Spring into the YLF Writing Contest

Spring is upon us, and it's not too late to enter the Youth Literature Festival Annual Writing Contest!  Students in grades k-5 are invited to submit their original writing and art.  Submissions must be postmarked by April 15.   Winners will be recognized next fall at the Youth Literature Festival, on Saturday, October 6, where authors like Candace Fleming and Alice McGinty will be some of the featured guests. -Elaine B.

Sharpen Your Imagination!

Are you home from school today hunkering in from the blowing ice and snow?  It could be the perfect time to start a story for the Youth Literature Festival Writing Contest!  Maybe you like to write poems...or create a world full of goblins and fairies...or tell a riveting tale about the lives of the squirrels and possums in your backyard!  Students in kindergarten through fifth grade are invited to submit a story to this contest sponsored by Illinois Public Media, the College of Education and the University Library, with a deadline of March 11.  For complete contest rules and an entry form, visit the official website.  Having trouble finding an idea?  Try author Ralph Fletcher's webpage for a list of ideas or watch Kevin Henkes talk about how he created his newest book Little White Rabbit.  Happy Writing!  -Elaine B.

         

Youth Literature Festival

School is getting ready to start and that means the date for the next Youth Literature Festival is getting closer too! Mark your calendar for Saturday, October 9 for a fantastic day filled with your favorite authors, book-related activities, puppets, music and storytelling. Krannert Center for the Performing Arts will be hosting the day-long event from 10-4. You will have the chance to see favorite local authors like Patricia Hruby-Powell, Dan Keding, Sara Latta and Alice McGinty, as well as authors from farther away like Jim Aylesworth, Esme Raji Codell and Jenny Meyerhoff. To get in the mood for a day of meeting your favorite authors, you may want to try Patricia MacLachlan's new book Word After Word After Word - about an author who visits a classroom just like yours. Hope to see you at the festival! -Elaine B.

Alice in Wonderland

If you want to read up before the new Alice in Wonderland movie hits the theaters Friday, March 5, try some of the whimsical and thought-provoking versions offered in our Children's Department. Ever since John Tenniel illustrated Charles Dodge's original 1865 publication (published under the well-known pseudonym of Lewis Carroll), it seems to be every illustrator's dream to illustrate the story: Lisbeth Zwerger, Alison Jay, Michael Foreman, and Barry Moser ,to name a few. Even the sequel, Through the Looking-Glass, has garnered attention from illustrators like Helen Oxenbury with her accessible watercolors. After traveling through the pages with Alice, you and your family may enjoy taking in one of the Alice (and me) in Wonderland events held by the Orpheum Children's Science Museum. -Elaine B.