Here are a few highlights from Children's Institute 2025 in Portland, Oregon! 
 

 
Welcome Desk and Ask Advocacy Desk
Every attendee started their Institute journey at the Welcome Desk, where they were greeted by ABA staff, signed in, and picked up their badges and welcome bags. Many attendees also stopped by the Ask Advocacy Desk to talk to ABA’s Advocacy team and donate to American Booksellers for Free Expression (ABFE). 

PATHWAYS Mixer
Attendees kicked off Ci2025 with Wednesday night’s PATHWAYS Mixer. This mixer for Black, Indigenous, AAPI, Latina/o/x, Chicana/o/x, Hispanic, and BIPOC attendees was an opportunity to make connections and network ahead of the busy Ci2025 schedule. 

 
Bookstore Tours
Thursday’s full- and half-day bookstore tours brought attendees to local bookstores in Portland.

 
Opening Keynote with Mychal Threets: Libraries & Bookstores, Joining Forces for Joy!
Mychal Threets welcomed attendees to Ci2025 by delivering the opening keynote, where he discussed libraries and bookstores as safe havens and places of joy.

 
Opening Reception and Costume Party
Attendees mingled at the opening reception and voted for their favorite costumes.

The costume contest winners, pictured left to right: Laura Leis (Paulina Springs Books in Sisters, OR), Katie Tate (BookPeople of Moscow in Moscow, ID), Zainub Syeda (Annick Press), Arianna Arroyo (Books Are Magic in Brooklyn, NY), Amanda Olson (Annick Press), Kristina Rivero and JoAnn Yao (Books are Magic), Rita Pin Ahrens (Child’s Play Toys and Books in Washington, DC), Steph Opitz (Bookshop.org), and Miracle Lucketti, Karina Dominguez, and Katelyn Larson (Ballast Book Company in Bremerton, WA).

 
Craft and Conversation
Booksellers wound down after the opening reception with a crafting meetup. Some brought their current projects from home, while others enjoyed coloring pages and puzzles provided by Ci2025 sponsors.

Craft and Conversation was led by ABA's Senior Manager of Children's Bookselling Programs & Education, Gen de Botton (pictured far left).

 
Breakfast Keynote: There Is No Such Thing As a Silent Ally
Friday morning’s breakfast keynote featured several authors in conversation about the importance of vocal and visible allyship.

Pictured left to right: Brein Lopez (Children's Book World in Los Angeles, CA), Claribel Ortega (Witchlings #4: Scepter of Memories), em dickson (Beyond They/Them), Lee Wind (Like That Eleanor), ND Stevenson (Scarlet Morning), and Petra Lord (Queen of Faces).

Galley Room
Immediately following Friday's breakfast keynote, the Galley Room opened! Booksellers excitedly picked out titles to bring home to their stores. 

 
Meet the Presses and Vendor Showcase
Between education sessions, attendees stopped to talk with presses and vendors.

 
Know Your First Amendment Rights with Philomena Polefrone
American Booksellers for Free Expression (ABFE) Associate Director and author of The Right to Read Handbook, Philomena Polefrone (pictured above), delivered a presentation packed with knowledge and advice in Friday’s Know Your First Amendment Rights. Other Friday sessions covered topics like financial literacy and story times.

The Bookstore Glow-Up: An ABACUS Session
In Friday's ABACUS session, panelists discussed how they have used ABACUS, ABA's free financial benchmarking report, to grow their bookstore profits.

Panelists pictured from left to right: PK Sindwani (ABA CFO), Josh Christie (Print: A Bookstore in Portland, ME), Melissa Taylor (E. Shaver, Bookseller in Savannah, GA), and Holly Weinkauf (Red Balloon Bookshop in Saint Paul, MN).

This session was Sindwani's last panel before he retires later this year. 

(There's still time to complete your ABACUS! The deadline to submit the survey has been extended until Tuesday, July 8. If you need help, you can register now for an ABACUS Workshop on Monday, June 30, or Wednesday, July 2.)

Indies Introduce Presentation and Lunch
Indies Introduce authors and panelists talked about the children’s titles on the Summer/Fall 2025 Indies Introduce list, shared passages from the books, and answered questions. 

Pictured left to right: Heather Albinson (Wild Rumpus Books in Minneapolis, MN), Sarah Mendonca (An Encantadora’s Guide to Monstros and Magic), Cassandra Ramos-Gomez (Lost on Doll Island), Joanne Yi (All the Tomorrows After), Nicole Johnson (Baltimore Read Aloud in Baltimore, MD), Susan Metallo (Reasons to Hate Me), Ruby Martinez (An Embroidery of Souls), Helena Haywoode Henry (Last Chance Live!), Brad Riew and Julia Riew (The Last Tiger), Grace Lane (Linden Tree Books in Los Altos, CA), Lauren Pronger (Chapterhouse Books in Amarillo, TX), and Mara Luther (Chapter One Book Store, Hamilton, MT).

 
Rep Picks Speed Dating
Booksellers met with publisher reps to hear about the most exciting upcoming titles.

We'd love to know which Ci2025 title you're most excited about! Fill out this quick survey to let us know.

  
Evening Author Reception
Friday evening’s author reception featured dozens of authors, giving booksellers the opportunity to chat with their favorite authors and discover exciting new titles.

 
Scholastic Celebrates 20 Years of Graphix – After Party!
Scholastic's celebration of the 20th anniversary of Graphix took place on Friday night. The party featured authors and illustrators, drinks and desserts, galleys, and a DJ.

Breakfast Keynote with Samira Ahmed: How Can I Be Brave?
Saturday’s breakfast keynote, delivered by Samira Ahmed (The Singular Life of Aria Patel), discussed being brave and standing up for what is right despite being afraid.

New Era of Events
In Saturday’s New Era of Events, panelists discussed ways to navigate the changing event landscape (despite challenges like heightened safety concerns and rising costs).

New Era of Events panelists, pictured left to right: Cathy Berner (Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston, TX), Angie Zhao (bbgb in Richmond, VA), Lupe Penn (Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC), Jenny Chou (Boswell Book Company in Milwaukee, WI).

 
Publisher Presentations and Lunch
Attendees heard about more exciting upcoming titles during Saturday’s publisher presentation lunch. ABA’s Program Manager Cedar Fields (pictured above) welcomed booksellers and led the presentation. 

 
Heads or Tails with Binc
After an exciting game of Heads or Tails, hosted by the Book Industry Charitable (Binc) Foundation, Stephanie Appell of Sidetrack Bookshop in Royal Oak, MI, was crowned the winner. Appell chose to donate her winnings back to Binc.

Pictured left to right: Mary O’Malley (Binc), Judey Kalchik (Binc), Stephanie Appell, and Mac Barnett (Twenty Questions).

Closing Keynote with Mac Barnett: Behold, the Picture Book!
During his closing keynote, Mac Barnett (Twenty Questions) (pictured above), celebrated the power of the picture book. 

Want to revisit your favorite Children's Institute 2025 sessions or catch up on what you missed? Session recordings will be available on BookWeb soon!

We can’t wait to see you again at future Institutes!