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15th Celebration of Children's Literature April 18, 2009 • 11:30 am–2:30 pm |
PRESS RELEASE
February 23, 2009 • For Immediate Release
Contact Steve Cohen (510) 642-0137 • stevecohen@berkeley.eduLeading Kids’ Authors, Illustrators and Storytellers Featured at UC Berkeley’s 15th Celebration of Children’s Literature, April 18
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Berkeley – The best and brightest children’s authors, illustrators and storytellers from the multi-ethnic Bay Area visit UC Berkeley for the 15th Celebration of Children’s Literature on Saturday, April 18 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
The free community event takes place at UC Berkeley’s Tolman Hall as part of Cal Day, the annual campus-wide open house, and includes fun, educational activities: a book fair with author signings, costumed characters, storytelling, music, art activities and a special “Dear President Obama” event.
The award-winning Bay Area authors and illustrators on hand (residence) will be:
- Todd Parr (Berkeley) is the New York Times best-selling author/illustrator of 33 popular children's books including The Peace Book, Reading Makes You Feel Good, It's Okay to Be Different, The Family Book, The Feelings Book, and his most recent, The I Love You Book. His Emmy®-nominated, award-winning children's television show, ToddWorld, airs around the world.
- Yuyi Morales (Pleasant Hill) has created some of the most celebrated Latino works for children in recent years. Morales is a three-time winner of the American Library Association’s (ALA) Pura Belpre Medal honoring Latino authors and illustrators whose work best portrays, affirms and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in children's books: and several other prestigious awards for her illustrations in Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book; Los Gatos Black on Halloween (with Marisa Montes), Just In Case: A Trickster Tale and Spanish Alphabet Book, Little Night and Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez (written by Kathleen Krull).
- Robert San Souci (San Francisco), the screenwriter for Disney’s animated film, Mulan, is the author of 85 books for young readers, including two Caldecott Honor Books and three Coretta Scott King Honor Books.
- Thacher Hurd (Berkeley) has created more than 20 popular picture books including Mama Don’t Allow, Art Dog, Mystery on the Docks and the just-published Bad Frogs.
- Ying Chang Compestine (Lafayette) is the author of eight picture books including The Real Story of Stone Soup, and her most recent book for young adults, Revolution is Not a Dinner Party, an autobiographical novel of life during China’s Cultural Revolution.
- Lisa Brown (San Francisco) designed and illustrated the New York Times bestseller The Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming with her husband, Lemony Snicket, How to Be and the Baby, Be of Use collection of board books.
- Marisa Montes (Walnut Creek) is the author of several bilingual children’s books, including Los Gatos Black on Halloween, which won the 2008 ALA Pura Belpré Gold Medal and features Morales’ artwork.
- Diana Cohn (Sausalito) draws inspiration for social justice with Si Se Puede! Yes We Can! Janitor Strike in LA, a special wood carving in the story Dream Carver, beekeeping in The Bee Tree and her years in Nepal in her brand new book Namaste!
- Deborah Lee Rose (Walnut Creek) humorously celebrates school gardens in her newest book, The Twelve Days of Springtime, which follows her two previous “Twelve Days” books, both of which won the National Parenting Publications Association Gold Award.
Five of the nine authors and illustrators slated for the ’09 celebration will be making debut appearances: Yuyi Morales, Lisa Brown, Marisa Montes, Ying Chang Compestine and Diana Cohn. All of the participants will be featuring popular or bestselling new titles.
“It is a remarkable testament to the deep talent here in the Bay Area that after 14 years, and appearances by more than 115 authors and illustrators since 1990, we are still showcasing great new children’s books by both rising and established authors and illustrators for the first time,” says UC Berkeley Graduate School of Education (GSE) Dean, P. David Pearson, a nationally respected early reading specialist and chair of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.A special “Dear President Obama” event based on the attention-grabbing book, Thanks and Have Fun Running the Country: Kids’ Letters to President Obama, will inspire letter writing and reading to President Obama as he approaches his 100th day in office.
Rising Bay Area storytelling sensations Kirk Waller and Walker Brents III will spin memorable tales; acclaimed children’s musician and recording artist Gary Lapow will perform a midday concert and sing-along; and the Bay Area Writing Project will offer a drop-in bookmaking art activity.
The Celebration of Children’s Literature is presented by UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Education and the Cal Student Store, with support from SteinerBooks, the Bay Area Writing Project and others. Ranked among the top schools of education in the United States, the GSE is committed to high-quality scholarship and professionalism in order to prepare the future leaders of education practice, policy and research.
For program details, visit the Celebration of Children’s Literature website at http://gse.berkeley.edu/childlit.html.
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NOTE: For story ideas or to get in touch with participants, contact Steven Cohen and/or visit the Celebration media site at http://gse.berkeley.edu/admin/childlit/media.