Instagramming ALA 2025 (Part II)

We covered Friday and Saturday in Part I, today I’m sharing photos from Sunday.

Starting things off, I talked with author Katie Kennedy about her nonfiction book (and first in a series) Did You Hear What Happened in Salem? about the Salem Witch Trials. It’s always fun to talk with nonfiction writers, and Katie was wonderful.

We have a John Schu sighting! He was signing his Schneider Family Book Award winner, Louder Than Hunger.

This robot was looking at me weird and following me around:

The upcoming A Snow Day for Amos Mcgee had some impressive swag:

And I was able to read the book I was most hoping to see at the conference: 102 by Matthew Cordell. It comes out in 2026, it’s illustrated with multicolored kids’ pens, and it’s SO GOOD.

Another upcoming book that I’m excited about: Basket Ball by Kadir Nelson.

Hey, it’s Betsy Bird! We talked about her latest book (illustrated by Andrea Tsurumi Pop Goes the Nursery Rhyme for The Yarn.

Then it was Newbery/Caldecott/Legacy banquet time.

As is the custom, the Caldecott winner created the programs:

And then it was time for the Caldecott Honorees to collect their awards.

Followed by Rebecca Lee Kunz, who accepted her Caldecott Medal for Chooch Helped, and delivered a wonderful speech.

After that, it was Newbery time. The honorees first . . .

And then Newbery Medal winner Erin Entrada Kelly:

Her speech (which she didn’t read, but delivered using only some notes) was hilarious and beautiful.

To close out the night, Carole Boston Weatherford accepted her Legacy award and led the crowd in a singalong.

It was a good night.

The next day, it was back to reality, beginning with this:

I returned to find a flat tire. But I managed to get that doughnut on and make it back home (a little later than planned).

See you at ALA Annual in Chicago next summer!

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