National Book Award Footage

Phillip Hoose and Claudette Colvin, 2009 National Book Awards Dinner from National Book Foundation on Vimeo.

Hope you heart does all the leaps mine did and does seeing Phil Hoose and Claudette Colvin side-by-side accepting the National Book Award for Young People's Literature.

Phil & Claudette Take the Prize

Our dear friend, Phillip Hoose walked away with a National Book Award tonight for his stunning portrait of a brave woman, Claudette Colvin.

Claudette stood regal by Phil's side as he accepted the award and thanked her repeatedly for taking a chance on him, for letting him tell her story.

Could be the hour of 3AM, could be the champagne, could be all the darn delight and pride I am feeling, but I cannot come up with any more to say yet. Just all too grand.

New York City Here We Come

With a round of "New York City Here We Come" set to the tune of Buck Owen's Kansas City Song, Phillip Hoose and his band Chipped Enamel closed the send-off party for the National Book Awards.

The lyric of "they've got a whole lot of awards and I'm gonna get me some" brought down the house of fellow writers, musicians, activists, librarians, friends, and other readers.

Phil was especially honored to have the Talbot family present at the event. Phil's book is dedicated to Jerry Talbot, Maine legislator, innovator, historian, and friend to so many.

Phillip Hoose's book Claudette Colvin: Twice Towards Justice is a finalist for the National Book Award. He and Claudette Colvin will be strolling into the ceremony on Wednesday night and Curious City will not be far behind camera and shimmery shoes at the ready.

Miami Thrice

Three days of 80 degree weather and 100's of thousands of readers for Anne Sibley O'Brien and Ed Briant at the Miami Book Fair.

We booked both for Alex Simmon's Kids Comic Con held within the larger festival.



Anne's work from The Legend of Hong Kil Dong: The Robin Hood of Korea was accepted in the Color of Comics Exhibit at Miami Dade where she appeared with other artists that have included characters of color in starring roles in their comics.



Ed was there to support his fabulous picture books / comic books Don't Look Now and If You Lived Here You'd Be Home By Now from Roaring Brook Press.

(Photos from Miami Book Fair Flickr)

Claudette Colvin Live