2012 Children's Literature Conference
Candace Fleming
Candace Fleming (www.candacefleming.com) awarded herself the Newbery Medal in fifth grade after scraping the gold sticker off the class copy of The Witch of Blackbird Pond and pasting it onto her first novel—a ten page, ten-chapter mystery titled Who Done It? She’s been collecting awards (her own, not Elizabeth George Speare’s) ever since.
Today, she is the prolific and versatile author of more than twenty books for children, including Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! (Atheneum/Anne Schwartz Books, 2002), Boxes for Katje (FSG, 2003), The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School (Random House/Schwartz and Wade, 2007) and The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary (Random House/Schwartz and Wade, 2008). The modern classic Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! was named to the New York Public Library’s list of 100 Picture Books Everyone Should Know.
Candace is equally well-known as a meticulous researcher, who, with her longtime editor, Anne Schwartz, developed a scrapbook style of biographies that stand out for their generous display of archival photos and documents, as well as artful design techniques designed to evoke the era in which the subject lived. Candace won the 2009 Boston Globe-Horn Book award for Nonfiction for her biography of the Lincolns, which also was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times’ Literary Book Prize in 2009. The Great and Only Barnum: the Tremendous, Stupendous Life of Showman P.T. Barnum was nominated for the YALSA 2010 Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults.
Candace’s most recent title, Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart, was named a Hornbook Best Book of 2011, as well as a School Library Journal Best Book, a Kirkus Best Book, and a New York Times Notaable Book. Two of her 2010 titles, Clever Jack Takes the Cake (PB) and The Fabled Fifth Graders of Aesop Elementary School (MG), were named Parents’ Choice Recommended Books.
At the 2012 Children’s Literature Conference, Candace will present the following sessions:
Bring ‘Em Back Alive: Writing Biography for Children
What does it take to write a biography kids will love? In this fun and fascinating PowerPoint presentation, Boston Globe/Horn Book Award winner Candace Fleming shares her research and writing process as she tries to “bring ‘em back alive.” Participants will not only learn about the special editing and design considerations that go into creating her signature “scrapbook biographies,” but they get a view of what she calls her “adventures in research,” uncovering forgotten historic documents in a New York attic, attending a memorial service for a former First Lady, and learning to walk a tightrope.
Together and Apart: the Collaborative Process of Creating a Picture Book
Join author-illustrator team Candace Fleming and Eric Rohmann in a sneak peek, behind-the-scenes look at their first project together, the picture book Oh, No! It’s rare for an author and illustrator to communicate with each other. So how do two experienced artists, who have worked on many projects individually, figure out how to tackle a project together? Especially when they’re learning to live and work in partnership? They bring differing opinions, talents, and tastes to the project – how does this affect the finished book? Sit back and enjoy the PowerPoint-illustrated process as Candace and Eric lead you through their journey of discovery with energy, humor, and candor.