Picture Book Month Celebration-NOVEMBER

You are invited to participate in the first annual Picture Book Month Celebration!

"What is Picture Book Month?" you ask. It is an international initiative to designate November as Picture Book Month, encouraging grown-ups to read picture books with children. Founder, Dianne de Las Casas, and Co-Founders, Wendy Martin (illustrator & creator of the Picture Book Month logo and designs) http://www.wendymartinillustration.com/, Katie Davis (author/illustrator) http://www.katiedavis.com/, Elizabeth O. Dulemba (author/illustrator) http://www.dulemba.com/, and Tara Lazar (author) http://www.taralazar.wordpress.com/ are putting together their worldwide connections to make this happen.

Picture books celebrate childhood. They speak universal truths and help children better understand the world around them. They are often a child’s first exposure to fine art and poetic language. Some picture books are so magical, they define childhood. They become a marker or a milestone in a child’s life. Here are the many ways that picture books empower children. Picture books…
celebrate childhood.
contain universal truths, speaking to children about the world around them.
are the gateway to literacy, allowing emergent readers to explore language.
allow children to explore emotions and feelings in a way their current stage of development does not permit.
expose children to vocabulary words and grammar, even before they step foot in school.
can engage a group of children, allowing them to sit still, or wiggle, and imagine…
showcase fine art, letting children explore a whole new visual world.
allow children to explore a “dangerous” world in a safe environment.
encourage children and grown-ups to bond over a shared experience.
allow children to be children
As we speak, a website (http://www.picturebookmonth.com/) is being created. You may visit the website now but please be aware that it is in beta and a lot is going to change, including a redesign which will include Wendy's gorgeous logo! The website will include:
A Picture Book Hero featured every day
A themed calendar
Picture Book Links and Resources
Links to picture book publishers
Links to picture book authors/illustrators
Links to picture book blogs/review sites
Picture Book Activities
We are doing this because in this digital age where people are predicting the coming death of print books, picture books (the print kind) need love. And kids need picture books. There's nothing like the physical page turn of a beautifully crafted picture book.

As a participant, all you have to do is promote Picture Book Month! I will send you all the art and you can create promotional materials using it. That's it. Take pictures and send them to me so I can feature you and your organization on our website. If you have any new ideas on promoting picture books, please let me know!

Tell everyone you know about Picture Book Month. This is our first year but we will work to get as much publicity as possible.

Please email me back letting me know if you will or will not be participating. Thank you very much for your consideration.

Celebrate Childhood with Picture Books!

Warmly,
Dianne
Dianne de Las Casas
Award-Winning Author & Storyteller
The Story Connection
P.O. Box 2656
Harvey, LA 70059
dianne@storyconnection.net
storyconnection@gmail.com
http://www.storyconnection.net
http://www.storyconnection.net/blog

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Children's Books:

*Dinosaur Mardi Gras (Pelican Publishing; 2012)
*Blue Frog: The Legend of Chocolate (Pelican Publishing; 2011)
*The House That Witchy Built (Pelican Publishing; 2011)
*There's a Dragon in the Library (Pelican Publishing; 2011)
*Mama's Bayou (Pelican Publishing; 2010)
*The Gigantic Sweet Potato (Pelican Publishing; 2010)
*Madame Poulet and Monsieur Roach (Pelican Publishing; 2009)
*The Cajun Cornbread Boy (Pelican Publishing Co., 2009)

Professional Books:
*Handmade Tales 2: More Stories to Make and Take (Libraries Unlimited; 2012)
*A Is For Alligators: Draw & Tell Tales from A-Z (Libraries Unlimited; 2011)
*Tales from the 7,000 Isles: Filipino Folk Stories (Libraries Unlimited; 2011)
*Tell Along Tales: Playing with Participation Stories (Libraries Unlimited; 2011)
*Stories on Board: Creating Board Games from Favorite Tales (Libraries Unlimited; 2010)
*Scared Silly: 25 Tales to Tickle and Thrill (Libraries Unlimited; Spring 2009)
*The Story Biz Handbook: How to Manage Your Storytelling Career from the Desk to the Stage (Libraries Unlimited; 2008)
*Tangram Tales: Story Theater Using the Ancient Chinese Puzzle (Teacher Ideas Press; 2008)
*Handmade Tales: Stories to Make and Take (Libraries Unlimited; 2007)
*Kamishibai Story Theater: The Art of Picture Telling (Teacher Ideas Press; 2008)
*Story Fest: Crafting Story Theater Scripts (Teacher Ideas Press; 2005)