The Charlotte Zolotow Award is given for the most distinguished text in a picture book

Where can you hear amazing book creators like Angie Thomas, Benjamin Alire Saenz, Candace Fleming, Crescent Dragonwagon, Eric Rohman, and Javaka Steptoe; talk with other librarians and teachers about using books with kids; and be inspired about the work you do?  Right here in Wisconsin!  Consider attending the Cooperative Children’s Book Center’s Charlotte Zolotow Symposium on Saturday October 13 in Madison.  Bonus:  go on Friday evening and you’ll get to attend the free Charlotte Zolotow Award Ceremony (featuring winning author Bao Phi, who wrote  A Different Pond, one of my favorite picture books of the year) and the also-free Charlotte Zolotow Lecture with Benjamin Alire Saenz (author of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, among many others).

I’m going to go!  Please let me know if you are interested and would like help finding carpool partners and roommates.  With a line-up like this, curated and put together by the thoughtful folks at the CCBC, this is bound to be a terrific and inspiring day (or days) of learning.  If you combine it with a chance to network with other IFLS librarians, it is bound to be unbeatable!