BEA 2002 Covers Children's Books

Programming for children’s booksellers looks stronger than ever at this year’s BookExpo America (BEA), as, for the first time, the Association of Booksellers for Children (ABC) and the Children’s Book Council (CBC) will combine forces with ABA for part of BEA’s comprehensive educational programming.

On Thursday, May 2, the full day of special bookseller educational programming -- including morning sessions, keynote speakers, and "Best Idea" sessions -- is sponsored in part by ABC and CBC. ABC President Chauni Haslet explained that children’s booksellers can chose one morning session of interest to all booksellers and then spend the afternoon devoting their attention to children’s bookselling.

Haslet promises that the ABC annual meeting, scheduled for 11:45 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., will be "short and efficient," so members can get to the afternoon program, titled "Find Comfort in Books, " at 2:00 p.m. During the meeting, children’s booksellers will be treated to a free lunch, courtesy of The Chicken House (the U.K. publisher that is working in cooperation with Scholastic in the U.S.). Booksellers wanting to attend should RSVP by contacting the ABC office at (800) 421-1665, fax: (608) 836-6050, or e-mail: airish3900@aol.com.

At 2:00 p.m., Russell Freedman will deliver the keynote presentation. Freedman, author of In the Days of the Vaqueros: American’s First True Cowboys (Clarion), was the 1998 Newbery Medallist for Lincoln: A Photobiography (Clarion) and is the author of Eleanor Roosevelt (Clarion), a 1994 Newbery Honor Book.

At 2:30 p.m., Sheilah Egan of A Likely Story in Alexandria, Virginia, and Dara La Porte of Politics and Prose in Washington, D.C., will moderate the session "The Right Book at the Right Time." The discussion will cover a variety of topics, all designed to help booksellers assist customers who are seeking books about war, school violence, bullying, and sexuality, among other topics. (For a complete list of topics, see below.) Booksellers will work in groups to discuss specific books.

From 3:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m., Mark Teague, illustrator of Dear Mrs. Larue (Scholastic), and winner of the Christopher Medal for How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight (Scholastic), will provide an author’s perspective on creating "the right book for the right time."

Tickets for the full-day program, $25 per person, are required for the above events. (For more on Thursday’s programming at BEA, click here).

In Haslet’s words, the lineup for the Children’s Book & Author Breakfast, which begins at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, May 3, at BEA, is "fabulous." It will feature stars from Broadway to Hollywood. Scheduled to appear at the breakfast are Maurice Sendak and Tony Kushner, creators of Brundibar (Michael Di Capua/Hyperion); Kate DiCamillo, author of Because of Winn-Dixie and The Tiger Rising (Candlewick); and John Lithgow, author of Micawber and The Remarkable Farkle McBride (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers). The event is presented in cooperation with the ABA -- Children’s Book Council Joint Committee. Admission is $25.

The first of Saturday’s ABA Roundtables on Children’s Bookselling will begin at 10:00 a.m. at BEA. Moderators will include Ellen Davis of Dragonwings Bookstore, Waupaca, Wisconsin; Collette Morgan of Wild Rumpus in Minneapolis; and Dennis Ronberg of Linden Tree Children’s Books in Los Altos, California.

An additional roundtable, moderated by the same booksellers, is scheduled for 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. to discuss the topic "Children’s Bookselling: From Handselling to Community Outreach." These roundtables are designed for booksellers who are predominantly engaged in selling books in these specialty areas, and are not intended for general stores with specialty sections. [For more on the other specialty roundtables scheduled at BEA, click here.

This year, the ABA Celebration of Bookselling, held in the Special Events Hall from 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. on Friday, May 3, will include the fifth Secret Garden Silent Auction to benefit the Association of Booksellers for Children. Original illustrations, thumbnail sketches, finished art, and a host of creative offerings will be auctioned off through silent bidding, which begins at 5:00 p.m. After the Book Sense Book of the Year Awards are announced, the winners of the Secret Garden Auction will be announced. The Celebration is free and open to all BEA attendees.

Throughout BEA, the Association of Booksellers for Children will host the Children’s Hospitality Lounge in Room 2D03. This is a dedicated area for children’s booksellers to unwind and relax.

ABA’s Haslet expects children’s booksellers to get a lot out of BEA this year. "The programming changes will be very positive for us. This will be a fun time for all of us to discover New York and explore new things every minute. It is also a great opportunity for all of us to work together." -- Nomi Schwartz

 

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Topics to be discussed at the session "Find Comfort in Books--The Right Book for the Right Time" are:

Abuse and Safety
Bullying and Cliques
Comfort
Cultural Diversity
Death and Grieving
Divorce
Environmental
Families
Injury and Illness
Making Friends
New Baby
New Schools
Peace
Peer Pressure
Prejudice
Puberty and Sexuality
School Violence
Social Justice
Toddler Transitions
War