The Children's Book Guild History
​
It all started with the lemon pie, or so the story goes.
The Guild's founders were three authors of children's books - Catherine Cate Coblentz, Eloise Lownsbery, and Alberta Powell Graham - who met in the mid-1940s while working in the Library of Congress Reading Room. They soon became friends and decided to lunch together in the cafeteria on Fridays - lemon pie day - to discuss their work. Before long they invited others to join them, and on April 27, 1945, the Children's Book Guild of Washington, D.C. became a professional organization with a duly elected slate of officers, a schedule of monthly meetings and a mission.
​
​
There were 26 charter members: authors Catherine Cate Coblentz, Martha Ward Dudley, Delia Goetz, Alberta Powell Graham, Frances Carpenter Huntington, Eloise Lownsbery, Helen Nicolay, Cornelia Spencer, Helen Orr Watson, and Hazel Wilson. Iris Beatty Johnson was an illustrator; and Ellis Credle, Janice Holland, Miriam Clarke Potter, and Hilda Van Stockum were author-illustrators. Barbara Nolen was an editor and an author.
There were also librarians: Sallie Marks, Margaret Carmichael, Helen Evans, and Isabel Stephens; Nora Beust of the U.S. Office of Education; Harriet Houdaille of the American Association of University Women; Matilda Young of the Children's Museum of Washington; and representing the Association for Childhood Education International: Mary Leap, Frances Mayfair, and Vireo Van Darn.
The original mission was to establish a permanent association to:
​
1) uphold and stimulate high standards of writing and illustration for children,
2) increase knowledge and use of better books for children in the community, and
3) cooperate with other groups having similar purposes.
The Guild’s first meeting place was a dining room at the old YMCA on K Street. For many years, the Guild met at the old Channel Inn on the waterfront, then moved to Busboys and Poets on K Street NW. Speaker topics reflected the times - “Contracts, Electronic Rights and the Internet," "Trends and Issues in Multicultural Literature," and "Recorded Books.”
.png)
Book Fairs
The Guild's first public project was a Book Fair to provide funds for the future Cleveland Park Library in Washington, D.C. In 1950, the Guild joined The Washington Post in launching a city-wide Fair in which children's books were displayed but not sold. Publishers donated the books and invited Guild authors and illustrators to give book talks. The Fair lasted 10 days at the Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C. For 24 years, the Post's Fairs were held in November during National Children's Book Week.
Annual Book Week Luncheon and Award
In 1952, in time for the Post's third annual Book Fair, the Guild organized a large public luncheon in a hotel ballroom to introduce visiting authors, artists and publishers to Washington's book community.
In 1977 the Guild established an annual award to be given to writers and illustrators of nonfiction for their total body of work. Six years later The Washington Post accepted our invitation to co-sponsor the award, thus enhancing its value and importance. The jury of librarians and other authorities included the Post reviewer of children's books. The Award for Nonfiction was presented at our annual Children's Book Week Luncheon from 1977 to 2023. For several years, the luncheon was accompanied by workshops for aspiring writers, led by Guild authors and illustrators and held in collaboration with Smithsonian Associates. By 2024, there were several other nonfiction awards for children’s literature and audiences had many other venues to see and hear authors. The Guild voted to discontinue its nonfiction award and offer an annual Signature Event instead.
​
Membership
Guild membership has grown over the years. Active members include published writers and illustrators, children's literature specialists and librarians, and nonprofit organizations. Nonresident members stay in touch through newsletters and Zoom meetings. Leadership changes annually. There has never been paid staff or rented quarters.
In 1988-89, the Guild hosted a group of librarians and children’s authors from the then-Soviet Union (possibly Unkraine) at the Childen’s Museum. Years later, it was noted that artist member Lulu Delacre rolled deli meat and cheese into a platter that was a work of art. The delegation gave the Guild a beautifully painted chicken (or rooster) which is given to each new Guild President to keep for that year. Guild artist Linda Shute included it in the 50th anniversary program cover.
​
​
School Libraries
Guild members embarked on a mission to equip the District of Columbia's elementary and junior high schools with libraries in 1959. The director of the D.C. Board of Education had described the pressing need for library facilities in Washington's lower grade schools and suggested that the Guild might help to bring this need to public attention.
The Guild formed an Action Committee for School Libraries, which provided reliable statistics and informed opinion about the problem. They were a lively presence at city budget meetings, the Board of Education, the District Commissioners, Congressional committees, on radio and in newspapers. Finally funds for school libraries, librarians and book collections began to appear in D.C. appropriations bills, first for junior high schools and then for elementary schools. With its work accomplished, the Action Committee disbanded in quiet triumph.
In 2014, the Guild again reached out to school libraries by initiating its Youth Literacy Awards, which continue to this day. Three to six schools or children’s programs are selected each year based on member nominations. These schools receive gift certificates to purchase books at deep discount from the First Book Marketplace. By 2025, 41 schools or programs throughout the greater Washington area had received these grants. The Guild also began donating books to the Summer Fun Project of Do Kind Works.
Seminars
The Guild's hope that its pool of talent might be shared with aspiring beginners was translated into action in the spring of 1984 with the first of seven annual seminars, four on writing and three on illustrating children's books. In 1991, the Guild was invited to participate in Montgomery College's annual seminar, "Celebration of Children's Literature." The collaboration continued for several years. Our members presented sessions on writing and illustrating and served on panels that discuss issues in the field of children's literature.
2025-26 Guild President Mayonn Paasewe-Valchev assumes leadership of the Guild.
​
Photo Courtesy of Alex Valchev
During the COVID pandemic in 2019, meetings were held on Zoom. These meetings gave access to older and nonresident members, so the Guild has continued a mix of online and in-person luncheons and gatherings.
Connecting to the Community
The Guild has had close ties with the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution and The Washington Post, all of whose representatives were active institutional members of the Guild. From 2003-2008, we joined with the National Museum of Women in the Arts for an annual Family Festival of Books.
We collaborated with the Swedish Embassy for a series of programs when former president Katherine Paterson became the first American winner of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in 2007.
Guild members are regular presenters at the National Book Festival, Gaithersburg Book Festival and the Turning the Page Children’s Book and Literacy Festival, as well as other national and regional events.
​
In 2009, Guild members donated books to the Library of Congress Young Readers Center. Each book included a Guild bookplate designed by member Rosalyn Schanzer.
​
Our Archives
The documented history of the Guild has been archived with The Historical Society of Washington, D.C.
A collection of newsletters, files, publications and other papers from 1958 to today is available for viewing. Through the Historical Society's cataloging partnership with the Library of Congress National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections (NUCMC), the Guild's records will be available online to researchers. Those interested may contact the Society for an electronic copy of the finding aid and information on accessing the collection.
Our Archives
The documented history of the Guild has been archived with The Historical Society of Washington, D.C. A collection of newsletters, files, publications and other papers from 1958 to today is available for viewing. Through the Historical Society's cataloging partnership with the Library of Congress National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections (NUCMC), the Guild's records will be available online to researchers. Those interested may contact the Society for an electronic copy of the finding aid and information on accessing the collection.