Celebrating the Holidays at the White House

White House Decorations Honor
America's Military Families

 (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

The official Christmas tree was delivered to the North Portico of the White House in a horse-drawn carriage and presented to First Lady Michelle Obama, who was accompanied by daughters Malia and Sasha, on November 25. The 18-foot-6 inch balsam fir is decorated with holiday cards created by military children and ornaments featuring medals, badges, and patches from all of the military branches. In the photo at right, President Barack Obama shows military officials the White House Christmas Tree in the Blue Room following a meeting, Dec. 1, 2011.

(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

And on December 8 President Obama, the First Lady, Vice President Biden, and Dr. Jill Biden hosted a Hanukkah celebration in the White House in which the President remarked, 

"Let’s honor the sacrifices our ancestors made so that we might be here today. Let’s think about those who are spending this holiday far away from home -– including members of our military who guard our freedom around the world. Let’s extend a hand to those who are in need, and allow the value of tikkun olam to guide our work this holiday season."

Learn More About American
Holiday Traditions and White House History

The December holidays provide a fabulous opportunity to help young people learn about their own history and heritage, as well as the history, heritage, and traditions of others. Following are some resources you can share with young people to engage their natural curiosity and introduce them to holiday traditions at the White House:

Watch a video of the delivery of this year's douglas fir Christmas tree from Lehighton, Pennsylvania to the White House on November 26.

Watch a video of the lighting of the menorah and the Hanukkah celebration at the White House.

Discover how the Christmas tree became a White House tradition and how farmers across America compete to grow the “Grand Champion” selected to adorn the White House each year in "Grand Champions of the White House" by guest writer Renee Critcher Lyons on OurWhiteHouse.org. Read on for an excerpt:

A tree has not always graced the White House at Christmastime. In fact, Franklin Pierce (1856), our 14th president, became the first to embrace the 500-year old tradition of bringing a tree into the home to celebrate the hope of Christmas morn. And, the practice did not become a yearly event until the 1880’s. Only one president since has frowned upon the use of an official White House Christmas tree, Teddy Roosevelt. Our 26th president (1901-1909), at a time before Christmas tree farms were prevalent, believed the harvesting of Christmas trees might deplete our national forests, and thus banned the practice from the White House.

 

Read about the history of the National Christmas Tree, which graces the Ellipse between the White House and the Washington Monument, in "Our National Christmas Tree" by Cheli Mennella on OurWhiteHouse.org. Here is an excerpt:

The magnificent blue spruce towers above the Ellipse, the ground between the White House and the Washington Monument. Throughout the year it is a silent reminder of yuletide pleasures and joy. Then in December the tree takes on new significance. Dressed in strands of colorful lights and trimmed with ornaments, the tree, our National Christmas Tree, becomes a beacon of beauty and brilliance.

Read Newbery-medal winning author Susan Cooper's contrasting memories of the White House--one at a time of sorrow and another at a time of Christmas splendor--in "Memory of the White House" on OurWhiteHouse.org.

 

Discover More About the White House and American History in Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out
For even more information and stories about White House holiday traditions, the presidents and first ladies, and American history, check out a copy of Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out from your local library and share the extensive fiction and nonfiction pieces and plethora of original art illustrations with the young people in your life. To learn more about White House holidays, you might choose to read how the American hostage crisis in 1979 affected the lighting of the national Christmas tree during President Carter’s term in office in “From Christmas in Plains: Memories” by Jimmy Carter.

Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out is sold in hardcover and paperback at bookstores everywhere. LEARN MORE about this anthology at OurWhiteHouse.org.

Start Your Holiday Shopping Now with Book Suggestions from Reading Rockets

The 2011 Gift Book Guide Makes Holiday Shopping Easy!

Reading Rockets' 2011 Books as Gifts Guide makes it easy to find great books kids will enjoy. Created by children's literature expert Maria Salvadore, the list is a delightful collection of 80+ terrific nonfiction and fiction titles for kids ages 0-9 and includes recommendations for kids to read on their own and books for kids to read with a caring adult. Purchase from the annotated list online or print the buying guide to take with you on your shopping trip to the bookstore.

You can also share Season’s Readings using Reading Rockets' free e-cards. Reading themed holiday e-cards were created for Reading Rockets by award-winning children's book illustrators Bruce Degen, Mary Azarian, Loreen Leedy, David Carter, Robert Sabuda, Marie-Louise Gay, Chris Raschka, and Marc Brown.

Parents, guardians, homeschoolers, and other family members might want to check out snowy storytime ideas with Reading Rockets’ Family Literacy Bag featuring The Snowy Day. Designed to encourage hands-on fun and learning centered around paired fiction and nonfiction books, The Snowy Day Family Literacy Bag offers interactive activities to encourage parents to read to their children and talk about what they are reading together in order to promote a joy of reading and literacy achievement.

In Case You Missed It!

Interview Provides Insights Regarding the Future of How Children Read

"In 5 years you will have an entirely new marketplace of digital reading material for young children, in all new forms."
-Karen Lotz, President of Candlewick Press

Karen Lotz

In "How Will We Read: Children's Books?,"
C. M. Rubin interviews Karen Lotz, President of Candlewick Press, the largest independent children's publisher in the U.S., regarding the future of children's books. You won't want to miss Karen's insights regarding past and future sales trends, the importance of bookstores and school libraries, and the evolution of print to electronic book platforms.

Click here to read the entire interview in Education News.

Photo courtesy of Candlewick Press.

Join Us TOMORROW for "The Exquisite Conversation: An Adventure in Creating Books!"

The Exquisite Conversation:

An Adventure in Creating Books!

starring

Katherine Paterson

National Ambassador for Young People's Literature

M. T. Anderson + Natalie Babbitt

Susan Cooper + Timothy Basil Ering

Steven Kellogg

Patricia MacLachlan + James Ransome

Mary Brigid Barrett, Moderator 

 

Author and illustrator
Steven Kellogg

The Cambridge Public Library, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and The National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance invite you to join us tomorrow, December 3 at MIT for an afternoon of literary events designed for everyone who loves literature for young people--and the authors and illustrators who create it! 

Author Katherine Paterson

Tomorrow's afternoon of events begins with a lively roundtable discussion featuring some of America's most gifted storytellers and illustrators: M. T. Anderson, Natalie Babbitt, Susan Cooper, Timothy Basil Ering, Steven Kellogg, Patricia MacLachlan, James Ransome, and Katherine Paterson, National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, at 1:00 p.m. in Kresge Auditorium. 

Author M. T. Anderson

This presentation is FREE and open to the public.  Everyone who loves literature for young people and would enjoy learning more about the creative process, writing, and narrative illustration (including kids 10 and older) is welcome! No registration or ticket is required. Attendees are encouraged to bring a new paperback for a child or teen to donate as a holiday gift to children and young adults in family shelters in Cambridge.

Saturday's Schedule of
Exquisite Conversation Events

Noon - 1:00 p.m.: Book Sale by Porter Square Books in lobby of Kresge Auditorium, 48 Massachusetts Avenue.

1:00 - 2:20 p.m.: Exquisite Conversation: An Adventure in Creating Books! Presentation in Kresge Auditorium.

2:30 - 3:30 p.m.: Book Sale and Autographing in lobby of Kresge Auditorium.

3:30 - 5:00 p.m.: Wine and Cheese Reception with the Authors, Illustrators, and Special Guests, including Silent Auction, in Room 307 on the third floor mezzanine of the Stratton Center, a short walk from Kresge. Tickets are required. Read below for more information and to buy tickets.

Wine and Cheese Reception
with the Authors and Illustrators!

Auction Item:
Sketch by Chris Van Dusen

Beginning at 3:30 p.m. in the Stratton Center, the NCBLA invites you to our ticketed, adults-only Wine and Cheese Reception with the authors and special guests! Here you can meet each of the participating authors and illustrators and ask each of them the questions you've always wondered about!

Auction Item:
Illustration by Timothy Basil Ering

Included in the reception is the Silent Auction, featuring an exciting and diverse collection of themed book baskets; manuscript critiques from editors at Candlewick Press, Houghton Mifflin, and Curtis Brown; sketches and illustrations by David Macaulay, Timothy Basil Ering, Chris Van Dusen, and Trina Schart Hyman; and MORE!

All Silent Auction items and their complete descriptions will be on display at the Wine and Cheese Reception beginning at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 3 in Room 307 of the Stratton Center at MIT.

Tickets are still available for the Wine and Cheese Reception!

Click here to order your tickets for the Wine and Cheese Reception now. And please note that the NCBLA is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Ticket purchases are TAX DEDUCTIBLE to the extent allowed by law. 

 

For complete information about all the Exquisite Conversation events, including ticket purchases for the Wine and Cheese Reception, click here. For directions to the event venues at MIT, click here.

Author Katherine Paterson to Inaugurate National, Phone-In Book Talks

Children’s book author Katherine Paterson, selected by the Library of Congress as the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, will answer questions from writer Tanya Lee Stone at 7 p.m. this Thursday, December 1, in a live, national, phone-in event hosted by the Flying Pig Bookstore in Shelburne, Vermont.

Readers from across the country can sign up for the call at booktalknation.com, where they may also order personally-inscribed books including Paterson’s The Flint Heart; Bridge to Terabithia; Brother Sun, Sister Moon; and The Great Gilly Hopkins.

BookTalk Nation is a new series of phone-in author interviews sponsored by the Authors Guild to support traditional booksellers and highlight the key role they play in promoting a vibrant literary culture. Each talk in the series will be hosted by a local bookstore with ties to the featured author.

“I just hope everybody will support their independent bookstores,” said Paterson, who lives in Vermont. She said she was eager to participate because she’s seen first-hand how knowledgeable, committed booksellers help readers find just the right book.

Paterson will also be one of nine celebrated authors and illustrators speaking this Saturday, December 3, at 1:00 p.m. in Kresge Auditorium at MIT as a part of The Exquisite Conversation: An Adventure in Creating Books!  This roundtable discussion moderated by NCBLA Executive Director Mary Brigid Barrett will feature: M. T. Anderson, Natalie Babbitt, Susan Cooper, Timothy Basil Ering, Steven Kellogg, Patricia MacLachlan, James Ransome, and Katherine Paterson! 
 

This presentation is FREE and open to the public for kids over 10. Everyone who loves literature for young people and would love to learn more about the creative process, writing, and narrative illustration is welcome! Click here to learn more. 

ONE WEEK FROM TODAY! Afternoon with Nine Authors and Illustrators Scheduled at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts

The Exquisite Conversation:
An Adventure in Creating Books!

Don't Miss an Afternoon of Literary Events Featuring an Author and Illustrator Presentation, Book Sale, Autographing, Wine and Cheese Reception, and Silent Auction!

Katherine Paterson

The Cambridge Public Library, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and The National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance invite you to join us next Saturday, December 3 at MIT for an afternoon of events designed for everyone who loves literature for young people--and the authors and illustrators who create it! 

Susan Cooper

Beginning at 1:00 in Kresge Auditorium, we proudly present a roundtable discussion moderated by NCBLA Executive Director Mary Brigid Barrett featuring some of America's most beloved authors and illustrators: M. T. Anderson, Natalie Babbitt, Susan Cooper, Timothy Basil Ering, Steven Kellogg, Patricia MacLachlan, James Ransome, and Katherine Paterson, National Ambassador for Young People's Literature! 

M. T. Anderson

This presentation is FREE and open to the public for kids over 10. Everyone who loves literature for young people and would love to learn more about the creative process, writing, and narrative illustration is welcome! 

Natalie Babbitt

No registration or ticket is required. 

 

Attendees are encouraged to bring a new paperback for a child or teen to donate as a holiday gift to children and young adults in family shelters in Cambridge.

 

 

 

Schedule of Exquisite Conversation Events

Noon - 1:00 p.m.:   Book Sale by Porter Square Books in lobby of Kresge Auditorium, 48 Massachusetts Avenue.

1:00 - 2:20 p.m.:   Exquisite Conversation: An Adventure in Creating Books! Presentation in Kresge Auditorium.

2:30 - 3:30 p.m.:   Book Sale and Autographing in lobby of Kresge Auditorium.

3:30 - 5:00 p.m.:   Wine and Cheese Reception with the Authors, Illustrators, and Special Guests, including Silent Auction,  in Room 307 on the third floor mezzanine of the Stratton Center, a short walk from Kresge. Tickets are required. Read below for more information and to buy tickets.

Wine and Cheese Reception

with the Authors and Special Guests!

 

Patricia MacLachlan

Beginning at 3:30 p.m. in the Stratton Center, the NCBLA invites you to our ticketed, adults-only Wine and Cheese Reception with the authors and special guests! Here you can meet each of the participating authors and illustrators and ask each of them the questions you've always wondered about!  

 

Our entire Exquisite Conversation panel will be there to meet you: M. T. Anderson, Natalie Babbitt, Mary Brigid Barrett, Susan Cooper, Timothy Basil Ering, Steven Kellogg, Patricia MacLachlan, Katherine Paterson, and James Ransome! 

 

Steven Kellogg

An added feature of our reception is the Silent Auction, featuring an exciting and diverse collection of themed book baskets, manuscript critiques, sketches and illustrations, and MORE!  See the catalog of Silent Auction items below.

Tickets are still available for the Wine and Cheese Reception! 

Click here to order your tickets for the Wine and Cheese Reception now. And please note that the NCBLA is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Ticket purchases are TAX DEDUCTIBLE to the extent allowed by law. 

Silent Auction Catalog of Items

Manuscript Critiques                                      

Three manuscript critiques by Editors at Candlewick Press.

 

Manuscript critique by Executive Editor at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 

 

Picture book critique by Executive Vice President at Curtis Brown Ltd.

Artwork                                                                  

Pencil sketch by Chris Van Dusen

Pencil sketch by Chris Van Dusen for Episode 17 of The Exquisite Corpse Adventure, "Speak, Memory," written by Susan Cooper. (Image at left.)

Illustration by Timothy Basil Ering for Episode 23

Color illustration by Timothy Basil Ering for Episode 24 of The Exquisite Corpse Adventure, "When Is a Door Not a Door?" written by Natalie Babbitt. (Image at right.)

 

Book Baskets and Specialized Items        

Author and Illustrator
James Ransome

A collection of books by author and illustrator James Ransome, all signed.

One signed copy of Eric Carle's The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse with one family pass to the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.

Basket of assorted books from publisher Barefoot Books.

Two baskets of Curious George books and gift items.

Author and Illustrator
Timothy Basil Ering

Exquisite Conversation Authors' and Illustrators' Basket, which includes: The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party by M. T. Anderson; Finn Throws a Fit! written by David Elliott and illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering; A Joyful Christmas: A Treasury of New and Classic Songs, Poems, and Stories for the Holiday illustrated by James Ransome; The Flint Heart by John and Katherine Paterson; Shoebox Sam written by Mary Brigid Barrett and illustrated by Frank Morrison; The Dark Is Rising: The Complete Sequence by Susan Cooper; Jack Plank Tells Tales by Natalie Babbitt; Lala Salama: A Tanzanian Lullaby by Patricia MacLachlan and illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon; And I Love You written by Ruth Krauss and illustrated by Steven Kellogg; The Day of the Pelican by Katherine Paterson.

All Silent Auction items and their complete descriptions will be on display at the Wine and Cheese Reception beginning at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 3 in Room 307 of the Stratton Center at MIT.

For complete information about all the Exquisite Conversation events, including ticket purchases for the Wine and Cheese Reception, click here. For directions to the event venues at MIT, click here.