Memorable Moments from #IBBY #kidlit #literacy #writing

I attended the IBBY regional conference at the Arne Nixon Center in Fresno, CA this past weekend. For those of you unfamiliar with this fabulous non-profit organization, the International Board on Books for Young People is committed to bringing books and children together. Regional sections are located from Argentina to Zimbabwe.

Some of my most memorable moments included quotes from these inspiring speakers:

1. From Pam Munoz Ryan who is often asked, “What is your motivation to write?”:  “That’s easy,” she says. “To turn the page.”
2. From Newbery Honor winner, Margarita Engle on finding connections between the history of Cuba and her poetry: She strives to discover what it felt like “to make hopeful choices in a time that felt hopeless?”
3. From Brazilian illustrator and Hans Christian Andersen Medal winner, Roger Mello:  “Monkeys are people. They just don’t speak because otherwise they would have to work.”
4. From Alvina Ling (@planetalvina), editor at Little Brown and Grace Lin (@pacylin), author, when Grace first submitted her manuscript for her Newbery Honor title, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon:  Alvina: “This is a great first quarter.”  Grace: “I thought it was all finished!”
5. From Adwoa Badoe, author and storyteller: “I believe the storyteller stands in the present to harness the past to create the image for the future.”