Jane Yolen Headlines 2012 Children’s Book Festival

Jane Yolen was this year’s Medallion recipient and she gave a very nice speech about the importance of story.

As all of us struggle to figure out how stories will find their audiences in our digital world, it is surely important to remember that story matters most.

This is my fifth Kaigler festival; each one seems better than the last.

This year Julie Owen came along and co-presented with me. Our newest workshop is “Read a Book, Make a Book!” We had more than 50 librarians (and a few writers and illustrators) in the room. We were so busy with the hands-on bookmaking that we didn’t get a single photograph. Errrrgh!

We had good suggestions from Micha Archer, an honor winner in this year’s Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Contest.

Meg Medina, winner of the 2012 Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award for her book, Tia Isa Wants a Car, with Micha Archer, who illustrated Lola’s Fandango.

Patrick and T, the husband and daughter of Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw, who won the Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award for her illustrations of Same, Same But Different. She also was an honor winner of the EJK new writer award for Same Same But Different. One of my favorite bits of the signing time at Barnes and Noble was my tea party with T, while her mom signed books.

Margery Cuyler

Rebecca Kai Dotlich

Matt de la Pena signing We Were Here, which he gave (GAVE!) to Julie after his speech, which was very inspiring!
Denise Fleming, leading librarians in a dance.

I spent some time visiting with Floyd Dickman, learning about the curriculum work he’s done with quilts and children’s books in Ohio.

During my signing time, I met some librarians from Meridian.

I spent time with my SCBWI friends at the Southern Breeze table. Claudia Pearson and Jo Kittinger worked hard to spread the word among librarians about homegrown writers and illustrators and to encourage would-be writers and illustrators among the librarians to join us at SCBWI.

Hester Bass, author of The Secret World of Walter Anderson, hosts the Southern Breeze table.

Diane Butler, librarian at Magee Middle School, wins the Kaigler-Lamont Award, which is given to a librarian who has done outstanding work in turning kids on to books.

Valerie Nye and Kathy Barco, who were signing their book, True Stories of Censorship Battles in America’s Libraries.

Thanks, Julie, for coming along, and for taking the pictures that include me.