On April 27, 1945, the Children's Book Guild became a professional organization with a duly elected slate of officers, a roster, a program, a meeting place, a schedule of monthly meetings and a mission. Its mission is to establish a permanent association which includes writers, artists, librarians, teachers, editors, publishers, and distributors dedicated to:

  1. upholding and stimulating high standards of writing and illustrating for children,

  2. increasing knowledge and use of better books for children in the community, and

  3. cooperating with other groups having similar purposes.

Who are the Guild members?

The Guild today has more than 100 individual and institutional members in the Baltimore-Washington area. Individual members include established authors, illustrators and specialists in children's literature, such as professors of children's literature, librarians and reviewers. The Guild's organizational members include representatives from library systems, children's bookstores, and relevant local and national organizations.

Can I join the Guild?

Candidates for membership must be sponsored by active members. In order to be considered for individual membership, an author or illustrator must have at least two top-quality books published within the last five years. Once admitted, a member must participate in Guild projects and attend at least three meetings a year.

Can I attend a Guild meeting without becoming a member?

The Guild's regular monthly meetings are limited to Guild members and their guests. But the Guild celebrates its Nonfiction Award winner each spring with a major public event that features nationally known illustrators and authors as speakers. The Children's Book Guild Nonfiction Award is presented to an author or author-illustrator at this time.

Does the Guild sponsor anything else open to the public?

Guild authors and illustrators are available for appearances at school and library functions.  See our member pages.  Periodically the Guild collaborates with other community organizations to offer public events.

How can I get more information about the Guild?




Author Visits

Book Trailers