Some authors tell stories. Marisabina Russo lived hers.

First came Always Remember Me, about her family’s experiences during the Holocaust. Then, the 2011 picture book I Will Come Back for You: A Family in Hiding During World War II followed.

Using the perfect, most appropriate words to explore a difficult subject, Russo gives young readers hope amid the darkness of World War II.

Marisabina, what’s right right now about children’s literature?

Besides writing and illustrating books for children, I’ve been lucky enough to be on the Ezra Jack Keats Award committee for the past three years. There are two awards, one for writing and the other for illustrating. The winners must be new to the field of children’s books. When the boxes and envelopes start to arrive almost daily, I feel like a little girl again, unwrapping special presents. It really gives me a chance to see what’s going on out there in the publishing world. What strikes me is the variety of picture books. Yes, there are trends; celebrity books are still with us, princesses and pigs abound, and alphabet books never seem to go out of style. But there are also wonderful surprises, original books that make you sit up and take notice. New talent entering the field of children’s literature is a cause for celebration! Editors who recognize that talent and are brave enough to take a chance on untried authors and illustrators deserve kudos as well.

What could make that “good” better?

I would love to see more media coverage of the best in children’s books. The Caldecott and Newbery winners used to appear for a short interview on the Today Show a day after the awards were announced, but over the past two years NBC has declined those interviews. When you go into the children’s department of a chain bookstore, you get a lot of the ‘big’ names prominently displayed and surrounded by plush dolls and toys. Will a consumer look at the rest of the books shelved with only their spines showing? Publishing is a business, so if a book doesn’t sell well, it will go out of print before its time. This is a sad trend for all of us who work so hard to make books for children. For this reason and more importantly, for the benefit of our young readers, we need to support our librarians, independent booksellers, and classroom teachers. These are the people who will connect the right books to the right readers and inspire a lifetime of reading. Isn’t that what it’s all about?

Marisabina Russo began her career as an illustrator, contributing many drawings and five covers to The New Yorker magazine. She began writing and illustrating books for children in 1986. Ms. Russo is the author/illustrator of 24 picture books and two young adult novels, as well as the illustrator of eight picture books by other authors. Her first picture book, The Line Up Book, won the International Reading Association’s award for Best Picture Book of 1987 and was named to the New York Public Library’s list of “`100 Picture Books Everyone Should Know.” Her other books have won numerous honors including the Washington Irving Award, a Charlotte Zolotow Honor, and two Sydney Taylor Notables. Always Remember Me, a book Ms. Russo wrote about her family’s experiences during the Holocaust, was named an American Library Association Notable Book. It was also adapted and produced as a play by the theater department of Idaho State University. Her more recent books include The Bunnies Are Not In Their Beds (translated into Japanese, Chinese, and Hebrew); A Very Big Bunny, and I Will Come Back For You: A Family In Hiding During World War II, both Junior Library Guild Selections. Peter Is Just A Baby, her most recent picture book, has just been published. Find out more at www.marisabinarusso.com.