Inside: Two new PB releases, plus our NCTE schedules
Along with new book deals and events across the country
Happy book birthday to our October new releases.
GIANT RAYS OF HOPE: Protecting Manta Rays to Safeguard the Sea by Patricia newman: Off the coast of Perú, gentle giants swim beneath the waves. Thanks to the work of Kerstin Forsberg, giant manta rays have become a symbol of hope for ocean conservation in the region. Mantas are a flagship species, and when they're protected, the whole ocean ecosystem benefits. Learn more and buy it here.
BEAM OF LIGHT: The Story of the First White House Menorah by Elisa Boxer, illustrated by Sofia Moore tells the history and importance of the first piece of Judaica in the White House's permanent holiday collection, a menorah introduced for Hanukkah in 2022. Publishers Weekly says, “With earnest prose and reportorial, pencil- and watercolor-style images, Boxer and Moore cast that beam as this picture book's narrating protagonist, imbuing it with a perspective that explicitly connects its own arc of resilience and renewal with the history of Jewish people during WWII.” Learn more and buy it here.
(When you buy these books through our Bookshop, we receive a small commission on each sale.)
Cover reveal
Coming May 27, 2025 from Joana Pastro and Duda Oliva (Atheneum): A young Brazilian American girl navigates the concept of belonging when she celebrates the Brazilian Festa Junina festival with her family in this remarkable picture book about embracing all aspects of one's identity. Learn more and preorder here.
New book deals
Connect with us at NCTE 2024 Boston
Various members of the Soaring ‘20s will appear at the following sessions at the National Council of Teachers of English annual meeting at the Boston Convention Center:
Thursday, November 21
1-2:15 PM: Centers of Heart and Hope: Using Picturebook Biographies to Advocate for Libraries (Room 204A) - Angela Burke Kunkel
Friday, November 22
9:30-10:45 AM: WOWED by Nonfiction! Exploring Nonfiction Writing with Orbis Pictus Award-Winning Authors (Room 258B) - Patricia Newman
11-12:15 AM: Immigrant and New Generation Children’s Literature Opens Opportunities to Integrate Race and Culture into SEL Teaching (Room 207) - Darshana Khiani
12:30-1:45 PM: The Scientific Superpower of Curiosity: How Stories of Scientists Spark Inquiry, Critical Thinking, and Hope in the Classroom and Beyond (Room 151A) - Rajani LaRocca
12:30-1:45 PM: Beyond Biographies: Empowering Students to Access Their Own Creative Voice (Room 252A) - Angela Burke Kunkel
3:30-4:45 PM: Hugging Hearts with Humor to Engage Students in Reading, Writing, and SEL (Room 162A) - Carrie Finison
3:30-4:45 PM: Teaching with the 2024 Charlotte Huck and Orbis Pictus Award Books (Room 205A) - Kirsten W. Larson
3:30-4:45 PM: Diversifying Verse: Expanding the Poetic Canon by Including BIPOC Poets in Classrooms and Collections (Room 162B) - Valerie Bolling
Saturday, November 23
8:15-9:30 AM: Harnessing the Power of Intergenerational Stories in the Classroom (Room 203) - Rajani Larocca
12:30-2:30 PM: Children’s Book Award Luncheon (Room 210B) - Kirsten W. Larson and Rajani LaRocca
1:15-2:30 PM: Accessing the Heart: Teaching Universal Themes through Culturally Specific Stories (Room 204A) - Stephen Briseño, Lindsay Metcalf, and Vicky Fang
2:45- 4 PM: The Power of Poetry: How Lyrical Texts Convey Messages of Heart, Hope, and Humanity and Develop Lifelong Readers and Writers (Room 160 C) - Valerie Bolling
2:45-4:00 PM: Writing Our Identities: Using Novels-in-Verse to Inspire Authentic Poetry in the ELA Classroom (Room 204A) - Rajani LaRocca
4:15-5:30 PM: Advocating for Neurodivergent and Disabled Kids and Creating Inclusive Classrooms Using Children’s and Young Adult Books (Room 160A) - Jen Malia
Sunday, November 24
9-10:15 AM: Facilitating the Fun: Using Picture Books as a Springboard for Playful Writing Practice (Room 162B) - Carrie Finison and Valerie Bolling
9-10:15 AM: Conflict Resolution in the Classroom: Lessons in Empathy and Humanity in Middle Grade Novels (Room 205A) - Jen Malia
9-10:15 AM: How Stories Can Help Students Feel Brave and Take Risks (Room 162A) - Mia Wenjen
10:30-11:45 AM: A Common Humanity: Four Marginalized Authors Share Tips and Tools That Inspire Hope and Empower Educators and Students to Write Their Own Heartfelt Stories (Room 157C) - Valerie Bolling
Mark your calendars...
Note: All events are in person unless otherwise indicated.
California
November 3 10:30 a.m. -12:20 p.m. Storytime Sunday with Margaret Chiu Greanias
presented by On Waverly, 162 Waverly Pl, San Francisco, CA.
November 10: Patricia Newman presents STEM Nonfiction Books to Spark Curiosity + Inquiry at the California Association of Science Educators (CASE), Sacramento, CA.
November 17 10:30 a.m.- 12:30 p.m.: Isabella Kung will appear at Storytime Sunday with Nicole and Isabella Presented by On Waverly, 162 Waverly Pl, San Francisco, CA. RSVP here.
Maine
October 27 from 2 to 5 p.m.: Join Valerie Bolling and Melanie Ellsworth for the Foggy River Children’s Book Festival at Fogtown Brewing Co. in Ellsworth, Maine; Union River Book and Toy Co. will be selling books, and many New England authors and illustrators will be signing.
Massachusetts
October 26 @ 2 p.m.: Join Carrie Finison for Pigs Dig a Road Story Time, Newtonville Books, Newton, MA
November 4 @ 4 p.m.: Join Carrie Finison for an Author Visit & Story Time – Dozens of Doughnuts & Pigs Dig a Road, Weston Community Children’s Association/Weston Public Library, Weston, MA
November 16 @ 10 a.m.: Pigs Dig a Road Story Time with Carrie Finison, Purple Couch Bookshop, North Andover, MA
November 19 from 110 a.m. and 4 p.m.: Pigs Dig a Road Story Time with Carrie Finison, Beacon Hill Books, Boston, MA
November 21-24, 2024
New York
November 2: Join Valerie Bolling for the Rochester Children’s Book Festival, Rochester, NY.
Texas
October: Patricia Newman will visit the students at Annunciation Orthodox School, Houston, who are studying water conservation in their science class and environmental justice in the Brazilian rain forest in their geography class. Patricia will share her special blend of writing with hope and demonstrating our unbreakable connection to nature.
Virtual
November 2nd from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern: Join Kirsten Larson as part of SCBWI Southern Breeze’s “Crash Course in Craft.” Have you ever purchased a book to learn the craft of writing books for kids, but aren’t sure how to best put it to use? Here’s a chance to learn from the authors themselves! Join us for a full day of craft talks from the authors of preeminent books on writing craft (Deborah Halvorsen, Mary Kole, and Kirsten Larson). Learn more and register.
November 12 and 14: Join Valerie Bolling (and Janae Marks) for the Highlights Foundation Marketing Course.