2013 National Book Festival Attracts Thousands

Thank You Washington, D.C
Book Lovers and
Participating Authors and Guests
for a Sucessful Performance

Yesterday the NCBLA presented a Literary Lights Readers Theater performance at the National Book Festival to an amazing audience, who gleefully participated throughout by hollering exclamations such as "TADA!" at all the right times. We were thrilled you could join us. Thank you!

We hope you visit your local library or bookstore soon to check out the participating authors' featured books:

• Cowboy and Octopus by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Lane Smith
• Starry River of the Sky by Grace Lin
• King of Shadows by Susan Cooper
• A Stubborn Sweetness and Other Stories for the Christmas Season by Katherine Paterson

The NCBLA is thrilled that guest authors Jon Scieszka and Grace Lin freely gave of their time and talent to join us in this exciting presentation. And we are equally thrilled that literacy and children’s book advocates Lynda Johnson Robb and Carol Rasco honored us, and with great good humor, served as our Masters of Ceremony. To Katherine Paterson and Susan Cooper, who are devoted members of our board, we know we can always count on you. We thank you all!

Our audience members are undoubtedly still talking today about the enchanting costumes of Jon Scieszka's characters Cowboy and Octopus, which were designed and constructed by costume and set designer Elizabeth Barrett Groth. Thank you Elizabeth! To see more of her work, go to elizabethbarrettgroth.com

The NCBLA also extends sincerest thanks to our partner the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress for giving us the opportunity to present at this year's festival. Learn more about the Center for the Book at Read.gov.

And last but never least, the NCBLA would like to thank Candlewick Press for donating copies of the NCBLA’s award-winning anthology Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out and The Exquisite Corpse Adventure, which we used as special door prizes during the presentation.

CHECK BACK SOON to see more pictures from our performance!

National Book Festival in DC This Weekend

Sunday, September 22
Award-Winning Authors for Young People
PATERSON, SCIESZKA,
COOPER, and LIN
to Perform Readers Theater
at National Book Festival
RIF Literacy Champions
Lynda Johnson Robb and Carol Rasco
to Serve as Masters of Ceremony 

The National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance and the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress invite adults and children of all ages to our “Literary Lights Readers Theater” to take place at the National Book Festival on the National Mall September 22 at 4:35 p.m. in the Special Programs Pavilion. The National Book Festival is free and open to the public.

Starring former National Ambassadors for Young People's Literature Katherine Paterson and Jon Scieszka, as well as award-winning authors Susan Cooper and Grace Lin, the Readers Theater will also feature—in costume!—literacy champions Carol Rasco, President and CEO of Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), and Lynda Johnson Robb, a former First Lady of Virginia and a founding board member and Chairman Emeritus of RIF. NCBLA President and Executive Director Mary Brigid Barrett will introduce the presentation, which has been created for adults and children of all ages.

Readers Theater is a dramatic presentation similar to a radio play. This special production is inspired by books written by each of the performing authors. Katherine Paterson wrote the scripts for Jon Scieszka’s Cowboy and Octopus (Viking Juvenile), Grace Lin’s Starry River of the Sky (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers), and her own A Stubborn Sweetness and Other Stories for the Christmas Season (Westminster John Know Press), incorporating the original text from the books. Susan Cooper wrote her own script for King of Shadows (Margaret K. McElderry Books). Robb and Rasco will be serving as masters of ceremony, costumed and performing as the title characters of Scieszka’s Cowboy and Octopus.

Twenty members of the audience will each receive a copy of one of the NCBLA's books Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out or The Exquisite Corpse Adventure, courtesy of Candlewick Press.

About The National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance
The National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance (the NCBLA) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization founded by award-winning young people’s authors and illustrators. Acting as an independent creative agent or in partnership with interested parties, the NCBLA develops original projects, programs, and educational outreach that advocate for and educate about literacy, literature, libraries, the arts, and humanities. Keep up with NCBLA news and events on the NCBLA website (thencbla.org), blog (thencbla.blogspot.com), and Facebook page (Facebook.com/TheNCBLA).

About The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress
The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress was established by public law in 1977 to promote books, reading, literacy and libraries, as well as the scholarly study of books. Since its founding, the Center has established affiliate centers in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Center's mission is carried out internationally through its overseas affiliates. More than 80 organizations are Center for the Book reading promotion partners both in the United States and abroad. Learn more at Read.gov.

About Reading Is Fundamental
Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) delivers free books and literacy resources to children and families in underserved communities in the United States. By giving children the opportunity to own a book, RIF inspires them to become lifelong readers and achieve their full potential. As the nation's largest children's literacy nonprofit, RIF has placed 410 million books in the hands of more than 39 million children since it was established in 1966. Learn more and help RIF provide books to kids who need them most, visit RIF.org.

Visit a Book Festival Near You

Can't Join Us at the
National Book Festival?

Check Out These Other Book Festivals
Across the Country!

Over one hundred thousand book lovers are expected to flock to the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. throughout the weekend of September 21 and 22, but if you can't make it, you might want to check out these other book festivals being held in other locations this fall! Take this opportunity to hear your favorite authors and illustrators or to discover a new one!

September 21:
Princeton Children's Book Festival
Hinds Plaza in Princeton, NJ. 
Learn more at: princetonlibrary.org/events/2013/09/princeton-childrens-book-festival

October 17-18:
Boston Book Festival
Copley Square in Boston, MA.
Learn more at:  bostonbookfest.org

October 26:
Children's Literature Festival
Keene State College in Keene, NH. 
Learn more at: keene.edu/clf

October 26-27:
Texas Book Festival
State Capitol Building in Austin, TX.
Learn more at: texasbookfestival.org

Join Us at the National Book Festival September 21 and 22

 NCBLA to Present Readers Theater
at National Book Festival

Thank You to Candlewick Press
for Donating Prize Books

Jon Scieszka and Katherine Paterson.

Make plans now to bring the young people in your life to the NCBLA's Readers Theater at the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. Our very special presentation will include award-winning authors KATHERINE PATERSON, JON SCIESZKA, SUSAN COOPER, and GRACE LIN!

Also participating in the reading will be literacy champions Carol Rasco, President and CEO of Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), and Lynda Johnson Robb, a former First Lady of Virginia and a founding board member and Chairman Emeritus of RIF. NCBLA President and Executive Director Mary Brigid Barrett will be introducing the presentation.

Readers Theater is a dramatic presentation similar to a radio play. Our presentation is inspired by books written by our four participating authors. We hope you can join us on Sunday, September 22 at 4:35 p.m. in the Special Programs Pavilion at the National Book Festival, held on the mall in Washington, D.C.

Twenty lucky members of the audience will each receive a copy of one of the NCBLA's books, either the art and literature anthology Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out  or the progressive story game The Exquisite Corpse Adventure, courtesy of Candlewick Press. Thank you Candlewick!

To learn more about our presentation, click here. 

Attention Teachers! Nonfiction and Fiction Common Core Resources

Engaging Ideas for Implementing Nonfiction and Fiction Common Core Reading Standards Using Multiple Sources

A perfect interdisciplinary resource for helping teachers implement Common Core Reading Standards with both a historical and contemporary perspective is NCBLA's Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out and its companion education website OurWhiteHouse.org. 

The art and literature anthology Our White House purposely juxtaposes contradictory primary and secondary historical sources so that young people can experience what historians often discover in their search for objective truth – multiple perspectives representing different points of view. 

As reported in the Candlewick Classroom for Teachers newsletter, this juxtaposition is ideal for implementing the following two Common Core Reading Standards:

• RI.5.6. Analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important similarities and differences in the point of view they represent.
• RI.7.9 Compare and contrast a fictional portrayal of a time, place, or character and a historical account of the same period as a means of understanding how authors of fiction use or alter history.

Implementing the Standards in the Classroom
Using the Legend of Dolley Madison

Copyright (c) 2008 by Wendell Minor

As the grand dame of Washington society for more than two decades, the vivacious Dolley Madison was exalted by many in the early nineteenth century as “Lady Presidentress.” Graced with a warm, friendly demeanor and a natural instinct for skillful entertaining, Dolley’s years as first lady made her a legend. Yet Dolley is not only remembered for her social skills. She is also celebrated for having saved priceless White House artifacts from the White House before they were destroyed by British troops during the War of 1812. Though others pleaded with her to leave the executive mansion immediately when the sounds of battle approached, Dolley insisted on gathering what she could—her husband’s letters, the national seal, and the portrait of George Washington. Or so the legend goes. Just what happened that day on August 24, 1814, in the frightful hours before the British troops burned down the White House?

You can engage students in this historical drama using multiple sources of the Dolley Madison legend provided in both Our White House and OurWhiteHouse.org:

• Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out includes several illustrations and literary pieces that focus on the War of 1812, such as Wendell Minor’s stunning painting of the early White House engulfed in flames, Ralph Ketcham’s discussion of President Madison’s struggle to preserve peace and national dignity, and Susan Cooper’s poignant letter imagined from the perspective of a British soldier. Our White House readers will find not only Paul Jennings’ side of the story in an excerpt from his memoirs, but also Don Brown’s take on the legend executed in a luscious watercolor and accompanying story titled “Dolley Madison Rescues George Washington.” Completing the section about the War of 1812 is Meg Cabot’s time-slip narrative, “Another All-American Girl.”
• On OurWhiteHouse.org, you can find the article "Primary Sources: Dolley Madison's Letter to Her Sister About the Burning of the White House," which not only summarizes the legend, but also includes the complete text of Dolley Madison's letter, links to Paul Jennings' memoirs, discussion questions, and activity suggestions for use in the classroom, all of which relate directly to the RI.5.6 and RI.7.9 standards!

Our White House is available
in both hardcover and paperback from Candlewick Press. 

Ask for Our White House at a library or bookstore near you!

To learn more about Our White House and OurWhiteHouse.org, please click here.

Great Books for Back to School!

The New York Times Recommends
Books for Kids Going Back to School

In the "Back to School Children's Book Column," the New York Times recommends a variety of books for young people as they make their way back to school. Specific titles recommended include Sidekicked by John David Anderson; Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick; and Jane, the Fox and Me by Fanny Britt, illustrated by Isabell Arsenault. This column also reviews four picture books about bad behavior, three picture books featuring family stories, and several books on art and what inspires it, including Henri's Scissors by Jeanette Winter.

To read all the book recommendations and reviews, click here.

Save the Dates! October 17-19

2013 Boston Book Festival 

Scheduled for October 17-19 in Copley Square

The Boston Book Festival celebrates the power of words to stimulate, agitate, unite, delight, and inspire by holding year-round events culminating in an annual, free Festival that promotes a culture of reading and ideas and enhances the vibrancy of our city.

To learn more about this year's festival and scheduled authors, click here.

Join Us at the National Book Festival Sunday, September 22

Make Plans Now

to Join the NCBLA for
Our Children's Literary Lights
Readers Theater Presentation
at the National Book Festival in D.C.
RIF Luminaries 

Lynda Johnson Robb and Carol Rasco
to Join Former National Ambassadors
for Young People's Literature 

Katherine Paterson and Jon Scieszka

and Award-Winning Authors

Susan Cooper and Grace Lin

 

Former Ambassadors for Young People's Literature
Jon Scieszka and Katherine Paterson
Photo (c) Library of Congress, Read.gov

The National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance and the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress invite you and your family to join us Sunday, September 22 on the mall in Washington, D.C. for an original Readers Theater presentation featuring former National Ambassadors for Young People's Literature--Katherine Paterson and Jon Scieszka--as well as award-winning authors Susan Cooper and Grace Lin. Joining Paterson, Scieszka, Cooper, and Lin on stage and participating in the reading will be literacy champions and special guests Carol Rasco, President and CEO of Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), and Lynda Johnson Robb, a former Chairman of RIF. NCBLA President and Executive Director Mary Brigid Barrett will also be participating.

 

Authors and illustrators perform a dramatic reading at the 2011 National
Book Festival. Left to right: Patricia McKissack, Fredrick McKissack,
Susan Cooper, Gregory Maguire, Mary Brigid Barrett,
Katherine Paterson, Jack Gantos, Chris Van Dusen, and
Calef Brown (at easel).

The National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance has been captivating audiences of all ages with author presentations at the National Book Festival for years. This year's presentation will feature a Readers Theater script (a dramatic presentation of a written work similar to a radio play) written by Katherine Paterson and Susan Cooper. Included will be excerpts from Paterson's story collection A Stubborn Sweetness and Other Stories for Christmas, Cooper's time-travel novel King of Shadows, Scieszka's picture book Cowboy and Octopus, and Lin's fantasy novel Starry River of the Sky. 

About the Literary Lights Readers Theater Cast

Katherine Paterson is a former National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, an honor co-sponsored by the Library of Congress Center for the Book and the Children’s Book Council. Her international fame rests not only on her widely acclaimed novels but also on her efforts to promote literacy in the United States and abroad. A two-time winner of the Newbery Medal and the National Book Award, she has received many other accolades for her body of work, including the Astrid Lindgren Award for Lifetime Achievement. She is also a vice president of the board of directors of the NCBLA. Her new book is Giving Thanks (Chronicle Books), featuring Pamela Dalton’s exquisite cut-paper illustrations. Learn more about Paterson and her books on her website.

Jon Scieszka was the first National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, a program sponsored by the Library of Congress Center for the Book and the Children’s Book Council. His zany, somewhat subversive sense of humor is evident in such best-sellers as The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales and The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs. He also has a book series and website that encourages boys to read more called Guys Read. Scieszka’s new book is Guys Read: Other Worlds (HarperCollins). Learn more about Sieszka and his books on his website.

Susan Cooper is the author of the classic five-book series The Dark Is Rising, which won a Newbery Medal, a Newbery Honor Award and two Carnegie Honor Awards. Cooper has also received the Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association for a “significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature.” Born in England, Cooper was a reporter and feature writer for the London Sunday Times before coming to live in the United States. Her writing includes books for children and adults, a Broadway play, films and Emmy-nominated screenplays. Ghost Hawk (Margaret K. McElderry/Simon & Schuster) is her latest novel. She is a member of the board of directors of the NCBLA. Learn more about Cooper and her books on her website.

In 2010 Grace Lin won a Newbery Honor for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, an Asian-inspired fantasy that some people compare to The Wizard of Oz. Many of Lin’s books feature members of her family. “My mother and I were star characters in my first book,” says Lin. That book was “The Ugly Vegetables.” In addition to writing her books, Lin also illustrates them. She is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. Her new book is Ling & Ting Share a Birthday (Little, Brown). Learn more about Lin on her website.

 
Regarding her most important accomplishments, literacy advocate Lynda Johnson Robb has this to say, “I am the mother of three almost perfect children. I am still married to Chuck after 46 years. For more than 40 years I worked  to get books into the hands of children  who did not have books of their own. I have received many awards but none as important as those.” Robb is a member of the NCBLA's Advisory Board.

Carol H. Rasco is President and CEO of Reading Is Fundamental, the largest children’s literacy nonprofit in the United States. Throughout her life, Carol has been a devoted advocate for children, youth, and families, as a professional and as a volunteer. Prior to joining RIF in 2001, Carol was the executive director for government relations at the College Board. From 1997 through 2000, Carol served as the senior adviser to U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley, and as director of the America Reads Challenge. Previously, Carol worked in the White House as domestic policy adviser to the president and directed the Domestic Policy Council. You can enjoy her expertise, insight, and good humor at Twitter: @CHRasco and Tumblr: chrquietly.tumblr.com.

Mary Brigid Barrett is an award-winning children’s book author and illustrator, a professional educator and president and executive director of the National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance. Her latest book is Shoebox Sam (Zonderkidz). She is also editor of the NCBLA publication Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out, a read-aloud family anthology of prose, poetry, drama, nonfiction and art that promotes reading and historical literacy. All profits for Our White House support the work and programs of the NCBLA. Barrett is also the organizer of the Library of Congress’ chapter book called The Exquisite Corpse Adventure, available on Read.gov.

About the National Book Festival

The 13^th annual National Book Festival will be held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Saturday, September 21 and Sunday, September 22. The NCBLA's Readers Theater presentation is scheduled for Sunday, September 22nd. The National Book Festival is free and open to the public. 

Each year the National Book Festival features authors, poets, and illustrators in several pavilions. This year two pavilions are dedicated to authors and illustrators who write and illustrate books for children and teens.  The festival is a family friendly event, providing an opportunity for readers of all ages to meet and hear firsthand from their favorite authors and illustrators, get books signed, hear special entertainment, and have photos taken with storybook characters. Learn more at the official website:  loc.gov/bookfest 

 

About Us

The National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance (the NCBLA) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization founded by award-winning young people’s authors and illustrators. Acting as an independent creative agent or in partnership with interested parties, the NCBLA develops original projects, programs, and educational outreach that advocate for and educate about literacy, literature, libraries, the arts, and humanities.  We believe that literacy is essential to the development of responsible citizens in a democracy. And we believe that citizens, both young and old, must have equal access to stimulating books and information sources that invite them to dream and give them the tools to achieve their dreams. As writers and illustrators, teachers and mentors, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles—as citizens and neighbors—our ultimate question is always how can we best serve all of our nation’s children? Keep up with NCBLA news and events on our website (thencbla.org), our blog (thencbla.blogspot.com), and our Facebook page.

 

The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress was established by public law in 1977 to promote books, reading, literacy and libraries, as well as the scholarly study of books. Since its founding, the Center has established affiliate centers in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Center's mission is carried out internationally through its overseas affiliates. More than 80 organizations are Center for the Book reading promotion partners both in the United States and abroad.

Center for the Book programs include the Books & Beyond author series, in which writers from across the country come to the Library to discuss their work and their use of the Library's extraordinary resources. The National Book Festival authors program is also a Center for the Book project. The Center also places special emphasis on young readers through reading and writing contests, the Read.gov website, and the Young Readers Center in the Thomas Jefferson Building on Capitol Hill.

 

Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) delivers free books and literacy resources to children and families in underserved communities in the United States. By giving children the opportunity to own a book, RIF inspires them to become lifelong readers and achieve their full potential. As the nation's largest children's literacy nonprofit, RIF has placed 410 million books in the hands of more than 39 million children since it was established in 1966. Learn more and help RIF provide books to kids who need them most, visit RIF.org.