PublishersWeekly.com
Fall 2000 Children's Books
Diane Roback, Editor, and Jason Britton, Associate Editor -- 07/17/00
Fall means many things to many people: there's a welcome break from the heat of summer, brightly colored leaves bring a new landscape, and children head back to school. Last but not least, fall means the launch of publishers' most ambitious lists. Several publishers mark books' anniversaries this fall, and beloved characters like Babar and Strega Nona, among others, are making a comeback. In addition to our comprehensive fall listings, we look at some of the tougher issues facing children's publishers and booksellers today, give the first advance look at the highlights of next spring's lists, and offer stories from people in the industry about the times they've been most absorbed in a children's book.
Happy reading!
A Changing Landscape Children's publishers discuss the industry's new realities Problem-Solving in the Backroom Booksellers discuss how they cope with behind-the-scenes difficulties Subway Stories Uninterrupted reading time is one (perhaps the only) advantage of a commute to work on public transportation. Once in a great while, if it's a particularly good book, it can even cause you to miss your stop. We asked a variety of people in children's publishing what children's book had ever made them overshoot their destination... A Lighthearted Awards Ceremony We're always on the lookout, as we compile these listings, for titles that tickle our funny bones. Here we've bestowed, in the spirit of fun, a handful of awards in a variety of categories. Here it is! A comprehensive, A-Z listing of the Children's Books for Fall 2000. Have a sneak-peek at the Spring 2001 Children's Books. Compiled by Shannon Maughan. And check out these "Kid Bits"...Celebrities Take Center Stage on Fall Lists...Cinderella's Numerous New Faces...Favorite Characters Return
|
Correction: Contrary to what was reported in the story about Megan Tingley Books in "New Hats in the Ring" (July 31), Look-Alikes Christmas by Joan Steiner will not be published this fall; it is currently in progress and is yet unscheduled.
About Our Cover Artist
Trained as a fine artist, David Small never planned to get into children's books, although he says, "People who know me say I was always headed in that direction." And looking back, he realizes that "the seeds of my work for picture books have always been in my work."
Small taught drawing and printmaking for 14 years, and then "fell into illustration by necessity" when his teaching job was eliminated. He worked for years as a freelance editorial artist, for such publications as the New Yorker andthe New York Times. It was during this time that the book-illustration bug bit. "A friend of mine gave me Russell Hoban's The Mouse and His Child and said I had to read it. It's a strange, dark, troubling, existential novel for children--right up my alley. It made me think maybe I could do this."
And with 27 books to his credit now, Small says, "Picture books were a natural for me." Accolades have followed, capped by a 1998 Caldecott Honor Award for The Gardener (FSG), written by Small's wife, Sarah Stewart. "The award has made my life take a wonderful right angle turn," he notes. "It gave me the ability to relax a little bit, and I decided to cut out my editorial work. And it instantly cleared up my professional inferiority complex, and made me realize I really have an audience out there."
Now that he's working on book projects exclusively, it's full steam ahead. So You Want to Be President?, a picture book written by Judith St. George, is due in August from Philomel, just in time for the elections. This season Hyperion will reissue Company's Coming, a book Small did with Arthur Yorinks in 1985, and will also publish a sequel, Company's Going, in fall 2001. Next spring brings The Journey, written by Sarah Stewart, from Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
And in a strange twist of fate, the book that Small is currently illustrating is a new edition of The Mouse and His Child, for Scholastic/Levine. "I'm very excited about doing this book," he says. "It's a completely different look for the book, and for me, it brings things full circle."
Back to PublishersWeekly.com Homepage
Copyright 2000. Publishers Weekly. All rights reserved.
