Final Small Graces Auction Begins on December 14th!

Grace Lin

ATTENTION: Next week the last Small Graces painting by Grace Lin will be auctioned off on eBay.

I’m posting an email message that I received the other day from The Foundation for Children’s Books regarding the Small Graces Auction and the Foundation’s plans for a new fundraiser next year.

Dear Children's Book Lover,

This month, we are pleased and grateful to offer Grace Lin's final donated painting in this year's benefit art auction, "Small Graces." Read below about our exciting plans to extend the auction into 2010. Learn more about our programs in under-served schools and how your donation can support this important work. And find out about great new books and events in our area. We'd love to promote other events in the world of children's books in Greater Boston, so send us your program announcements!

In January, we began a new and exciting art auction to support our work bringing authors and illustrators into under-served schools in Boston and Chelsea. "Small Graces" was Grace Lin's great idea and every month, she painted another gem of a painting for us to auction on eBay with 100% of the proceeds to benefit the FCB. Go to the "Small Graces" website to see them all. This incredibly generous idea has so far raised $4,600 to support our work! We are so grateful to Grace and to all of you who have purchased these paintings. Thank you!

This month, we will auction the sweet painting shown below from Monday, December 14 through December 18. We'll send a reminder with the eBay item number on Monday. For those who find original art from children's books beyond their budget, this is a great way to buy affordable art! Please spread the word and bid!

We can't let such a fabulous event end, so we have two ways of keeping "Small Graces" alive: first, you can purchase high-quality, hand-signed prints of three of the 2009 paintings online at the Child at Heart Gallery. The cost is $25, they make wonderful gifts, and half of the proceeds will support the Foundation for Children's Books.

And second, we'll continue the auction into 2010 with a terrific group of generous illustrators who will each contribute a painting to Small Graces 2010! Look for paintings by Melissa Sweet, Brian Lies, Matt Tavares, Jarrett Krosoczka, Anna Alter, Jeff Mack, David Costello, Diane DeGroat and more in the coming year.

Now you can donate online!

Please consider the Foundation for Children's Books for your year-end charitable giving this year. Donations provide important funding for our author and illustrator visits and residencies in under-served schools, as well as for educational workshops for teachers and librarians.

If you'd like to honor a friend or family member with a donation, we're happy to send out a card illustrated by children's illustrator Jeff Mack acknowledging the gift.

Now you can donate online using Paypal, or print out a donation form and mail it in with your check. Go to our website membership and donation page here.

We welcome financial contributions of any size. The FCB has been designated by the IRS to be a 501(c)(3) corporation, and all financial contributions are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.

Some ideas for contributing to the FCB:

$50 helps purchase books for a school visit.

$100 sponsors aninstitutional membership for an under-funded school.

$250 provides resource materials for professional development workshops.

$500 underwrites an author/illustrator presentation at a workshop event.

$1,000 purchases classroom sets of new books to accompany an author/illustrator visit to an under-resourced school.

$1,500 underwrites a fiction-writing workshop for fifth graders in one school district.

$2,500 sponsors an author/illustrator visit to an urban school serving 300-500 children and teachers in grades K-8.

$5,000 underwrites a half-day professional development workshop in an under-resourced school district.

Thank you!