We are in the midst of one of my favorite months to celebrate in the library, Picture Book Month. In 2013, I started brainstorming with several dynamic librarians across the country a way for us to celebrate the close of the month.  Jenny Lussier, Cathy Potter, Shawna Ford, Kathy Kaldenberg, and I created the very first Picture Book Smackdown which was held via Google Hangout on November 21, 2013.  Authors Laurel Snyder and Ame Dyckman joined us as well.  For one hour, we all shared as many picture book talks as possible.  This was the beginning of an annual event that is now in its 6th iteration.

This year, our event will take place on November 29th from 1:30PM-2:30PM EST.  We will feature students from:

• David C. Barrow Elementary in Athens, GA (facilitated by Andy Plemmons)
• Orchard School in South Burlington, VT (facilitated by Donna MacDonald)
• Early Childhood Development Center in Corpus Christi, TX (facilitated by Julee Murphy)

This year we are also very excited to announce that we will be joined by author, Saadia Faruqi. She is the author of Meet Yasmin!, Yasmin the Fashionista, Yasmin the Painter, Yasmin the Explorer, and Yasmin the Builder.  

I‘ve put together a Smore which will be a place holder for our live broadcast on Youtube Live.  Even if you can’t join us, you can watch the archive of our smackdown via the link on the Smore.

What to expect:

• A live broadcast via Youtube Live or archived to watch at a later time
• Numerous student voices book talking their favorite picture books in 3 states
• A short talk from Saadia Faruqi about why picture books matter in the world
• A list of the books we reference

What you can do:

• Watch live with your class!
• Host your own picture book smackdown in your classroom, library, or district
• Share your favorite picture books on social media using the hashtags #pbsmkdwn and #picturebookmonth
• Send students a shout out on Twitter using #pbsmkdwn

We will of course continue reading and sharing picture books all year long, but we want to end November with this special event.  This year’s Picture Book Smackdown is once again dedicated in loving memory of Dianne de Las Casas, founder of Picture Book Month.  We lost Dianne in a tragic fire, but her legacy of advocating for the importance of picture books in our world lives on.