On April 27, 1945, the Children's Book Guild became a professional organization with a duly elected slate of officers, a roster, a program, a meeting place, a schedule of monthly meetings and a mission. Its mission is to establish a permanent association which includes writers, artists, librarians, teachers, editors, publishers, and distributors dedicated to:

1. uphold and stimulate high standards of writing and illustrating for children,

2. increase knowledge and use of better books for children in the community

3. cooperate with other groups having similar purposes.

The Guild today has some eighty individual and institutional members in the Baltimore-Washington area. Individual members include established authors and illustrators and specialists in children's literature, such as professors of children's literature. The Guild's institutional members include representatives from library systems, children's bookstores, and relevant local and national organizations.

Candidates for membership must be sponsored by active members. In order to be considered for individual membership, an author or illustrator must have at least two top-quality books published within the last five years. Once admitted, a member must participate in Guild projects and attend at least three meetings a year.

The Guild's regular monthly meetings are limited to Guild members and their guests. But the Guild celebrates Children's Book Week every November with a large public luncheon that features nationally known illustrators and authors as speakers. The Washington Post-Children's Book Guild Nonfiction Award is presented to an author or author-illustrator at this time.

The Guild Speakers Bureau lists authors and illustrators available for appearances at school and library functions. The Guild also provides speakers for an all-day celebration on a specific aspect of children's literature at Montgomery College every spring.

Contact the Membership Chair, Susan Hepler at 703-549-0753 or email susanhep@comcast.net