THE NATIONAL BOOK FESTIVAL
a Children's Literature Journey in my own Backyard
Children's Literature Journeys sometimes can be discovered in your own backyard. One of the memorable events for September of this year was the National Book Festival held on the Mall in Washington, D.C. on September 29th. One favorite children's book author/illustrator fe
atured the
re this year, among others, was David Wiesner, the well-known winner of no less than three Caldecott Medal Awards, most recently for FLOTSAM, reviewed on this blog, as well as for THE THREE PIGS and TUESDAY. Wiesner specializes in wordless picture books of excellence and he represents one of only two 3-time winners of this prestigious award for Children's Book Illustration. Wiesner's publisher, Houghton-Mifflin, has put together an informative website about Wiesner that you can visit by clicking on the image of several of his books shown above.
Other children's authors &/or illustrators at this major 
festival included Mercer Mayer, creator of A Nightmare in My Closet and many other stories starring his adorable little critters, who will, I'm sure, be reviewed on Of Cabbages & Kings in future and whose website includes storytelling videos and other fun activities for children and adults alike at http://www.littlecritter.com/about_mercer_mayer2.html. Yet another memorable visitor at this years festival was Rosemary Wells of Max and Ruby fame, book characters that have made the successful translation into 
television series characters, and author of over 60 books for children. Her website, list of books, book reviews and fun kid activities can be found at http://www.rosemarywells.com/
festival included Mercer Mayer, creator of A Nightmare in My Closet and many other stories starring his adorable little critters, who will, I'm sure, be reviewed on Of Cabbages & Kings in future and whose website includes storytelling videos and other fun activities for children and adults alike at http://www.littlecritter.com/about_mercer_mayer2.html. Yet another memorable visitor at this years festival was Rosemary Wells of Max and Ruby fame, book characters that have made the successful translation into 
television series characters, and author of over 60 books for children. Her website, list of books, book reviews and fun kid activities can be found at http://www.rosemarywells.com/
If you did not make the festival this year and live within driving distance of Washington, D.C., mark your calendar for next year. This year, the event dawned on a beautifully crisp autumn day, and was filled with memorable speakers, festive tents, and numerous activities for adults and children alike, from book signings to children's book character sightings (such as Clifford, the Big Red Dog). The website, reached through the link above, is informative and, for those illustrators or lovers of illustrations among you, showcases beautifully-illustrated posters from this year, as well as from previous years of this festival, of which three are shown above. More importantly, if you visit the website, your appetite for attending next year will be whetted by listening to podcasts of a selection of the author/illustrators from this years festival, including of Rosemary Wells and Mr. David Weisner, himself.
I'll watch for you next year!
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