Three days of panels, keynotes, author receptions, and rep picks--along with costume parties and karaoke--came to an end Monday evening in Schaumburg, Ill., with the close of Children's Institute 2026.
|
|
| Lois Lowry with Cathy Berner | |
The conference's closing keynote featured Lois Lowry, the Newbery Medal-winning author of The Giver, Number the Stars, and a plethora of other books for children and young adults. Lowry was in conversation with Cathy Berner, children's & YA specialist at Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston, Tex.
Berner dubbed Lowry a "living legend," and the pair discussed Lowry's upcoming novel Building 903 (Clarion, Sept.), the reasons she writes for young people, and what gives her hope in these uncertain times. (A full report of the conversation, and more from Ci2026, will appear this week in Shelf Awareness).
Following the conversation with Lowry, American Booksellers Association CEO Allison Hill said she hopes booksellers head home feeling "seen and celebrated," and that the conference helped them remember "how much influence you have in the world." She revealed that Children's Institute 2027 will take place in Albuquerque, N.Mex., June 11-13. 
Quill Tree Books authors (l.) Tess Hannigan (The Cow in the Dark at Night, July) and (r.) Janae Marks (Starting Now, Oct.) with bookseller Annastasia Williams (center) of The Bottom in Knoxville, Tenn.
Kelly Stromberg of Helianthus Books, Leawood, Kan., shows off author Frederick Joseph's October title, Everything's Not Lost (Viking Books for Young Readers).
The closing lunch at Children's Institute was sponsored by HarperCollins Children's Books, celebrating 100 years of publishing children's books. Hosted by Lisa DiSarro, executive director, marketing, Harper Children's, the lunch featured an extensive back and forth among DiSarro and four Harper authors: Cynthia Leitich Smith, Jerry Craft, Kevin Henkes, and David Wiesner. At the lunch, DiSarro announced that Harper Children's is making a $5,000 contribution to Binc in celebration of the anniversary. Pictured: (from left) Wiesner, DiSarro, Leitich Smith, Henkes, and Craft.
At the "12-15 Year Olds Need Books Too" panel, a crew of attentive booksellers: (front, l.-r.) Jennifer Gwydir and Cathy Berner, Blue Willow Bookshop, Houston, Tex., ABA president Cynthia Compton, 4 Kids Books & Toys, Zionsville, Ind., and MacArthur Books, Carmel, Ind.; (back) Heather Hebert and Laurel O'Connor, Children's Book World, Haverford, Pa.
Co-creators Raina Telgemeier (l.) and Gale Galligan of Baby-sitters on Board!: A Graphic Novel (Graphix, September) strike a pose at Scholastic's late-night '80s After Party.
Binc played its popular Heads or Tails game, which raised $3,060 for the organization through the sale of special-edition Binc 30th anniversary blinkie pins. The winner was Meghan Russo of the childhood literacy nonprofit and bookstore Read Early and Daily, in Arlington, Va. Binc enlisted the help of a celebrity guest, author and illustrator Jerry Craft, to assist with the coin toss. From left: Binc's Mary Webber O'Malley, Craft, Russo, and Binc's Judey Kalchik.