Children’s Book Festival Coming Up Friday
Encouraging children to read is important for all aspects of their lives. The Children’s Book Festival, part of the Oxford Conference for the Book, gives area children a book of their own and the opportunity to meet the author with their classmate on Friday, March 21 at the Ford Center. This year, the first-grade author is William Joyce for his book Rocket Puppies, and the fifth-grade author is James Ponti for his book City Spies.
William Joyce is the creator of Rolie Police Olie, Meet the Robinsons, and Rise of the Guardians, and more than fifty picture books and novels. He also does animated films (Toy Story, Meet the Robinsons), and is a New York Times–bestselling author of The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, which was named one of the one hundred best picture books of all time by Time magazine, and his animated film based on the book won an Academy Award in 2012. He lives in Shreveport, Louisiana. Rocket Puppies is his newest and happiest book.
James Ponti is a New York Times–bestselling author whose novels have been named to forty-five state award lists, optioned by Hollywood, and translated into fifteen languages. He’s a two-time Edgar Award–nominee, winning in 2018 for Vanished. He lives with his family in Orlando, Florida.
Public events include a presentation and signing at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 20 at the Oxford-Lafayette Public Library and a book signing at Square Books Jr. at 4 p.m. Friday, March 21 at 4 p.m.
The goal of the Children’s Book Festival, which is underwritten by the Elaine Hoffman Scott Memorial Fund, is to give each child a book of their own. They read the book along with classmates and their teacher during the school year. The Children’s Book Festival serves more than 1,200 area first-graders and fifth-graders from schools in Lafayette County and Oxford. Committees made up of local school librarians, teachers, and representatives from the Lafayette County Literacy Council (sponsor of the first grade), Junior Auxiliary (sponsor of the fifth grade), and Square Books, Jr. choose the book each year. The Conference then invites those authors to present programs to each grade.
Encouraging children to read is important for all aspects of their lives. The Children’s Book Festival, part of the Oxford Conference for the Book, gives area children a book of their own and the opportunity to meet the author with their classmate on Friday, March 21 at the Ford Center. This year, the first-grade author is William Joyce for his book Rocket Puppies, and the fifth-grade author is James Ponti for his book City Spies.
William Joyce is the creator of Rolie Police Olie, Meet the Robinsons, and Rise of the Guardians, and more than fifty picture books and novels. He also does animated films (Toy Story, Meet the Robinsons), and is a New York Times–bestselling author of The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, which was named one of the one hundred best picture books of all time by Time magazine, and his animated film based on the book won an Academy Award in 2012. He lives in Shreveport, Louisiana. Rocket Puppies is his newest and happiest book.
James Ponti is a New York Times–bestselling author whose novels have been named to forty-five state award lists, optioned by Hollywood, and translated into fifteen languages. He’s a two-time Edgar Award–nominee, winning in 2018 for Vanished. He lives with his family in Orlando, Florida.
Public events include a presentation and signing at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 20 at the Oxford-Lafayette Public Library and a book signing at Square Books Jr. at 4 p.m. Friday, March 21 at 4 p.m.
The goal of the Children’s Book Festival, which is underwritten by the Elaine Hoffman Scott Memorial Fund, is to give each child a book of their own. They read the book along with classmates and their teacher during the school year. The Children’s Book Festival serves more than 1,200 area first-graders and fifth-graders from schools in Lafayette County and Oxford. Committees made up of local school librarians, teachers, and representatives from the Lafayette County Literacy Council (sponsor of the first grade), Junior Auxiliary (sponsor of the fifth grade), and Square Books, Jr. choose the book each year. The Conference then invites those authors to present programs to each grade.
Books Pollinate Our Brain Gardens, by Blair Hobbs
