Join the Picture Book Summit Team as we celebrate this year's crop of Caldecott Winners and Honorees. We have so much to say that it can't be contained in one episode! Today, we analyze OUR LAKE, written and illustrated by Angie Kang, and EVERY MONDAY MABEL, written and illustrated by Jashar Awan.

Plus, we discuss commonalities in all of this year's Caldecott books, what we loved and observed about these books, and while picture books look easy, these are particular ones are so layered and full of nuance. From thoughtful and beautiful to funny and relatable, we hope this conversation inspires you to do some creating of your own.

Books mentioned in this episode:

• OUR LAKE written and illustrated by Angie Kang
• EVERY MONDAY MABEL by Jashar Awan

Find all of this year's Caldecott books in the Picture Book Summit Bookshop!

How are Caldecott books chosen each year? Check out Emma's video explanation here.

We talked about Katie's awesome Summit presentation on picture book endings. Podcast listeners can get 25% off! Use code PODCAST at this link: https://picturebooksummit.freshlearn.com/endings.

To celebrate our 10th Anniversary Picture Book Summit, we hosted returning Superstar Speakers Jon Klassen and Mac Barnett to talk about how they construct picture books together. You will be fascinated by the details behind one of their seemingly simple stories. (You might also leave with a greater appreciation of 8-bit video games.)

Enjoy this insight into their partnership, how they think, and how they play off one another's work.

Remember, you can purchase lifetime access to any past Summit Superstar Presentation or Workshop, including this one at picturebooksummit.freshlearn.com.

Who needs feedback on their picture book manuscripts? You do! (Don't worry. We do too!) In fact, every writer needs good critiques of their work before it's ready for publication.

So, what kind of feedback are you looking for and where can you get it? Emma Walton Hamilton, Julie Hedlund, Katie Davis, and Kelli Panique share their best advice on getting feedback that will actually make your writing stronger.

What does it mean to be a part of the writing community? How can you be a good literary citizen within the writing community?

In this episode, Emma Walton Hamilton, Julie Hedlund, Katie Davis, and Kelli Panique share easy ways you can support your fellow writers and illustrators, as well as booksellers and libraries. (Guess what? Many of these suggestions are free things you can do help get the word out about books and support the reading, writing, and literacy communities.)

What will you do to be a good literary citizen in your neighborhood and online?

When National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Meg Medina joined the Picture Book Summit, she discussed the three Rs of picture book writing: Readers, Relationship, and Revision. Today, Meg shares about what it means to write for young readers and what matters to them by exploring the genesis of her own books. She even provides a fun writing exercise to get us started on our own stories.

Book mentioned in this episode:

• Tia Isa Wants a Car by Meg Medina and Claudia Munoz
• Mango, Abuela, and Me by Meg Medina and Angela Dominguez
• Evelyn Del Rey is Moving Away by Meg Medina and Sonia Sánchez

At no additional cost to you, Picture Book Summit may earn a small commission on books purchased through the links above.

Julie Hedlund and Angela Dalton are both authors of picture book biographies about well-known celebrities. Julie wrote SONG AFTER SONG: The Musical Life of Julie Andrews and Angela authored TO BOLDY GO: How Nichelle Nichols and Star Trek Helped Advance Civil Rights. Before their books were acquired, they did everything wrong. In this snippet from a past Picture Book Summit workshop, Julie and Angela reveal a couple of mistakes they made so you don't have to.

Can a car company executive help you find your picture book writing why? Grace Lin thinks so! In a past Summit, Grace divulged an insightful (and relatively easy) way to find your why. She challenged us to look at our picture book manuscripts and ask if those stories really want to be picture books or if they are served better in a different kidlit genre. If you've been fighting with a work-in-progress, Grace Lin is here to help!

What makes a great picture book? Artistic duo The Steads share their approach to picture books and how something seemingly so simple actually takes a lot of work, nuance, and collaboration.

Philip C. Stead and Erin E. Stead are the author and illustrator of the Caldecott Medal Book A Sick Day for Amos McGee. They have collaborated on many books together, including Bear Has a Story to Tell, Lenny & Lucy, Music for Mister Moon, and The Sun Is Late and So Is the Farmer. Philip and Erin create their books in the hayloft of an old barn at the edge of the world.

Time is running out! Get your ticket to Saturday's online Picture Book Summit today!

www.picturebooksummit.com

What in the world is going on in picture book publishing? Is it slow for everyone or is it just you? Are global events affecting the industry? Surely, COVID-19 isn't still impacting our market.

In this episode, Emma, Julie, and Kelli explore what publishing looks like currently for picture book creators, what we hope it looks like in the future, and what we can do about it right now.

With the current state of picture book publishing, every submission opportunity counts. Lucky for you, there's still time to get a Summit + Submissions Ticket to Picture Book Summit 2025 and take advantage of our SEVEN manuscript submission opportunities. Go to www.picturebooksummit.com.

One of the big advantages of attending a conference—online or in-person—is the opportunity to submit to Featured Agents and Editors. Many agents and editors are open to submissions from conference attendees, even when they aren't open to general submissions. Simply by making the effort to attend a conference, you demonstrate to agents and editors that you are committed to refining your craft.

This episode also includes:

• Tips for making a good first impression.
• What to include in your query letters.
• How to research agents and editors to target your submissions.
• Why you should have 3-4 polished manuscripts ready to go.
• What to put in your bio paragraph if you don't have any published work.
• Why you need comp titles and how to choose them.
• Bonus: A Fun Writing Exercise!

There's still time to get a Summit + Submissions Ticket to Picture Book Summit 2025 and take advantage of our SEVEN manuscript submission opportunities. Go to www.picturebooksummit.com.

Every year, we host what we like to call a "mini" Summit. It's a short webinar to give writers a taste of what we offer at our full-day event.

In this episode, we share a past Mini Summit all about creating Game Changing ideas. Our goal is to spark your imagination and creativity by showing just a few ways other picture book creators have turned ideas on their heads.

Get ready to be inspired by the Picture Book Summit Founders and be sure to find out about our latest event by going to picturebooksummit.com.

Books mentioned in this episode:

• Follow That Frog by Philip Stead and Matthew Cordell
• There Are No Ants in This Book by Rosemary Mosco and Anna Pirolli
• Who Hops? by Katie Davis
• One Fox: A Counting Book Thriller by Kate Read
• Waiting in the Wings by Julie Andrews, Emma Walton Hamilton, and E.G. Keller
• Tumblebaby by Adam Rex
• The Story of the Saxophone by Lesa Cline Ransome and James E. Ransome
• School's First Day of School by Adam Rex
• XO, Exoplanet by Deborah Underwood and Jorge Lacera
• A River of Dust by Jilane Hoffman and Eugenia Mello
• Vlad the Fabulous Vampire by Flavia Z. Drago
• The Bees of Notre Dame by Meghan P. Browne and E.B. Goodale
• Mole is Not Alone by Maya Tatsukawa
• Snail in Space by Rachel Bright and Nadia Shireen
• There was a Party for Langston by Jason Reynolds and the Pumphrey Brothers
• Mel Fell by Corey Tabor
• Ursula Upside Down by Corey R. Tabor
• Big by Vashti Harrison
• Days Like This by Oriane Smith and Alice Gravier
• Mr. S by Monica Arnaldo
• Spencer's New Pet by Jessie Sima