Saturday, November 7th, from 9am to 5pm at the Library
The Bozeman Public Library Foundation will present its 8th annual Children’s Festival of the Book Saturday, November 7th, from 9am to 5pm at the Library, featuring Jon Klassen, Mac Barnett, and local favorite Kent Davis. Inspired by the Montana Festival of the Book, the goal of the Bozeman Children’s Festival of the Book is to celebrate children’s literature, inspire children of all ages, and instill a life-long love of reading.
What do digging holes and knitting sweaters have in common? Not much you may think, but both are the activities of choice in the witty, wonderful, and magical children’s books written by Barnett and illustrated by Klassen. With the help of a faithful dog and box of yarn, Barnett and Klassen weave two delightful tales of ingenuity, determination, and imagination in their collaborative books Sam & Dave Dig a Hole and Extra Yarn. This talented duo’s books will surely become favorites of kids and adults alike. Kicking off the morning presentations will be “10,000 Laughs or Your Money Back: A Free Event with Mac Barnett.”
To learn more about him as a speaker, please check out his TEDx talk at ted.com/speakers/mac_barnett. Next up will be Klassen’s “Getting Imaginary Animals to do What You Want.” Speaking as a writer and illustrator, he will put his pen to work in ways kids cannot even imagine. To see more of his genius, please visit his Tumblr page jonklassen.tumblr.com/. Both presentations are appropriate for ages 3+. In the afternoon, local author, actor, playwright, and teacher Kent Davis will lead “Idea Hunting: Stalking the Next Story,” a hands-on, interactive hour for kids ages 8+, incorporating a dash of improv, a pinch of his new book, and a heaping ladle of fun. Attendees will delve into the mysteries of where ideas come from, taking creative risks, and collaborating with others. His first middle grades novel, A Riddle in Ruby, hit the shelves just last month. It is an ambitious tale of trickery, cunning, thievery, and camaraderie, with a bit of steampunk thrown in for good measure. Rounding out the afternoon will be a workshop, “Writing Stories and Drawing Stories and Doing Both at the Same Time” for all ages by Barnett and Klassen. This is immediately followed by a chat with Barnett, Klassen, and Davis, moderated by Children’s Librarian, Cindy Christin. The morning session begins with a writing workshop “Characters Make the Book” with local authors Michele Corriel and Janet Fox. For kiddos and their families, there will be crafts, knitting activities, book signings, and a writing and illustration contest. Once again, Country Bookshelf is selling books and donating a portion to the Library Foundation, sponsor of the annual festival. Thanks to partners that include Humanities Montana, First Security Bank, Country Bookshelf, Magpie Guesthouse, Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Yarn Scout, Montana Parent Magazine, and MSU’s College of Education, Health and Human Services, this one-day festival is free and open to the public!
For info about the festival and contest entries, see childrensfestivalofthebook.wordpress.com. •
