After a long week everyone was looking forward to our annual Spring Preview Party on Friday. This year, as so many of our co-workers have new babies, we decided to invite all the infants to attend as well.

Baseball is our national pastime. It’s hard to argue with that, no matter how popular other sports may be. There is something special about going to a ballpark, stepping out of a tunnel and seeing the beauty of the field before you. There’s something about that green diamond and outfield that is unbeatable. Something else that makes baseball special is access to ballplayers that is different from other sports as well. Fans have a chance to lean over the fence and get an autograph before the game or wait by the dressing room door to chat with their favorite players. Sometimes teams host open houses or fan days that provide even more access. Baseball fans feel connected to their favorite teams and players, and have since the earliest days of the game.

Did you know that May 7-13th is Children’s Book Week? This special week, which was first observed in 1919, is the national celebration of books and reading for youth and …

This book isn’t fun to read, and you probably won’t like it.

JUST KIDDING! Guess what? It’s Opposite Day.

Okay, momentarily snapping back to adulthood: I used to drive my parents INSANE with the declaration of Opposite Day, and I imagine my parents were not alone in their suffering. The concept of opposites is a prevalent theme in childhood, and therefore, it’s no surprise that it’s also an established theme in children’s publishing. It’s an especially important one in the realm of early childhood books, as a basic understanding of concepts such as this one is important for language development. (And the benefits of laying the foundation for Opposite Day are, of course, understood.) So, naturally we were thrilled when the opportunity arose to include an opposites book on the Abrams Appleseed list, especially because it involves a hippo in some very unexpected situations.

In January I heard that the US was making its first attempt to participate in World Book Night – an organized night that exists to promote reading around the world. The idea was simple: take 30 of the most popular novels out in publication today, and what I imagine to be thousands of volunteers who absolutely love reading, and then stalk, accost, chat up, and just plain engage people on the street who seem like they need a push in the direction of literature.

Monday, April 30th, was the last day of National Poetry Month and ABRAMS went out with a bang! Forty staff members gathered for a lunchtime Vino & Verse event—a celebration of both poetry and the creativity of our amazing staff. A wide variety of poetry was read aloud, including William Carlos Williams, Edna St. Vincent Millay, James Arlington Wright, and even an original poem from a staff member’s husband.

As the proprietor of Chartwell Booksellers – my tiny Churchill-centric bookshop in New York City – for almost thirty years now, I have handled and, at least fleetingly, read just about every book ever written by and about Winston Churchill.

Certainly, it never occurred to me that I might have anything new to say on the subject. Then, one day, I found myself staring at a photograph of Churchill that I liked immensely – for the expression on his face, for the angle of the hat on his head, for the elegant splay of his manicured fingers and the curl of smoke from the cigar that those fingers clasped, for the lumpy, belted siren suit that Churchill slouched in, and the eyeglasses he’d haphazardly stuffed into a half-open breast pocket.

Phoebe Howard is not only an incredibly talented decorator, but such a warm and fun woman that everyone who knows her can’t help but volunteer their support and good wishes in whatever new endeavor she’s taking on. And so, Phoebe found herself in the very enviable position of having not one, but TWO, A-list designers hosting her for her first NYC book launch of The Joy of Decorating: Southern Style with Mrs. Howard.

On April 24th, Charlotte Moss and Bunny Williams co-hosted the launch party at Carolina Herrara’s Madison Ave store. The store graciously devoted window space to a large display of the book cover – and included a gorgeous color-complementary evening dress in the mix!

ABRAMS has really gotten in the spirit of National Poetry Month this year, including inspiring a mysterious poetry bomber to take over the office and poetry bombing independent bookstore ourselves! Yesterday, which was Poem in Your Pocket Day, the children and young adult marketing and publicity department woke up at the crack of dawn to wait outside The Today Show in the name of poetry. We were armed with our “Poem in Your Pocket” sign, as well as many copies of Poem in Your Pocket. The department was on TV three times (we’re famous!)—one of which was behind Al Roker while he did the weather! After The Today Show, we headed to Union Square where we passed out single poems to unknowing commuters. Our hope is that these lucky New Yorkers read and enjoyed the poems, and went on to share them with friends and colleagues throughout the day.

After weeks of “Poetry Bombing” which included surprising and fabulously interesting poems and placements, we are closing in on the culmination of Poetry Month with Poem In Your Pocket Day, today, and then a Verse And Vino luncheon on Monday.