News from the SCBWI Impact and Legacy Fund: November 2024

This Giving Tuesday, Support School Libraries

Are you ready to make a difference? Mark your calendars for December 3rd because this Giving Tuesday we are focusing on supporting school libraries. 

For many American children, their primary exposure to books happens at their school library. Just a short walk down the hall or across the yard of their school leads them to the wonderful world of reading. In the pages of these books, they can see themselves, discover the world, and become literate, caring citizens. Yet many school libraries are severely under-funded. This is why the SCBWI Impact and Legacy Fund has chosen to support school libraries for our Giving Tuesday Program.

Called All Readers Welcome, our program will offer elementary, middle school and high school libraries across the country $1,500 each to purchase books that they might not be otherwise able to purchase. These books, which will be chosen by the librarian and represent the needs of the school community, will allow all children to see themselves reflected on the pages of a good book.

Already this literacy-building program has brought over 800 current books into 27 school libraries, reaching over 25,000 students across the United States. And we need your help to support and uplift school libraries in 2024 and 2025.

Of the Giving Tuesday program, managing director Lin Oliver says: 

“We’ve had school libraries from all over the United States write to us about their urgent need for new books. Their stories are both wonderful and heartbreaking. The dedication of these librarians to their students is beyond admirable. This Giving Tuesday we have decided to do all we can to support and honor the core role libraries play in their school communities.”

Giving Tuesday is December 3 this year. We need your help to fund these school libraries. Every single dollar you donate will go to purchasing for students across the United States. Be on the lookout for more announcements and details throughout the month of November in preparation for Giving Tuesday. You can donate through our website or by sending a check to 2708 Wilshire Blvd. PMB 344, Santa Monica CA 90403.

Any donation of any size matters, and will give each student a chance to find the book that could change their life.

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Charlotte and Wilbur Award for Compassion for Animals Is Now Open for Submissions

The Charlotte and Wilbur Award for Compassion for Animals is now open for its second year. This award was initiated in 2023 to honor and celebrate children’s books that inspire in their readers a deep appreciation, respect, and compassion for the animal kingdom. This award is open to books that were traditionally or self-published in 2024. The winning book will receive a prize of $2,500. If the winning book is a picture book, the prize will be split between the author and illustrator. Authors and illustrators must submit their own books for consideration.

Last year’s winners included Roland Smith’s The Wildes: The Vaquita and Home Is Calling: The Journey of the Monarch Butterfly by Katherine Pryor and Ellie Peterson. Each of these books is beautifully crafted and does a wonderful job of teaching children to care for the animals with whom we share our world.

The award will close for submissions on December 1st, 2024.

For more details on how to apply, please visit the award’s website.