The weather on Saturday was sunny and cheerful, which was a perfect match for my mood! I spent the day at the incredibly marvelous Rhode Island Festival of Children's Books and Authors at Lincoln School in Providence. It was my first time attending and I was simply amazed. I got to see presentations by some of my favorite authors and illustrators, and every single one of them was interesting and entertaining. (Not surprisingly, my "books to read" list got quite a bit longer!) I also enjoyed browsing the displays for books to purchase for the school and selected several that fit in perfectly with lessons I'll be doing this year. The icing on the cake was getting to meet the authors/illustrators while having the books signed for our school library. It was an exciting day and I'm already looking forward to finding out who will be appearing next year!
I took lots of pictures and video to show to my students during the school year, but here are a few to give you a taste of the day. My sincerest thanks to organizer Meagan Lenihan and everyone who helped to make this event happen!
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| Chris Van Allsburg hides Fritz, a small white dog, in every book he illustrates. At least, that's the theory. But there are two books in which neither I nor any of my past students have been able to locate him. (I'll admit it: finding the answer to this mystery was one of my reasons for attending the festival!) I'm delighted to report that Mr. Van Allsburg shared the information I was looking for. But of course, I'm not going to reveal the answer here; my fourth graders will have to wait until we go on our Fritz Hunt! |
video: Chris Van Allsburg on the creation of his second book, Jumanji
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| Illustrator Michael Emberley asked the audience, "What do you think an author or illustrator of children's books does each day?" His answer was that they make mistakes. Here he sketches himself sitting at his light table, which he uses to trace the multiple versions of his drawings until he gets the image just right. Later he added the waste basket that holds his many, many drafts. I wish all my students could have heard his message of perseverance and that the first draft is just a step toward the final copy. Plus, he was hilarious! |
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| Gail Carson Levine shared this picture of when she got to be on the set of Ella Enchanted, and she discussed how much (or how little) input she was able to give to the filmmakers. (Overall, she said she enjoyed the film!) |
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| Steve Jenkins and Robin Page discussed how they collaborate to create their gorgeous cut/torn paper illustrations. Much of their time is spent researching the animals. They find images and information in books and online, and they visit museums to inspect the dioramas. They also shared some pretty adorable pictures of their kids! This was my favorite: |
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| (Although I'll admit that the picture of their son with his hair sticking straight up from static electricity was pretty adorable, too!) |
