovery and old-world devotion to craft characterize the luminous picture-book art of Peter Sís. Sís speaks to us in part in a private language of glyph-like signs and symbols that layer his work with a beguiling atmosphere of strangeness and mystery. His more complex drawings, such as those for Starry Messenger (1996), Tibet: Through the Red Box (1998), The Three Golden Keys (2001), and The Tree of Life: Charles Darwin (2003), have the force of revelations, offering up glimpses of unsuspected realms hovering just beneath the surfaces of things. Not surprisingly, ambitious travel is a frequent theme of this émigré artist, whether the destination be the icy reaches explored in A Small Tall Tale From the Far Far North (2001); the remote tropical island of Komodo! (1993); the "new" continent limned in Follow the Dream: The Story of Christopher Columbus (1991); or, as in Madlenka (2000), a single city block as explored by an inquisitive child. Meanwhile, Sís' "young" books, such as Fire Truck (1998) and Ship Ahoy! (1999), show that where a child's own imagination is concerned, home is as good a place as any in which to experience life's mysteries, and its fun.

  What's New/Archive 10
   
- Speaking of inspiration . . . : Inspiration or the promise of it comes in many forms, and some forms make a lot more sense to me than others. Waiting for lightning to strike, for instance, has never struck me as a very sensible plan. But I have never forgotten the comment of the later composer John Cage, who once remarked: "If you don't know what to do next, do something boring and ideas will flock to you like birds."

- Enormous changes at not quite the last minute: my book, originally called Fantasy Author Talk and scheduled for publication by Simon and Schuster in the fall of 2004, has morphed and migrated to Candlewick Press, and will now be published in the fall of 2005 as The Wand in the Word: Conversations with Writers of Fantasy. Among the writers heard from in this collection are Madeleine L'Engle, Susan Cooper, Philip Pullman, Terry Pratchett, Jane Yolen, Lloyd Alexander and Diana Wynne Jones. There are 13 interviews in all.

- A few things to watch for: The Robert McCloskey Treasury, with an introductory essay by me, this fall (Viking); a picture book co-written and illustrated by my wife Amy Schwartz, next fall (HarperCollins); an exhibition I will be guest curating next spring at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, in Amherst, MA., called "The Picture Book Made New: Margaret Wise Brown and Her Illustrators."

- A website worth exploring is that of the International Children's Digital Library www.jcdlbooks.org featuring a growing number of complete picture books in digital form, from around the world.

- And here is a quote for anyone who has ever pondered the true nature of nonfiction: "The facts never speak for themselves." - Jacques Barzun

- Storied City Walking Tours of New York: if you and up to twenty friends and colleagues are interested in the possibility of arranging a children's book walking tour of historic Greenwich Village,please contact me about dates and charges at leonardsma@aol.com

  What's New/Archive 11
   
The following is taken from the gallery guide for the exhibition "Angels to Ogres: The Art of Paul O. Zelinsky," now at the National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature," Abilene, TX:
Bravura artistry and a childlike sense of fun find common ground in the wide-ranging, superbly realized illustration art of Paul O. Zelinsky. As an illustrator in the classical tradition, Zelinsky approaches each text as an occasion calling for a unique visual response carried out in the style and format most appropriate to it. Working as needed in watercolor, oils, pen-and-ink, or (as in Doddler Doodling) with computer-scanned graphics, he thrives on wrestling down complication whether met in the form of the behind-the-scenes mechanics of paper-engineered books such as The Wheels on the Bus and Knick-Knack Paddy-Wack; the picture-maze required for The Maid and the Mouse and the Odd-Shaped House; or the high standard of historical authenticity set for books as varied as E. Nesbit's Five Children and It and the Caldecott Medal-winner Rapunzel. The black-line drawings of Dear Mr. Henshaw exemplify the power of illustration to serve as a calm and clarifying way station for readers traversing the jagged terrain of an emotionally complex story. Worlds away, the ten little "moveable" men of Knick-Knack Paddywhack roll down the hill for the sheer and uproarious fun of it. Yet a rhapsodic intensity sweeps through even the blithest of these images, whether the subject happens to be Jack Prelutsky's archly disagreeable Awful Ogre, Anne Isaacs' wild and woolly Swamp Angel, or people like us. As Zelinsky shows readers time and again, as comically odd as life often proves to be, it is still more wonderful.

  What's New/Archive 12
   
Residents of and visitors to the Northeast may want to consider visiting the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, in Amherst, MA., which will host the exhibition "The Picture Book Made New: Margaret Wise Brown and Her Illustrators," from March 29 to July 10. On view will be original art by Brown collaborators Clement Hurd, Garth Williams, Leonard Weisgard, Tibor Gergely, Esphyr Slobodkina, Marc Simont, Ylla, and others, as well as memorabilia and related art work by Edward Steichen and Wanda Gág.

For hours, directions, and information about related events, please visit the museum's web site at:
http://www.picturebookart.org

 
  Calendar Archive/2000
 
  -Ohio State University.
- Children's Literature 2000 conference, featured speaker
-(Contact: 614-463-1234)
February
10-12
  -Publishers Weekly's Spring 2000 children's book announcement
-issue
-features excerpts from the forthcoming book AUTHOR TALK
-(Simon & Schuster, August 2000)
February
14
  -Seattle: Secret Garden, Dear Genius paperback edition
-book tour presentation and signing, 5-6:30 pm
-(6115 15th NW; tel 206-789-5006)
February
27
  -Seattle: Secret Garden
-presentation and signing, 5-6:30 pm
-(6115 15th NW; tel 206-789-5006)
February
28
  -San Jose: Hicklebee's, Dear Genius paperback edition book tour -presentation and signing. Times to be announced
-(1378 Lincoln Avenue; tel: 408-292-8880)
February
29
  -San Francisco: Rakestraw Books, Dear Geniuspaperback edition
-book tour luncheon, presentation, and signing,11:30 am-1 pm
-(409 Railroad Avenue,Danville, CA 94526; tel: 925-837-7337)
March
01
  -San Francisco: Cover to Cover, Dear Genius paperback edition
-book tour presentation and signing, 6-7:30 pm
-(3910 24th Street; tel 415-282-8080)
March
01
  -Los Angeles: San Marino Toy and Book Shop, Dear Genius
-paperback edition book tour presentation and signing,
-3:30-4:30 pm
-(2424 Huntington Drive, San Marino, CA 91108;
-tel: 626-309-0222)
March
02
  -Los Angeles: Mrs. Nelson's Toy and Book Shop, Dear Genius
-paperback edition book tour presentation and signing,
-4-5:30 pm
-(1030 Bonita Avenue, La Verne, CA 91750; tel: 909-599-4558)
March
03
  -Washington, DC: Borders Books & Music, Dear Genius
-paperback book tour presentation and signing, 4-5:30 pm
-(2904 Prince William Parkway, Woodbridge, VA 22192;
-tel: 703-680-0010)
March
04
  -Washington, DC: Chevy Chase Community Library, Dear Genius
-paperback edition book tour slide lecture and signing, 2-4 pm
-(8005 Connecticut Avenue, Chevy Chase, MD 20815)
March
05
  -New York: Bank Street College Bookstore, Dear Genius
-paperback edition book tour presentation and signing,
-6-7:30 pm
-(610 West 112th Street; tel: 212-678-1654)
March
07
  -The spring 2000 issue of JOYS, a publication of the American
-Library Association, will feature an article entitled,
-"Correspondence Course; or, What I Learned from Editing
-Ursula Nordstrom's Letters"
May
01
  -New York: Irma Simonton Black Award Breakfast, keynote
-speaker at this children's book award ceremony sponsored by
-the Bank Street College of Education
-(For information, Contact: Bank Street College Library
- tel: 212-875-4400)
May
18
  -PARIS: "Margaret Wise Brown: Poet for Young Children."
-Keynote speaker at the French National Library
-(For information, Contact: La Joie par les livres
-tel:011-33-1-48-87-61-95)
May
23
  -PARIS: SCBWI (France) annual conference.
-Dinner speaker at this day-long conference.
-(For information, Contact: Erzsi Deak
-tel: 011-33-1-42-73-33-75)
May
27
  -NEW YORK: Fordham University at Lincoln Center.
-Speaker at an afternoon event in honor of the Mazza Collection
-at Findlay College.
-(113 West 60th Street; Contact: Bobbye S. Goldstein
-tel: 212-873-1339)
June
22
  -NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO: "Talk of the Nation." Discussion of the -Harry Potter phenomenon with Juan Williams
July
06
  -CHICAGO: American Library Association pre-conference,
-"Through the Artist's Eye," Chicago Art Institute, luncheon
-speaker at this program and workshop on the art of the picture
-book. (For information, Contact: ALSC office tel: 800-545-2433)
July
07
  -PUBLIC BROADCASTING SYSTEM: "The NewsHour with Jim
-Lehrer." Discussion of the Harry Potter phenomenon
-with Ray Suarez
July
10
  -NEW YORK: "The 18th Annual Summer Institute on the Teaching
-of Writing."
-Teachers' College, Columbia University. Afternoon lecturer.
-(Horace Mann Auditorium, corner of West 120th Street
-and Broadway. Contact: Dr. Lucy Calkins tel: 212-678-3931)
July
17
  -NEW YORK: Bank Street College Bookstore.
-Evening reception for Author Talk.
-(Corner of 112th Street and Broadway.
-Contact: Beth Puffer tel:212-875-4400)
July
17
  -Author Talk published by Simon & Schuster
- See also: Books for Young Readers.
August
01
  -INTERVIEW with Robert Cormier released as part of the Listening
-Library recording of Frenchtown Summer
August
01
  -CHILDREN'S BOOK COUNCIL:
-Release of 2000 Not just for Children Anymore
August
01
  -ABILENE, TX: National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature.
-Keynote speaker at the opening of this new museum
-devoted to children's book art.
-(Contact: Becky MacDonald e-mail:beckymcd@camalott.com
Sept.
05-07
  -NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO: "Loose Leaf Book Company."
-Conversation with Tom Bodett about A Caldecott Celebration.
-(For information and archived transcript:
-www.looseleafbookcompany.com)
October
02
  -NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO: "Loose Leaf book Company"
-Review of The Boy of a Thousand Faces by Brian Selznick
-(For transcript and audio, go to Archive, "Monster" program:
-www.looseleafbookcompany.com)
October
23
  -NEW YORK: Reading from Author Talk on "Anything Goes,"
-WNYE-FM (91.5), 12:00-12:30 pm.
October
24 and 26
  -MYSIMON.COM: Reviews of recent children's books.
-Go to www.MySimon.com
November
06
  -NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO:
-Conversation with Tom Bodett about Margaret Wise Brown:
-Awakened by the Moon.

-(for transcript and audio, go to Archive, "History of Children's
-Books" program: www.looseleafbookcompany.com)
November
13
  -MYSIMON.COM: Reviews of recent children's books.
-Go to www.MySimon.com
November
14
  -NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW:
-Review of Little Lit, edited by Art Spiegelman
-and Francoise Mouly
November
19
  -NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO: "Loose Leaf Book Company."
-Comments on celebrity picture books by Jamie Lee Curtis, John
-Lithgow, and others.
-(For transcript and audio, go to Archive, "Fame" program:
- www.looseleafbookcompany.com)
November
27
  -INTERVIEW with Lemony Snicket (Daniel Handler) released
-as part of the Listening Library recording of The Bad Beginning
December
01
  -PARENTING MAGAZINE: Release of 2000 Reading Magic Awards for
-exellence in children's literature.
December
01
  -RIVERBANK REVIEW: Feature interview conducted by
-Nathalie op de Beeck.
December
01
  -NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO: "Loose Leaf Book Company."
-Comments on Eleanor Estes's The Hundred Dresses
-(For transcript and audio, go to Archive, "Who Am I?" program:
-www.looseleafbookcompany.com)
December
04
 
  Calendar Archive/2001
 
  -WESTON, CT: Weston Woods Institute.
-Talk on children's book publishing today.
-(For information, contact Gitta Raffelsbauer: -Wwinst@aol.com)
January
11
  -NEW YORK: Central Children's Room, Donnell Library Center,
-New York Public Library (20 West 53rd Street).
-Noon time brown-bag lunch talk for parents on choosing books -for your children.
-(For information, contact Leslie Fass: -lfass@nypl.org)
January
16
  -WASHINGTON, DC: Children's Book Guild.
-January luncheon speaker.
-(For information, contact Peggy Jackson: -Peggyjack@aol.com)
January
25
  -MANHATTAN CABLE Channels 67 and 110:
-"The Florence Morrison Show" (1 a.m.).
-Conversation about Author Talk.
February
05
  -MANHATTAN CABLE Channels 67 and 110:
-"The Florence Morrison Show" (1 a.m.).
-Conversation about Author Talk, continued.
February
12
  -MYSIMON.COM: Regular monthly reviews of children's books
-begin.
February
15
  -THE FIVE OWLS MAGAZINE: Includes a piece on Donald Crews's
-picture book Harbor
February
15
  -MANHATTAN CABLE Channels 67 and 110:
-"The Florence Morrison Show" (1 a.m.).
-Conversation about Author Talk, continued.
February
19
  -C-SPAN/BOOK TV: Broadcast of an hour-long talk given at the
-Central Children's Room, New York Public Library, on choosing
-books for your children.
-Airtimes: 8 a.m. and 12 noon Eastern Time.
February
24
  -PRINCETON, NJ: Talk at the Cotsen Collection, Firestone Library,
-Princeton University, on children's books about New York City.
-Time: 3-4 p.m.
-(For information, contact Bonnie Bernstein: tel 609 258-2697;
-e-mail: bonnieb@princeton.edu)
February
24
  -MANHATTAN CABLE Channels 67 and 110:
-"The Florence Morrison Show" (1 a.m.).
-Conversation about Author Talk, continued.
February
26
  -KNOXVILLE, TN: University of Tennessee.
-Talk about Ursula Nordstrom and Margaret Wise Brown
-at an evening sponsored by the University of Tennessee Library
-Friends. (For information, contact Jinx Stapleton Watson: -jinx-watson@utk.edu)
February
27
  -THE HORN BOOK: The March issue features "Medal Man:
-Randolph Caldecott and the Art of the Picture Book," based on
-a talk given at the ALA pre-conference, held at the Art Institute
-of Chicago, on July 7, 2000.
March
01
  -MYSIMON.COM: Review of Ackamarackus, by Julius Lester;
-illustrated by Emilie Chollat (Scholastic)
March
05
  -BROOKLYN, NY: Talk to the Lower School faculty of Packer
-Collegiate Institute about A Caldecott Celebration.
-(For information, contact Carol Schulhof: 718 250-0244)
March
06
  -NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO: Discussion of books by Maurice
-Sendak and William Steig on "The Loose Leaf Book Company".
-(For local station listings and airtimes, look for the -"Imprisonment" program at:www.looseleafbookcompany.com)
March
12-18
  -SAN DIEGO, CA: Talk about Margaret Wise Brown and Ursula
-Nordstrom at the San Diego State University
-(For information, contact June Cummins:
-jcummins@mail.sdsu.edu)
March
28
  -MYSIMON.COM: Review of The Tomb of the Boy King, by John
-Frank; illustrated by Tom Pohrt (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)
April
05
  -NEW YORK, NY: Presentation, with fellow judges, of the Ezra
-Jack Keats New Writer and New Illustrator Awards, at 5 p.m.,
-at the New York Public Library Early Childhood Resource and
-Information Center (66 Leroy Street; for information,
-call 212 929-0815, or E-mail rpayne@nypl.org)
April
26
  -NORTHAMPTON, MA: First meeting of the Board of Trustees of -the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art
May
03
  -POUGHKEEPSIE, NY: Keynote speech at Society of Children's -Book Writers and Illustrators' upstate New York -regional conference.
-(For information, contact Ellen Yeomans: YeomansE@aol.com)
May
19
  -SAN FRANCISCO, CA: Moderator of ALSC/CBC program, at the
-American Library Association convention, on poetry for children, -from 2-4 p.m.
-(For information, contact the Children's Book Council:
-212 966-1990 or visit their web site at www.cbcbooks.org)
June
18
  -CORONADO, CA: Evening slide talk about Margaret Wise Brown
-and her illustrators, at the City of Coronado Public Library
-(640 Orange Avenue; for information contact Christian R.
-Esquevin, Director of Library Services: tel 619 522-7393)
June
20
  -NEW YORK, NY: Keynote address on Margaret Wise Brown, at
-the Bank Street "New Perspectives" retreat on literature for the
-young child. Bank Street College of Education
-(610 West 112th Street; for information, contact
-Mary Kocy:212 304-2053)
July
16
  -MANHATTAN CABLE Channels 67 and 110: "The Florence Morrison Show" (1 a.m.)
-Conversation about Author Talk.
August
06
  -MANHATTAN CABLE Channels 67 and 110: "The Florence Morrison Show" (1 a.m.):
-Conversation about Author Talk,continued.
August
13
  -MANHATTAN CABLE Channels 67 and 110: "The Florence Morrison Show" (1 a.m.):
-Conversation about Side by Side.
August
20
  -MANHATTAN CABLE Channels 67 and 110: "The Florence Morrison Show" (1 a.m.):
-Conversation about Side by Side,continued.
August
27
  -RELEASE of The Complete Adventures of Curious George,
-with an introduction by Leonard S. Marcus (Houghton Mifflin).
September
01
  -RELEASE of Corduroy & Company: A Don Freeman Treasurry,
-with an introduction by Leonard S. Marcus (Viking).
September
01
  -RELEASE of Nursery Classics: A Galdone Treasury,
-with an introduction by Leonard S. Marcus (Clarion).
September
01
  -CHICAGO: Talk about Margaret Wise Brown at National-Louis University,
-Evanston, Illinois, from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m.
-(For information, contact Junko Yokota:jyokota@nl.edu)
September
28
  -CHICAGO: Keynote speaker, SCBWI Illinois annual conference,
-at Dominican University, River Forest, IL.
-(For information, contact Lisa Cinelli:LisaCinelli@aol.com)
September
29
  -BURLINGTON, VT: Presentation, with fellow judges, of the 2001
-Boston Globe/Horn Book Awards, at the New England Library
-Association annual convention. (For informaton, contact Anne E.
-Quirk: tel 617 628-0225)
October
01
  -RELEASE of Garth Williams Treasury of Best-Loved Golden Books,
-with an introduction by Leonard S. Marcus (Golden).
October
01
  -ABILENE, TX: Slide talk on the art of the picture book at the
-National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature,
-as part the day-long program "Picture Book Magic: A Celebration of Children's Illustrated Literature,"
-also featuring Robert Sabuda and Betty Carter.
-(For information, contact Becky McDonald:beckymcd@camalott.com)
October
13
  -MYSIMON.COM: Fall 2001 round-up of children's books
October
15
  -WNYC-AM: "On the Line."
-Conversation with Brian Lehrer about E. B. White (10:05-10:20 a.m.)
October
29
  -ANAHEIM, CA: Keynote address on Margaret Wise Brown, at the literature
-preconference of the National Association for the Education of Young Children
-(NAEYC) annual convention.
-(For information, contact Isabel Baker:bookvine@bookvine.com)
October
31
  -NEW YORK: Side by Side launch party
-Bank Street Bookstore (610 West 112th Street), from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
-(For information, contact Susan Fallon:sfallon@walkerbooks.com)
November
08
  -NATIONAL RADIO MEDIA TOUR for Margaret Wise Brown's My World (all times EST)
-6:40-6:50 a.m., WPHM-AM (Detroit), "Morning Show";
-7:40-7:50 a.m., WAAM-AM (Ann Arbor), "Morning Show";
-7:50-8:00 a.m., WAMC-FM (NPR, New England), "The Round Table";
-8:00-8:10 a.m., ABC Radio (national), "Bob & Lori Show";
-8:10-8:20 a.m., WTBQ-FM (regional New York), "Morning Show";
-8:40-8:45 a.m., KFMO-AM (Missouri), "Morning Show";
-9:30-9:45 a.m., RADIO AMERICA (national), "Good Day USA";
-9:45-9:55 a.m., RADIO CHANNEL NETWORKS (national), "CRN LIVE";
-10:30-10:40 a.m., WZYX-AM (Nashville), "Morning Show";
-10:40-10:45 a.m., WKIP-AM/WHUC-AM/WRNQ-FM/WTHN-FM (Hudson Valley, New York), "Morning News";
-10:45-11:00 a.m., INTERNATONAL VOICE OF AMERICA, "Book World";
-11:00-11:10 a.m., KJFF-AM (St. Louis), "PM Magazine";
-11:30-11:40 a.m., INTERNET, "Good News Broadcast";
-11:50 a.m.-12:00 p.m., KRES-FM (Kansas City), "Morning Show"
November
09
  -NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO: Discussion of the Harry Potter books and film
-on "The Loose Leaf Book Company."
-(For local station listings and air times, seewww.looseleafbookcompany.com)
November
12-18
  -NATIONAL RADIO MEDIA TOUR for Margaret Wise Brown's My World (all times EST)
-7:40-7:50 a.m., WPHM-AM (Detroit), "Morning Show";
-8:45-8:55 a.m., WKMI-AM (Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo), "Morning Show";
-9:05-9:15 a.m., KBEM-FM, "Morning Show."
November
13
  -SIDE BY SIDE: Five Favorite Picture Book Teams Go to Work
-published by Walker and Company.
November
15
  -BROOKLYN, NY: Barnes & Noble (106 Court Street, Brooklyn Heights, NY), at 7:30 p.m.
-A talk for parents about children's books for the holidays.
-(For information, contact Susan Banks Tetterton: tel 718 246-4158; e-mail CRM2965@bn.com)
November
28
  -RELEASE of Parenting magazine's thirteenth annual Reading Magic Awards for excellence
-in children's literature, in December 2001/January 2002 issue of Parenting.
December
01
 
  Calendar Archive/2002
 
  -AUTHORLINK.COM: Feature interview in monthly column on this website by Barb Odanaka
January
01
  -WNYC: "On the Line." Conversation with Brian Lehrer about
-Astrid Lindgren, 11:40 a.m., at 820 AM.

January
29
  -COLUMBUS, OH: Keynote speech, meet-the-author-session, and
-panel discussion at the 2002 Ohio State University Children's -Literature Conference.
-(For information, contact Roy Wilson: 614 292-7902; email: wilson.418@osu.edu)
February
14-16
  -MANHATTAN CABLE Channels 67 and 107: "The Florence Morrison Show" (1 a.m.):
-Conversation about Side by Side.
February
18
  -MANHATTAN CABLE Channels 67 and 107: "The Florence Morrison Show" (1 a.m.):
-Conversation about Side by Side continued.
February
25
  -FISHKILL, NY: Dinner speech at the School Library Media Specialists
-of Southeastern New York (SLMSSENY) program, at the Holiday Inn, Fishkill, NY.
-Rain date: March 18.
-(For information, contact Susan Ryhanen: susan@creeksidesoaps.com)
March
11
  -LOS ANGELES: Keynote address on the history of children's book
-publishing at the Children's Literature Council of Southern California spring 2002 workshop.
-(For information, contact Melinda K. Steep: msteep@earthlink.net)
March
23
  -CROMWELL, CT.: Morning slide talk at the Southern Connecticut Council Library
-Council conference (Radisson Hotel, 100 Berlin Road, Cromwell, Ct. 06416; for information
-contact Sheila Wartel: 203 288-5757; email office@sclc.org)
April
17
  -MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD.: Keynote speech and slide talk at the 2002
-Montgomery College Celebration of Children's Literatuere.
-(For information, contact Kathie Meizner: 301 986-4315;email meiznk@mail.mont.lib.md.us)
April
20
  -NEW YORK, NY: Pforzheimer Lecture on Printing and the Book Arts, at the Bartos
-Forum of the New York Public Library (Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street), at 6:30 p.m.
-(Tickets required; for information, contact: Betsy Bradley: 212 930-0718;
-email ebradley@nypl.org)
April
22
  -BROOKLYN, NY: "New York Is Kids Book Country."
-Presentations to second - and third - grade classes at the Brooklyn Children's Museum,
-11 a.m.-1 p.m.
-(For information, contact: Dina Sherman: 718 735-4427)
April
26
  -WNYC RADIO: "Studio 360" with Kurt Andersen.
-Discussion of the theme of revenge in children's books.
-Program airs Saturday, the 4th, at 10 a.m. on 93.9FM
-and Sunday, the 5th, at 7 p.m. on AM820.
-(For information:"http://www.wnyc.org" "http://www.studio360.org")
May
04-05
  -MANHATTAN CABLE Channels 67 and 110:
-"The Florence Morrison Show": Conversation about Side by Side.
May
20
  -MANHATTAN CABLE Channels 67 and 110:
-"The Florence Morrison Show": Conversation about Side by Side, continued
May
27
  -ATLANTA, GA: Book-signing at the American Library Association convention,
-for Ways of Telling: Conversations on the Art of the Picture Book,
-at the Penguin Putnam booth (#2215-2216), 9 a.m.-10 a.m.
June
16
  -ATLANTA, GA: Book-signing at the American Library Association convention,
-for Side by Side, at the Walker booth (#1825), 11 a.m.-noon.
June
16
  -BALTIMORE, MD: Speech in celebration of the 75th anniversary of
-the Enoch Pratt Free Library; at the Enoch Pratt Free Library
-(400 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, Md), at 7:30 p.m.
-(For information, contact Ellen Riordan: email eriordan@mail.pratt.lib.md.us)
June
21
  -BALTIMORE, MD. "Side by Side: How Artists and Writers Make Picture Books Together,"
-a family program in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Enoch Pratt Free Library;
-at EPFL (400 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, Md), at 2 p.m.
-(For information, contact Ellen Riordan: email eriordan@mail.pratt.lib.md.us)
June
22
  -BOOK GLOBE LTD, JAPAN: Release of The Picture Book World of Garth Williams,
-an exhibition catalogue with an introduction by LSM
July
19
  -LISTENING LIBRARY: Release of audio edition of Paul Fleischman's Seek,
-with an interview with the author by LSM
July
23
  -DUTTON CHILDREN'S BOOKS: Release of Ways of Telling: Conversations on
-the Art of the Picture Book
, by LSM.
-Interviews with Mitsumasa Anno, Ashley Bryan, Eric Carle, Tana Hoban, Karla Kuskin,
-James Marshall, Robert McCloskey, Iona Opie, Helen Oxenbury, Jerry Pinkney, Maurice Sendak,
-William Steig, Rosemary Wells, and Charlotte Zolotow.
August
01
  -CAMBRIDGE, MA: Core lecture at Children's Literature New England 2002,
-Harvard University, 9-10 a.m.
-(For information and registration, contact Martha Walke:
-email martha_walke@pikeschool.org)
August
07
  -NEW YORK, NY: Book-signing for Ways of Telling, at the Bank Street Book Store
-(610 West 112th Street), 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
-(For information, contact: Jennifer Brennan 212 875-4552)
September
24
  -NORTHAMPTON, MA: Book-signing for Ways of Telling, at the Eric Carle Museum,
-(36 Main Street), 4:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
-(For information, contact Nora Maroulis: 413 586-8934)
September
26
  -PHILOMEL BOOKS: Release of the paperback edition of
-The Art of Eric Carle, with an introduction by LSM
October
01
  -WWW.PAPERTIGERS.ORG: -Interview by LSM with Laurence Yep, posted on this new web site devoted
-to children's books about Pacific Rim cultures.
October
15
  -NEW YORK, NY: A "literary evening," including a slide talk and book-signing, with LSM,
- at the Little Red School House (272 Sixth Avenue), starting at 7 p.m.
-(For informaton, contact Meri Lobel: Mlfolkarts@aol.com)
October
23
  -PORTLAND, ME: "From Goodnight Moon to Miss Rumphius: Picture-Book Classics by
-Maine Women Writers," a public slide talk co-sponsored by the Maine Women
-Writers Collection of the University of New England and the Portland Public
-Library; at the Portland Public Library (5 Monument Square), 12 p.m.-1 p.m
-(For information, contact Sheldon Kaye: 207 871-1700)
November
08
  -STOCKBRIDGE, MA: Evening talk about Fred Marcellino at the opening of the
-exhibition "Dancing By the Light of the Moon: The Art of Fred Marcellino," at
-The Norman Rockwell Museum.
-(For exact time and other information, contact Stephanie Plunkett: 413 298-4100)
November
09
  -WASHINGTON, DC: Opening of the exhibition "Exploring the Great Outdoors:
-Sports and Recreation in Original Illustrations from Children's Books,"
-co-curated by Curtis Sandberg, Jerry Mallett, and LSM,
-at the Meridian International Center, 1630 Crescent Place, N.W.
-(For information about this exhibition, including hours and touring schedule,
-contact Curtis Sandberg: CSANDBERG@MERIDIAN.org)
November
16
  - WWW.PARENTING.COM: An interview with LSM about choosing books
-for your children, as part ofParenting's annual
-Best Children's Books of the Year on-line feature.
November
19
  -AMHERST, MA: Grand opening of the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.
-Ribbon-cutting ceremony at noon. Release of inaugural exhibition catalogue,
-The Art of Maurice Sendak: Inside and Out, featuring an interview by LSM with Maurice Sendak.
-(For information, please see the museum's web site: http://www.picturebookart.org
November
22
  -NEW YORK, NY: Slide talk preview of Storied City: A Children's - Book Walking - Tour Guide to New York City,
-at the New York State Reading Association annual convention,
-Mariott Marquis Hotel(1535 Broadway at 46th Street), 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
-(For information, contact Mary Rozendal: mrozen@buffalo.edu)
November
25
  -HARTFORD, CT: Presentation of first annual Connecticut Books Awards,
-by LSM and fellow judges, in the atrium of City Hall, Hartford.
-(For information and registration, Kathleen A. Lyons: 860 695-6320;
-email klyons@hartfordpl.lib.ct.us)
December
08
  -HARTFORD, CT: interview with LSM hosted by Billie Levy, -on her weekly public access cable program,
-"Children's Books: Their Creators and Collectors,"
-(For information about re-broadcasting this interview on other public access stations,
-contact West Hartford Community Television: 800 561-1260)
December
11
  -W. HARTFORD, CT: re-broadcast of interview with LSM on WHC-TV
-(see December 11), 8:30 p.m.-9 p.m.
December
18
  -W. HARTFORD, CT: re-broadcast of interview with LSM on WHC-TV
-(see December 11), 8:30 p.m.-9 p.m.
December
30
 
  Calendar Archive/2003
 
  -BBC TELEVISION: "The Author Who Did Not Exist,"
-a documentary about Lemony Snicket, including an interview with LSM
-(For information, contact Deep Sehgal: deep.sehgal@bbc.co.uk)
January
10
  -CABINET MAGAZINE: Publication of Winter 2003 "Childhood Issue,"
-co-edited by David Serlin and Brian Selznick, featuring an interview with
-LSM on children's book history. -www.immaterial.net
January
20
  -CAMBRIDGE, MA: Dinner talk on children's book
-illustration at the monthly meeting of the Society of Printers,
-at the MIT faculty club, starting at 5:30 p.m.
-(For information, contact Bob Overholtzer: 617 351-5993; email: Bob_Overholtzer@hmco.com)
February
05
  -NEW YORK, NY: Late morning talk on the history of children's book publishing,
-at the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators national convention,
-at the Roosevelt Hotel, Madison Avenue and East 45th Street. Book signing to follow.
-(For exact time and other information, contact Lin Oliver: lin@linoliverproductions.com)
February
09
  -VERMONT PUBLIC RADIO: Airing of Listening Library's recording of Karen Hesse's Witness
-including an interview with Karen Hesse by LSM, starting at 7 p.m.
March
10
  -VERMONT PUBLIC RADIO: Repeat of March 10 program (above), starting at 7 p.m.
March
11
  -AUDIOFILE MAGAZINE: Release of April/May 2003 issue,
-featuring "The Magic of Audio: A Conversation with Leonard Marcus," pp. 20-22.
April
01
  -CAMBRIDGE, MA: Arbuthnot Symposium on the art of Maurice Sendak, starting at 8:30 a.m.,
-at the Kresge Auditorium, MIT
-(For information, contact Gregory McGuire: Gmwriter@aol.com)
April
05
  -BROOKLYN, NY: National Library Week slide talk for school children
-at the Brower Park Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, starting at 10 a.m.
-(For information, contact Paquita Campoverde: 718 369-9385, Ext. 153)
April
10
  -AMHERST, MA: Public Conversation with Mitsumasa Anno, His Editors, and LSM,
-at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, starting at 7 p.m.
-(For information, contact Nora Maroulis: nora@picturebookart.org)
April
14
  -NASHVILLE, TN Opening of the exhibition: "Exploring The Great Outdoors:
-Sports and Recreation in Original Illustrations from Children's Books,"
-co-curated by Dr. Curtis Sandberg, Jerry J. Mallett, and LSM
-(For more information, and exhibition tour schedule, please contact Curtis Sandberg: CSANDBER@meridian.org) -or visit: www.meridian.org
April
27
  -PARENTING MAGAZINE: Release of May issue with interview with LSM about
-choosing books for young children - (For information, go to: www.parenting.com)
May
01
  -DUTTON CHILDREN'S BOOKS: Publication of
-Storied City: A Children's Book Walking-Tour Guide to New York City, by LSM
May
15
  -PW DAILY FOR BOOKSELLERS: "The Booklover's Big Apple: PW Daily Talks with -Leonard Marcus", a conversation about Storied City with Jennifer Brown
-(For information, go to:PWDaily@email.publishersweekly.com)
May
20
  -BROOKLYN, NY: "Brooklyn Public Library Forum on Summer Reading,"
-a borough-wide discussion with LSM and others, starting at 9:30 a.m., by LSM
-at the Brooklyn Heights Branch Library
-(For information, contact Grace Shanahan: 718 934-2117)
May
22
  -NEW YORK, NY: Slide talk and reception celebrating the opening of the exhibition
-"Storied City," at the Central Children's Room, New York Public Library
-(20 West 53 Street), starting at 3 p.m.
-This exhibition is based on Storied City: A Children's Walking-Tour Guide to New York
-City,
by LSM. (For information, contact Jeanne Lamb: jlamb@nypl.org)
June
07
  -CROTON, NY: Slide talk on Storied City at the Carrie E. Tompkins Elementary
-School, starting at 7 p.m.
-(For information, contact Carol Collins: acollinsa@exchange.tc.columbia.edu)
June
16
  -NEW YORK, NY Booksigning for Storied Ctiy, at Books of Wonder (16 West 18th Street),
-from noon to 2:00 p.m. (For more information, contact BOW: 212 989-3270)
June
28
  WASHINGTON, DC: Release of "The Art of Reading: An Interview with Children's Literature Expert Leonard S. Marcus," in Read All About It, the newsletter of Reading Is Fundamental, Inc., July/August 2003 issue. July
01
  US.PENGUINGROUP.COM: "An Interview with LSM" about Storied City, with ideas for for using the book whether they teach in New York City area or elsewhere. (Go to "Young Readers" page and click on "Teachers and Librarians") July
01
  LOS ANGELES, CA: General session program and two workshops, at the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators' annual convention, at the Century Plaza Hotel
(for information, contact Mercedes Coats: mercedescoats@scbwi.org)
August
15-18
  MANHATTAN CABLE: "The Florence Morrison Show" (channels 67 and 110)
A conversation about Storied City, 1-1:30 a.m.
August
18
  MANHATTAN CABLE: "The Florence Morrison Show" (channels 67 and 110)
A conversation about Storied City, 1-1:30 a.m.
August
25
  WASHINGTON, DC: "National Reading Celebration," at the Corcoran Gallery. A day-long event organized by Reading Is Fundamental featuring more than 20 illustrrators demonstrating and talking about their work, with a series of panel discussions throughout the day moderated by LSM. (For more information, contact Aaron Smith: ASmith@rif.org)
September
13
  PHOENIX, AZ: Afternoon slide talk about Margaret Wise Brown at the Phoenix Public Library
(For more information, contact Elaine Meyers: 602 262-4607: elaine.meyers@phoenix.gov)
September
15
  NEW YORK, NY: Donnell Central Children's Room, New York Public Library (20 West 53 Street, 2nd floor). Talk at the dedication ceremony honoring the library as a literary landmark in its role as home to the original Winnie the Pooh dolls, starting at 1 p.m.
(For information, call 212 621-0636)
September
20
  NEW YORK, NY: New York is Book Country street fair along Fifth Avenue. Book-signing for Storied City at the Books for Kids Foundation booth, 3 - 4 p.m.
(For exact booth location, please check newspaper listings or call 212 252-9169)
September
21
  OLD GREENWICH, CT: Slide talk based on Storied City, at the Perrot Memorial Library, 90 Sound Beach Avenue, Old Greenwich, starting at 7:30 p.m.
(For more information, contact Kate McClelland: 602 262-4607: 203 637-8802
September
24
  MANHATTAN CABLE: "The Florence Morrison Show" (channels 34 and 107).
A conversation about Storied City, started at 12:30 p.m.
September
24
  NEW YORK, NY: Slide talk based on Storied City, at the Princeton Club (15 West 43 Street), starting at 6:30 p.m. Book-signing will follow. (For information, contact Wanda at Events Office, 212 596-1200)
September
25
  CLINTON, NY: "The Alice Provensen Celebration and Symposium," day of talks by LSM and others honoring the art of Alice Provensen, at the Clinton Community Library.
(For more information, contact Nancy Nelson: 602 262-4607: Kkwnelson@aol.com)
September
29
  HARCOURT: Release of Mary Norton's The Borrowers fiftieth anniversary edition, with a foreword by LSM
October
01
  NEW YORK, NY: Slide talk and workshop for teachers, based on Storied City: A Children's Book Walking-Tour Guide to New York City, at the Central Children's Room, New York Public Library (20 West 53 Street), starting at 9:30 a.m.
(For information, contact Jeanne Lamb: jlamb@nypl.org)
October
11
  NEW YORK, NY: "A Conversation with Marianne Carus, Founder of CRICKET magazine," marking the magazine's thirtieth anniversary. At Donnell Central Children's Room, 20 West 53rd Street,
starting at 6: 30 p.m. (For information, contact Megan Butler: mbutler1@optonline.net)
October
16
  MANHATTAN CABLE: "The Florence Morrison Show" (channels 34 and 107).
A conversation about Storied City,continued, starting at 12:30 p.m.
October
18
  BROOKLYN, NY: Family program at the Brooklyn Museum of Art (200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY), based on Storied City: A Children's Book Walking-Tour Guide to New York City, starting at 4 p.m.
(For information, contact: Allison Day: allison.day@brooklynmuseum.org)
December
06
 
  Calendar Archive/2004
 
  WWW.SUPERPAGES.COM Verizon "Literacy Leader" interview with LSM. Click on "Enlighten Me."
February
01
  HARTFORD, CT: Opening day of the exhibition "Second Nature: Five Picture-Book Artists Go To Work", guest curated by LSM, and featuring original art by Mary Azarian, Eric Carle, Jane Dyer, Walter Wick, and Ed Young. At Real Art Ways Gallery (56 Arbor Street), through March 14.
(For information, contact Dan McKinley: dmckinley@realartways.org)
February
04
  TOKYO, JAPAN: Public conversation with Eric Carle and Ann K. Beneduce at the Japanese National Library of Children's Literature
(for information, contact Tomoko Drake: 651 768-7286)
March
06
  SCBWI/EXRESSIONS NEWSLETTER: Interview with LSM.
March
17
  LOS ANGELES, CA: Slide talk on picture books at the Los Angeles Public Library (downtown central library). (For exact time and other information, contact: Jenine Culligan: 304 529-2701; spatron@lapl.org)
March
24
  HEMPSTEAD, NY: Closing speech, the 20th annual SCBWI Conference at Hofstra University at the Gibson Gallery, State University of New York at Potsdam.
(For exact time and other information, contact Marion Flomenhaft: 516 543-5737; dcemzf@hofstra.edu")
April
17
  POTSDAM, NY: Slide lecture, "The Picture Book Made New: Margaret Wise Brown and Her Illustrators," at the Gibson Gallery, State University of New York at Potsdam.
(For exact time and other information, contact: Maggie Price: 315 267-2250; pricemas@potsdam.edu)
April
21
  FT. LAUDERDALE, FL: Slide talk based on Ways of Telling, at the annual Children's Literature Conference of the Broward County Library system.
(For information, contact: Lucia M. Gonzalez Lmgonzalez@browardlibrary.org)
April
23
  WOODBURY, NY: Lunch slide talk based on Storied City, at the 2004 annual Nassau County Library/Children's Services Division conference,
at the Crest Hollow Country Club
(for information, contact: Elizabeth Charvat belib98@yahoo.com)
May
05
  ORLANDO, FL: Slide talk on the history of children's nonfiction, at the American Library Association annual convention, from 1:30-3:30 p.m.
(for information, contact: Katie Horning horning@education.wisc.edu)
June
28
  WILLIAMSTOWN, MA: Core lecture at Children's Literature New England, Williams College, from 9:15-10:15 a.m.
(for information, contact Martha Walke: 802 765-4935; walkem@sover.net)
August
05
  NEW YORK, NY: Talk at National Arts Club party honoring Golden Books.
(For information, Shanta Small: 212 782-9677; Ssmall@randomhouse.com)
September
21
  BUFFALO, NY: At the University of Buffalo, an afternoon panel discussion on the history of women in children's book publishing followed, in the evening, by an illustrated lecture on Margaret Wise Brown.
(for information, contact Lorna Peterson: lpeterson@buffalo.edu)
September
22
  PARIS, FRANCE: Public talk at the exhibition "Pictures at Play/Images pour les enfants," at the Mona Bismarck Foundation, 34, avenue de New York, Paris 75116.
For more information, contact Erzsi Deak:
erzsi@kidbookpros.com))
October
15
  PARIS, FRANCE: Talks on reviewing and the state of children's book publishing, at the SCBWI conference "From Picture Books To Teen Lit."
(For time, location, and registration information, contact Erzsi Deak:
erzsi@kidbookpros.com))
October
16
  BROOKLYNPUBLICLIBRARY.ORG: "What Shall We Read to the Children," a virtual exhibition of picture books by E. Boyd Smith from the Hunt Collection of Children's Literature, text by LSM,
Follow the prompt from the BPL home page.
November
15
  BROOKLYN, NY: Opening of the companion exhibition, "What Shall We Read to the Children: Treasures from the Hunt Collection," co-curated by David Mowery and LSM, at the Brooklyn Public Library, Grand Army Plaza, starting at 6:30 pm.
(For information, contact David Mowery: d.mowery@brooklynpubliclibrary.org
November
30
  ROCKLAND COUNTY, NY: Lunch slide talk at the annual Rockland County Children's Librarians' Author Day program
(For information, Susan Schuler: 845 634-4997, ext. 104; sschuler@ansernet.rcls.org)
December
07
  WRTN-FM (NY): "Real Talk," a conversation about children's books and literacy with Dr. Dan Miller, starting at 5:30 p.m.
December
09
 
  Calendar Archive/2005
 
  BROOKLYN, NY: Slide talk on the history of nonfiction for children, at the Brooklyn Public Library at Grand Army Plaza.
(For information, contact Judy Zuckerman: j.zuckerman@brooklynpubliclibrary.org)
January
06
  IRVINGTON, NY: Jean Nathan and LSM read from their biographies of children's book authors Dare Wright and Margaret Wise Brown at the Hudson Valley Writer's Center, starting at 4:30 p.m.
(For information, contact Dare Thompson: tel 914 332-5953; dare@writerscenter.org)

February
13
  LOS ANGELES, CA: Talk on children's books at the Los Angeles Public Library (downtown central library).
(For more information, contact Susan Patron: spatron@lapl.org)
March
23
  AMHERST, MA: Opening of "The Picture Book Made New: Margaret Wise Brown and Her Illustrators," curated by LSM, at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, 12 West Bay Road, Amherst.
(For more information, contact Nora Maroulis: 413 658-1100; noram@picturebookart.org)
March
31
  AMHERST, MA: A gallery talk about the exhibition "The Picture Book Made New: Margaret Wise Brown and Her Illustrators," at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art (125 West Bay Road), starting at 4:30 p.m..
(For information, contact Rosemary A. Agoglia: rosemarya@picturebookart.org)
April
01
  AMHERST, MA: Talk about Margaret Wise Brown at "Perspectives in Children's Literature Conference" at the University of Massachusetts.
(For information, contact Masha Rudman: 413 545-1116; rudman@educ.umass.edu)
April
02
  BOLOGNA, ITALY: Talk and workshop on reviewing children's literature at the Bologna International Children's Book Fair, sponsored by SCBWI.
(For information, contact Bridget Strevens: 413 545-1116; b@bridgetstrevens.com)
April
12
  AMHERST, MA: "Bagels and Books" morning program with Amy Schwartz, at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, 12 West Bay Road, Amherst.
(For information, contact Nora Maroulis: 413 658-1100; noram@picturebookart.org)
May
01
  WASHINGTON, DC: Panel discussion of multiculturalism in children's literature, at the "Sixth Annual Reach Out and Read National Conference: Pediatrics and Early Literacy," at the Grand Hyatt Washington Hotel.
(For information, contact Claire P. Grimble: cme@bu.edu)
May
13
  NEW YORK, NY: Evening slide talk and discussion about the life and art of Margaret Wise Brown, at the New York Psychoanalytic Institute (247 East 82 Street).
(For exact time and other information, contact Leon Hoffman, director of the Parent Child Center tel 212 879-6900)
May
17
  WRTN-FM (NYC): "Real Talk", a conversation about Storied City with Dr. Dan Miller,
from 5:25 p.m-5:55 p.m.
May
26
  NEW YORK, NY: BEA book-signing for Storied City, at the Children's Book Council booth (#756-758), at the Javits Convention Center, from 11 a.m. to noon.
June
04
  NEW YORK, NY: A children's-book walking tour of Greenwich Village, led by LSM and based on Storied City, starts at 2 p.m.
Advance reservations necessary.
(For tickets and information, e-mail Leonard: LeonardSMa@aol.com
June
04
  FINDLAY, OH: Afternoon keynote talk and follow-up discussion at the Mazza Summer Institute, Mazza Museum, 1000 North Main Street, Findlay, OH.
(Registration required; for information, contact Dr. Jerry R. Mallett: mallett@findlay.edu)
June
21
  CHICAGO, IL: Talk and panel discussion, "Look What They Found: It's Not Just Pictures Anymore‹How Scholars Use Special Collections of Children's Literature," at the American Library Association convention, 1:30-3:30 p.m.
(For location and other information, contact Jan Passo: tel 702 507-3582; passoj@LVCCLD.org)
June
26
  Publication of The Art of Reading: Forty Artists Celebrate RIF's 40th Anniversary, with a foreword by LSM (Dutton)
August
18
  Publication of Mary Engelbreit's Mother Goose, with an introduction by LSM (HarperCollins) September
01
  NEW YORK, NY: Reception and panel discussion, moderated by LSM, in celebration of The Art of Reading and RIF's fortieth anniversary. Panelists include Bryan Collier, Yumi Heo, Chris Raschka, and Douglas Florian. At the Bank Street College of Education Auditorium, 610 West 112th Street, starting at 6 p.m.
(For information and reservations, Jennifer Brennan: tel 212 678-1654; jbrennan@bankstreet.edu)
September
21
  NEW YORK, NY: A children's-book literary walking-tour of Yorkville--home of Harriet the Spy and Lyle Crocodile--based on Storied City.
(For information and reservations, contact Leonard: Leonardsma@aol.com)
September
24
  Archive