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February
2025 | |
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Youth Services Notes |
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From the Library of Virginia
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CSLP 2025 Summer Reading Chamption
Newbery Medalist and #1 New York Times-bestselling author Katherine Applegate is the Collaborative Summer Library Program's 2025 Summer Reading Champion!
CSLP will host a Color Our World Kickoff webinar on Wednesday, March 5, at 2:00pm ET. CSLP Manual Committee Chairs will highlight some manual programs, then hand it over to Katherine to talk about her role as Champion and her upcoming summer writing contest for children. Sign up for that event here. Live seats are limited so if you can't attend live, fill out the form to receive the recording.
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Mac Barnett, National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, 2025-26
The Library of Congress and Every Child a Reader announced the appointment of Mac Barnett as the 2025-2026 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature.
Barnett is the author of more than 60 books for children, including Twenty Questions, Sam & Dave Dig a Hole, A Polar Bear in the Snow, and Extra Yarn, as well as the popular Mac B., Kid Spy series of novels, The First Cat in Space graphic novels, and The Shapes Trilogy picture books. |
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During his two-year term as the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Barnett will celebrate the children’s picture book through his platform, Behold, The Picture Book! Let’s Celebrate Stories We Can Feel, Hear, and See. Barnett will explore the deeply impactful ways picture books blend words and illustrations to create a uniquely powerful reading experience, one that is often the foundation for a lifetime of reading. Ultimately, Barnett will assert the picture book is a quintessential American art form and deserves its rightful place among the best American literature.
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Talk Story: Sharing Stories, Sharing Culture
is a family literacy initiative that connects Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander (AANHPI), and American Indigenous or Alaskan Native (AIAN) communities across generations. The Talk Story micro-grant celebrates and explores AANHPI and AIAN stories through books, oral traditions, and cultural arts to provide interactive and enriching experiences for all ages. |
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This grant provides financial support to libraries and community organizations who are motivated to promote intergenerational literacy through programming, services, and collections. Talk Story programs may be conducted in-person or virtually.
The Grant Information and Application fields can be accessed on the APALA website: apalaweb.org/talkstorytogether/grant/ and the AILA website: ailanet.org.
To submit your proposal, please use the online form, deadline March 15:
https://forms.gle/3vUy3EuCFUxBuiKZ9.
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NSLA Summer Planning Bootcamp
The National Summer Learning Association is hosting a free online Summer Planning Bootcamp for anyone who works with children and teens during the summer, to include library workers. The event will take place via Zoom on Thursday, March 13 and Friday, March 14, from 1:00 -3:00 pm ET each day.
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The 2-day webinar series is "designed to equip you with tools, ideas, and best practices to elevate your summer program planning." There will be an assortment of sessions on a variety of topics to include current research on summer learning, strategies for creating hands-on experiences, advice for program leaders about supporting staff, data collection, and community partnerships. Visit the event page to see the session descriptions and access the registration link.
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Kids to Parks Day - May 17
Kids to Parks Day is a national day of outdoor play celebrated annually on the third Saturday of May. The day connects kids and families with their local, state, and national parks, public lands, and waters. Join in celebrating our 15th Kids to Parks Day with in-person events and outdoor celebrations across the country. |
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2025 CLEL Bell Award Winners Announcement
Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy (CLEL) is pleased to announce the winners of the annual CLEL Bell Awards. The 2025 year was historic in its submissions, representation, and unique expression of early literacy. The CLEL Bell Awards are an annual recognition of five high-quality children’s books that provide excellent support of early literacy development in children ages 0-5. |
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READ – When You Love a Book – written by Kaz Windness, illustrated by Heather Brockman Lee, published by Flamingo Books.
WRITE – Between Two Windows – by Keisha Morris, published by HarperCollins. TALK – Bye Land, Bye Sea – by René Spencer and Rodolfo Montalvo, illustrated by Roaring Book Press.
SING – Adela’s Mariachi Band – written by Denise Vega, illustrated by Erika Rodriguez Medina, published by Charlesbridge. PLAY – Ahoy! – by Sophie Blackall, published by Anne Schwartz Books.
Learn more about the CLEL Bell Awards and explore the 2025 shortlist and past winners.
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We Need Diverse Books Announces the 2025 Walter Dean Myers Awards and Honor Books
We Need Diverse Books and the WNDB Walter Awards Judging Committee are pleased to announced the winners and honorees of the tenth annual Walter Dean Myers Awards for Outstanding Children’s Literature! https://diversebooks.org/programs/walter-awards/ |
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2025 Walter Award, Younger Readers Category
Shark Teeth by Sherri Winston (Bloomsbury Children's Books) 2025 Walter Honors, Younger Readers Category
The Creepening of Dogwood House by Eden Royce (Walden Pond Press, HarperCollins) 2025 Walter Award, Teen Category
Black Girl You Are Atlas by Renée Watson and illustrated by Ekua Holmes (Kokila/Penguin Random House) 2025 Walter Honors, Teen Category
A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur (Feiwel & Friends) | |
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The Black Caucus of the American Library Association, Inc. and School Library Journal revealed the 2025 Children & Youth Literary Awards, which celebrate the diversity of the Black experience. Winners and honorees include:
Fiction
Winner: Bright Red Fruit by Safia Elhillo
Honor: The Reckoning by Wade Hudson
Nonfiction
Winner: A Voice of Hope: The Myrlie Evers-Williams Story by Nadia Salomon, illustrated by London Ladd. Honor: Black Girl You Are Atlas by Renée Watson.
Debut
Winner: Something Like Right by H.D. Hunter. Honor: How to Lose a Best Friend by Jordan K. Casomar.
Graphic Novel
Winner: Safe Passage by G. Neri, illustrated by David Brame. Honor: Big Jim and the White Boy: An American Classic Reimagined by David F. Walker, illustrated by Marcus Kwame Anderson. |
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Children’s Book Week May 5-11
Children’s Book Week, established in 1919, is a celebration of books and the connection they bring. The 2025 slogan is An Ocean of Stories. Join us in celebrating the vast, collective ocean populated by the stories we read, share, and tell.
Complete this form to participate in the Spring 2025 Children's Book Week celebration with kids in your care. Schools, libraries, bookstores, and other community locations are invited to sign up, as well as individuals and families.
All locations and individuals who register will receive two of Julie Flett's stunning official poster and be updated on all the amazing, free materials when they are released March.
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Your library program can be featured here!
Please submit a photo and description of your favorite program!
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Upcoming Important Dates & Celebrations
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National and State Conferences 2025 October 1-3: VLA Annual Conference (Richmond)
November 5-7: VAASL Annual Conference (Williamsburg)
November 6-9: NAEYC (Anaheim, CA) November 11-13: National Summer Learning Association (Washington, DC) |
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