On the eve of Children's Institute 2024, Baldwin & Co. yesterday welcomed booksellers to New Orleans, La., with a party that featured remarks from store owner DJ Johnson, a book signing with children's author Renée Watson (Summer Is Here, published last month by Bloomsbury Children's Books), a buffet featuring Southern classics like shrimp and grits, and a live performance by a brass band, which led booksellers to their shuttle buses at the end of the night.
Ci2024 begins today and will continue through Wednesday afternoon. Highlights include bookstore tours, keynotes by, among others, Watson, Meg Medina, Rex Ogle, and Mark Oshiro, plenty of education sessions and roundtables, networking events, an opening reception/costume party, and karaoke. The American Booksellers Association says it's the largest Children's Institute ever.
ABA CEO Allison Hill noted: "Children's bookselling and booksellers are critical to sustaining the book industry and to supporting young readers. Children's Institute is an opportunity for booksellers, publishers, and authors to come together to celebrate and support this important work."