Savannah Children's Book Festival
The 2011 Festival...
The 2011 Savannah Children’s Book Festival is set for Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Forsyth Park in Savannah. The festival is presented by Live Oak Public Libraries and the City of Savannah. The eighth annual festival celebrates the joy of reading, the power of the written word and the magic of storytelling with children’s book authors and illustrators from around the country.
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About | tags: festival information
Young Writers Contest Winners
Live Oak Public Libraries is pleased to announce the winners of the 2011 Savannah Children’s Book Festival Young Writers Contest. There were 307 submissions in this eighth year of the annual writing competition. Entrants range in age from students in kindergarten to college, and attend public, private and home schools. This year’s theme was time travel. Writers were asked to select at least five words from a list of that was drawn from work by this year’s Savannah Children’s Book...
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Josephine Angelini
Josephine Angelini is the author of the novel “Starcrossed,” a modern day retelling of “The Iliad” set in the world of Greek demigods. A Massachusetts native, the youngest of eight siblings and a real-live farmer's daughter, Josie graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in theater, with a focus on the classics. She now lives in Los Angeles with her screenwriter husband and she can still drive a tractor. “Starcrossed” is the first novel in her debut...
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Michael Buckley
Michael Buckley is the acclaimed author of “The Sisters Grimm” series, a New York Times best-selling series and an Al Roker Book Club pick, and the “NERDS” (National Espionage Rescue and Defense Society) books. Michael was born in Akron, Ohio and attended Ohio University from which he graduated with honors. Prior to his success in the children’s writing profession, he held many odd jobs including professional stand-up comic, lead singer of a punk-rock band, pasta maker, and intern at the...
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Alyssa Capucilli
Alyssa Capucilli is the award winning author of over seventy books including “Biscuit,” the popular best-seller used to launch the My First I Can Read Series from HarperCollins. With over 50 titles in the series as well as over 15 million books in print, Biscuit has been deemed a modern classic and has been translated into numerous languages worldwide. Although Alyssa began her professional career as a dancer, stories and storytelling has always been an integral part of her life....
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Peter Catalanotto
Peter Catalanotto, is author/illustrator of “Ivan the Terrier,” “Matthew ABC,” and “Emily’s Art”. His work was described by a Kirkus Reviews critic as "explosively joyful and expressive." Peter graduated from Pratt Institute in 1981 and began working as an illustrator for print publications such as Reader’s Digest, Family Circle, Woman’s Day and American Girl Magazine. In 1984, he began illustrating young adult book jackets and after painting the cover for Judy Blume’s “Just as Long as We’re Together” in 1987,...
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Lucia Gonzalez
Lucia Gonzalez is an accomplished storyteller, puppeteer, children's librarian and author of “The Storyteller’s Candle” and “The Bossy Gallito”. Born in the town of Caimito del Guayabal, Cuba, Lucia was raised in Cuba and Miami, yet has lived in Spain, California, and Venezuela. Her travels have contributed greatly to her interest in folklore. Her classic Cuban folktale, “The Bossy Gallito,” was awarded the Pura Belpré Children’s Literature Honor Medal by the American Library Association, and selected for the New York...
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John Harris
John Harris is the author of “Jingle Bells: How the Holiday Classic Came to Be”. He lives in Santa Monica, California, but grew up in Alexandria, Va., which is, like Savannah, a lovely old place that gets very, very hot. He has written a number of books for children, including “My Monster Notebook” and “A Giraffe Goes to Paris” (with Mary Tavener Holmes), of which Publishers Weekly said, “This is history for children the way it ought to be written.”...
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Guests | tags:
Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
Steve Jenkins has written and illustrated nearly 20 picture books for young readers, including “Actual Size,” “Never Smile at a Monkey,” “Down, Down, Down: A Journey to the Bottom of the Sea,” and “Biggest, Strongest, Fastest.” His books have been called stunning, eye-popping, inventive, gorgeous, masterful, extraordinary, playful, irresistible, compelling, engaging, accessible, glorious, and informative. Steve frequently collaborates with his wife, author/illustrator Robin Page. Together they illustrated/wrote the Caldecott Honor-winning “What Do You Do with a Tail Like This?” as...
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Brian Jordan
A professional athlete best known for building a multi-sport legacy, Brian Jordanwas an All-Star player with the Atlanta Braves and an All-Pro selection with the Atlanta Falcons. He is also an Emmy Award-winning sports analyst for FOX Sports South and a recurring broadcast personality for Comcast Sports South and ESPN, as a lead analyst for both the Atlanta and Gwinnett Braves. In 1998, he founded the Brian Jordan Foundation and awards scholarships to underprivileged yet deserving young people. His best-selling...
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Helen Kimbrough
Helen Kimbrough is the author of two multicultural children's books: “Ocean Waves and Other Tales” and “Play Dates and Other Tales”. Helen was inspired by her sons to create a book coupled with melodies to encourage her children and others to enjoy reading and learning. These simply-told stories and their beautiful illustrations celebrate a child's connections to family, places, and special possessions. Individually and collectively, they reflect universal messages of love and acceptance that children and parents everywhere will respond...
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Michelle Knudsen
Michelle Knudsen is the author of more than 40 books for young readers, including the New York Times best-selling picture book, “Library Lion,” which won several major awards and has been translated into many languages. Other titles include the middle-grade fantasy novel, “The Dragon of Trelian,” and her newest picture book, “Argus”. She’s also a freelance editor and teaches children’s book writing at Gotham Writers’ Workshop in New York City. Michelle lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. www.michelleknudsen.com Michelle's Blog...
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"Dino" Don Lessem
"Dino" Don Lessem is the world's most prolific popularizer of dinosaurs. He is the author of more than 50 books of natural history for children. For his "Ask Dino Don" column in Highlights magazine, he has answered 11,000 letters from kids. Don has hosted and written NOVA and Discovery Channel documentaries, advised for Steven Spielberg, Universal Studios and Disney movies and theme parks. He has raised $3 million for dinosaur research. He and his company, Dinodon, Inc., have excavated and...
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Kadir Nelson
Kadir Nelson is author/illustrator of “Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African-Americans,” and artist of the album cover for “Michael” by the late pop icon Michael Jackson. He is an award-winning American artist whose works have been exhibited in major national and international publications, institutions, art galleries, and museums. Kadir earned a bachelor’s degree from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, and has since created paintings for a host of distinguished clients including Sports Illustrated, the Coca-Cola Company,...
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Miles & William Rabun
Miles Rabun, 12, and William Rabun, 10, are the young authors of “My Grandma’s Backyard” a fun-filled tale that reflects two brothers’ adventures with their grandmother. The boys, who are also aspiring entrepreneurs, live in Wake Forest, N.C., with their parents, Dereck and Yolanda Rabun. At the ages of 7 and 5, after visiting their grandmother, Kappitola Williams, in Atlanta during a summer break, Miles and William returned home with a challenge from their grandmother to write a book. So,...
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Calvin Ramsey
Calvin Ramsey is the author of “Ruth and the Green Book,” the story of a young African-American girl and her family using The Green Book to travel America’s roads in the 1950s. Calvin is an Atlanta-based playwright, photographer, and folk art painter who grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, and Roxboro, North Carolina. In addition to having been a year-round resident of Martha's Vineyard, Calvin has a passion for travel and has lived in New York City; Santa Monica, California; Chapel...
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Guests | tags:
Vicky Alvear Shecter
Vicky Alvear Shecter is the author of the young adult novel, “Cleopatra’s Moon,” based on the life of Cleopatra's only daughter, Selene. She is also the author of two award-winning biographies for kids on Alexander the Great and Cleopatra. Vicky is a docent at the Michael C. Carlos Museum of Antiquities at Emory University in Atlanta. The Los Angeles Times calls “Cleopatra’s Moon” "magical" and "impressive." Publishers Weekly said it was "fascinating" and "highly memorable." The Wall Street Journal called...
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Festival Storytimes
During all regular storytimes in the weeks leading up to the Savannah Children’s Book Festival, children’s librarians will spotlight books by our guest authors and illustrators. Check with your favorite branch for more details....
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| tags: literacy
TIER Award
Each year Live Oak Public Libraries selects an outstanding literary / literacy professional to receive its TIER award. The recipients are chosen because they are “Teaching, Inspiring and Empowering through Reading” in their highly acclaimed published work and through numerous professional achievements in their field. Past recipients of the award include: Jim Trelease, 2004; Robert Munsch, 2005; Ella Jenkins, 2006; Sonia Manzano (Sesame Street’s Maria), 2007; Mo Willems, 2008; Laura Numeroff, 2009; and Judy Schachner, 2010. Be there when the 2011 TIER recipient is announced at this year’s festival.
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Coastal Writers Circle
The Coastal Writers Area will feature many regional authors and illustrators during the Savannah Children’s Book Festival. You will be able to meet the authors, buy their books, and have the books signed.
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Guests | tags: authors, illustrators, local
Reaching Reluctant Readers
Activating Student Engagement Through Relevance and Response: A symposium for individuals who work with children and teens.
Workshop participants will learn principles and strategies that encourage students to actively participate in the reading process and develop a lifelong love of reading. The presenters will focus on how to reach reluctant readers and help them achieve success in the classroom and beyond.
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About | tags: literacy, Southwest Chatham
2011 Poster Contest Winners
Live Oak Public Libraries is pleased to announce the winners of the 2011 Savannah Children’s Book Festival Poster Contest. This year students were asked to design their ideal library. View the winning designs on Flickr.
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About | tags: poster contest winners
