Editing Bookbird 2011–2014

I must first thank Björn for inviting me to muse about my time as editor of Bookbird. He has kept me involved with the journal since my tenure, and it has been my pleasure to provide the occasional book or article review. Past and present editors of Bookbird seem to serve in a long continuum. When I became editor, I not only had former editors Sylvia Vardell and Cathy Kurkjian help me ease into the job, I had the continuing benefit of working with past editor Valerie Coghlan—who served, and continues to serve, as president of Bookbird, Inc. I am always impressed with the care taken by these many busy academics to keep the journal's standards high, its offerings diverse and relevant, and its connections to the many worldwide communities concerned with children's literature vibrant.

This continuum of care reflects the things I love best about the field of international children's literature, much of which I learned while working as editor of Bookbird, and with the board of Bookbird, Inc., the IBBY Executive Committee, and the IBBY Secretariat. When I think of people I know who are true world leaders for the cause of social justice, the people involved in this field come to mind—authors and illustrators; teachers and scholars; publishers and booksellers; members, staff, and executives of national and international organizations that serve children. Because of Bookbird, I have been fortunate enough to work with academics and professionals on articles and columns about texts and occupations that work to teach children to embrace difference, to see the growth of initiatives like IBBY's Silent Books for Lampedusa, and to follow careers like Alice Curry's as she moved from editing A River of Stories to founding a press whose mission is to publish picturebooks that facilitate a more global understanding of childhood. This field, its books and organizations, and the people who work in it serve children around the world, and I am grateful to have worked along with them.