Description

Love talking about books? Join us for BEST 2025—The Fall Edition, a celebration of Picture Books and Children’s Nonfiction. Learn about the Black-Eyed Susan Award and participate, via Zoom, in a half day of small group discussions of some of the 2025-2026 Picture Book and Juvenile Nonfiction nominees.

David LaRochelle, author of Mr. Fox’s Book of No!, will be our keynote speaker. 

Program check-in begins at 9:25am, and the program will start at 9:30am. There will be two discussion groups, meeting twice, so you can attend both sessions.

Please read all 5 titles for each group. 

Group 1, Picture Books

• LaRochelle, David; Wohnoutka (illus.)—Mr. Fox’s Game of “No!”
• Long, Loren—The Yellow Bus 
• MacLean, Roz—More Than Words: So Many Ways to Say What We Mean 
• Saltzberg, Barney—A Delicious Story 
• Stead, Philip; Cordell, Matthew (illus.)—Every Dog in the Neighborhood

Group 2, Juvenile Nonfiction

• Ævar Þór Benediktsson; Wilson, Anne (illus.)—Stranded! A Mostly True Story from Iceland 
• Lanan, Jessica—Jumper: A Day in the Life of a Backyard Jumping Spider 
• Larsen, Andrew; Vidal, Oriol (illus.)—Gifts from the Garbage Truck: A True Story About the Things We (Don’t) Throw Away 
• Savage, Chloe—The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish 
• Taylor, Helen; Lewis, Stevie (illus.)—How to Eat in Space

This program has been approved for 4 contact hours of continuing education for attendees. 

Group discussion leaders will receive 7 contact hours! All group discussion leaders must first register and pay as participants. 

If you would like to be a group discussion leader, or if you have any questions, contact Joe Farmarco (joseph.farmarco@montgomerycountymd.gov) or Noel Knepper (nknepper@bcpl.net).

Program Pricing:
Members: $30
Non-members: $45
Student, Retired, Unemployed, or Friend: $15