It's Coming: The 12th Picture Book 10 for 10 August Celebration

Yesterday I got a text from my picture book partner in crime, Mandy Robek (and Mandy on Twitter): "#pb10for10? Tomorrow is July 10th." I must admit I was caught a bit off guard. How did it get to be July 9th already? It's a conversation we have every year at this time. Are we both in for another year of picture book fun?

Well, of course we are.

I mean, who can really resist? Since 2010 our community has been sharing picture books in August.  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.  #pb10for10 for short.  Since then, educators, librarians, 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. 

This year, we'll be at it again so we hope you will join us for some picture book love! 

So here we go. The countdown has begun. (Play drumroll in your head.)

In one month, on Tuesday August 10th, we will host the 12th Annual August Picture Book 10 for 10 Event. There have been some amazing picture books shared across the years. How do you choose 10 you ask? The veterans will tell you it isn't easy. Let's just say I've seen some pretty innovative ways to slip in 10ish books across the years. This community is creative. Your list can be as simple as a list of 10 titles or a picture of 10 picture books you love - or as detailed and creative as you like. They can be old books. They can be new picture books. They can be books that make a great set or books that are currently your absolute favorite. Anything goes in this community. We just hope you'll join the conversation and share your picks. It's our favorite back to school book hype. 

What to join the conversation? Start your collection, then plan to weed them down because you'll certainly have too many to share (that's agony), and be ready to share on August 10th. We hope to see you then! 

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 so grab your friends and bring them to the party. 
• When:  Tuesday, August 10th
• Where:  All posts for 2021 will be linked here at Reflect and Refine this year. (We had to old school so we could maintain the collections from this community.)

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!