It's Coming: August's Picture Book 10 for 10 Celebration #pb10for10

I'm not sure how we got to the end of July so quickly, but here we are.  You know what that means:  we are counting down the days until our annual picture book celebration.  That's right, it is almost time for Picture Book 10 for 10 - or #pb10for10 for short.  

This will be the 9th year for #pb10for10.  Picture Book 10 for 10 began from a conversation about must-have picture books for our classroom libraries.  Mandy Robek, Enjoy and Embrace Learning, and I were going back and forth about our favorite books for our classroom communities when we decided it would be interesting to be able to meander through the libraries of other educators to see what books were on their shelves.

Since then, educators, media specialists, parents, and book lovers in our PLN have been taking the time to create a list of their 10 favorite picture books to share with one another each year on August 10th.  Though it's my favorite event to kick off the new school year, it's not for the faint at heart.  Trust me, each year I spend a little more money than I wish on books after reading everyone's posts.  I've gotten a little smarter about keeping my library card out as I read, but that doesn't completely solve the problem.

In the past, we have collected posts at our community Google Picture Book 10 for 10 site.  However, with the closing of Google Plus, we are no longer able to collect them in this space.  We loved the resource the posts created for others so Mandy and I debated for some time about where to move the community.  If you've been with us for awhile you know sites come and go:  Jog the Web, Storify, Google Plus (don't get me started on this rant!).  For this reason, we've decided we are going old school and posting to our blogs.  This year's August #pb10for10 event will link here.

What to join the fun?

The Basics
Want to join the conversation?

• What:  10 picture books you can't live without.
• Hashtag:  #pb10for10
• Hosts:  @mandyrobek (Enjoy and Embrace Learning), @cathymere (you're here)
• Who:  Anyone interested --- educators, media specialists, librarians, parents, and book lovers.  
• When:  Saturday, August 10th
• Where:  All posts for 2019 will be linked to this blog:  Reflect and Refine

Here's how you can participate:

1. Grab a Badge (just copy the URL address of the one above or take a screenshot)
2. Choose Your Favorites:  All you need to do is choose ten picture books you cannot live without for whatever reason.  In the first days of this event, everyone shared their ten very favorite titles.  This still works.  You will notice, however, that many past participants choose some type of theme or thread to connect their selections.  We'll leave this up to you.
3. Narrow Your List to Ten:  It isn't easy, is it?  We've seen some crafty ways to get around that number.  
4. Write Your August 10th Post:  Write a post about the ten books you cannot live without.  Share the link to your collection here, at Reflect and Refine, on August 10th.  
5. No Blog?  No Problem:  If you don't have a blog, this might be the perfect time to start one --- or there are a million digital ways to join.  You could post from a Google page, create a S'more, share in Twitter (and copy the Tweet link), or any other creative idea you may be considering.  We will also be tweeting from the #pb10for10 hashtag.    
6. Comment:  On August 10th (and maybe for a week --- there are a lot of posts) take some time to read posts from other participants.  Please comment on at least three. 

Let the countdown begin!!!!

Hope you can join us!