Welcome to our Community Celebration Station!
This is the place where we’ll share the good news and more that we hear from our community.
Our team tries our best to compile these posts. If we missed you, or if you have a new story or a piece of good news to share, please let us know here. We’d love to hear from you!
New Books
A Flea For Justice: Marian Wright Edelman Stands Up for Change
We celebrated this book birthday on our blog with author (and faculty member) Valerie Bolling and illustrator TeMika Grooms.
Valerie says: “Marian Wright Edelman is a person whose name we should all know. Her positive contributions to our country as a champion for civil rights and children’s rights are worth celebrating. “
“Having a Second Middle Grade Book Out is Scary”
Meg Eden Kuyatt was nervous that people would compare her new book, The Girl in the Walls, to her first MG book and find it lacking. We think both are wonderful, and celebrated pub day on our blog with Meg, one of our faculty members.
Celebrating Nonfiction Writer Lynn Street
Lynn has attended several of our nonfiction workshops, so we were pleased to celebration the publication of The Blue Jays That Grew a Forest with her on our blog.
Of her debut, Lynn says: “I hope that readers will be as enchanted as I was to learn about the relationship between blue jays and oak trees. “
Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken
Kimberly Tso has taken multiple workshops with us, and we celebrated the publication of Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken with her on our blog.
From Kimberly: “The Highlights Foundation has been a huge part of my journey. I attended the Asian and Asian American Voices Retreats for the last three years. I’ve made great friends and colleagues from those retreats who gave me advice, critiques, and encouragement.”
Cover Reveal for
Janneke House
Janneke’s picture book, Mommy Mayor, is coming out in February 2026! Janneke is a Highlights Foundation scholarship recipient and worked on the book during her time at Highlights.
She says: “I’m really excited and wanted to thank you and Highlights for all the support!”
Q & A with Shifa Saltagi Safadi
Publishers Weekly did a great interview with Shifa, a Highlights Foundation scholarship recipient and alum of many of our workshops. She has a new chapter book series, Amina Banana, turing a STEM-minded protagonist who solves everyday problems using the scientific method.
Loretta Chefchaouni: Debut YA
Loretta, one of our Muslim Storyteller Fellows, has sold her YA fantasy duology to Peachtree Teen. The Lustrous Dark is scheduled for publication in summer 2026.
Loretta says: “I am so grateful to Highlights for being such a pivotal part of this journey. Thank you for all of your love and care!!!!”
A New Nikki Grimes Book is Always Good News
We were thrilled to read this post from Nikki:
More Good News On Our Blog
Celebration Station: Summer 2025
A Flea for Justice: Celebrating a Book Birthday with Valerie Bolling and TeMika Grooms
From Spark to Final Sketches: My 7-Step Picture Book Dummy Process
The Perils of Girlhood: Celebrating a Book Birthday With Melissa Fraterrigo
Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken: Celebrating a Book Birthday With Kimberly Tso
The Teacher We Sent to Summer Camp Says: It Was Meaningful & Magical
Jerome Weisman Scholarship Recipient Reconnects with Purpose at Illustration Camp
The Blue Jays That Grew a Forest: Celebrating a Book Birthday With Lynn Street
2 Scholarship Recipients Find Insights and Renewed Confidence at Picture Book Retreat
The Girl in the Walls: Celebrating a Book Birthday With Meg Eden Kuyatt
Celebration Station: Winter/Spring 2025
