Accessing a “powerful lens beyond the dominant Anglophone market.”
Discover USBBY with President Susan Polos
The other day a librarian colleague of mine reached out to me. They found that after years of doing their job they found themselves in a bit of a slump. They were hoping to find new outlets of interest in the world of children’s literature to pursue. At the same time I was also meeting with a newly minted children’s librarian, fresh out of library school. For her, she was looking for ways to advance her career. Or, maybe, just keep in touch with the wider world of children’s books out there.
Both colleagues could be much aided by exploring books for children far beyond our own American borders, and I told them as much. For folks who may find themselves put off by the focus that is primarily on American children’s books in our major awards, there is much to be gained by looking at books produced for kids in other countries.
Enter the USBBY. And it’s not a new organization, not by any means. But to get at its origins you need to look at another organization first. In 1953 The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) was founded, based on the vision of its creator, Jella Lepman. IBBY´s mission is to promote international understanding through children’s books. And USBBY is the U.S. national section of IBBY.
All well and good, but what’s the organization do? And what’s the advantage to joining? To answer that, we’re talking today to the President of USBBY, Susan Polos. After all, there’s no better way to get some answers than to start asking some questions.
Betsy Bird: Susan! It’s such a delight to get a chance to talk to the one and only newly minted president of USBBY! Before we get into the nitty gritty on what, precisely, USBBY is, tell us a little bit about yourself. As our mutual friend Ellen Myrick described you, you’re a long-time school librarian and you, “have served on and chaired more ALA committees than I can count on two hands!” Can you give us a quick rundown of your career?
Susan Polos: Well, yes, I am a long-time school librarian. I started in elementary, jumped to high school, and I’m now enjoying the sweet-spot of middle school. I worked for many years in a dual-language Title One school and am now in a well-resourced independent school. Children are children, and school libraries can be magical in any environment. Everyone needs a safe space and shared stories. As far as committee work, I’ve served on many ALA committees, including the 2014 Newbery Award Selection Committee, the 2018 Pura Belpré Award Selection Committee, the 2020-21 Coretta Scott King Book Award Juries, the 2023 Edwards Award Selection Committee, and the 2026 Caldecott Award Selection Committee. I chaired the Newbery 100th Anniversary Celebration Task Force. For USBBY, I’ve served on the 2025-26 Outstanding International Books Committees and was the 2026 chair of that committee.
BB: And now after all that, you are heading up USBBY (The United States Board on Books for Young People). For folks unfamiliar with the organization, can you tell us a little bit about what it is and what it does?
Susan: Absolutely! The United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY) is the United States’ section of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY). As such, it works with 84 other sections to promote increased international understanding through sharing outstanding books for children and young adults. USBBY’s founding patron organizations include the Children’s Book Council, the American Library Association, the International Literacy Association, and the National Council of Teachers of English. Representatives from these organizations as well as elected directors provide governance. Our representatives and publisher patrons and friends provide programs at conferences and through webinars. USBBY participates in biennial IBBY international congresses and plans regional conferences for alternate years. We offer the OIB list as well as an Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities list, nominate an author and an illustrator for IBBY’s Hans Christian Andersen Award (our nominee, Pam Muñoz Ryan, is a finalist!), and encourage publication of quality children’s books in developing countries through sponsorship efforts. We do more than this, but that’s a snapshot.
Susan and I then proceed to have an honest discussion about the necessity of, and challenges facing, international books for children on the American market today. It’s an important topic that gets too little attention. Read our full talk here.