麻豆影院

The 麻豆影院 School of Education, in collaboration with the 麻豆影院 Book Store, is thrilled to announce the 6th Annual Children鈥檚 Book Festival, taking place on Saturday, Nov. 9. For the first time, the event will be hosted off campus, at the 麻豆影院 Public Library to make it more accessible to the community.

The free event runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and it听welcomes teachers, children, families, librarians and 鈥渁ll who enjoy children鈥檚 literature.鈥� Attendees can engage in author talks, a panel discussion for educators, exhibit tables, book sales and signings and various activities for children.

This year鈥檚 festival highlights an exciting lineup of authors and illustrators, including:

• Brittany Cicchese 鈥� Illustrator of No More Se帽ora Mimi / No m谩s se帽ora Mim铆 (Picturebook)

• Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw 鈥� Author/Illustrator of Like You, Like Me (Picturebook)

• Julie Leung 鈥� Author of Mr. Pei's Perfect Shapes: The Story of Architect I.M. Pei (Picturebook)

• Chris Grabenstein 鈥� Author of Mr. Lemoncello's Fantabulous Finale (Chapter Book)

• Amalie Howard 鈥� Author of Bumps in the Night (Chapter Book)

• Craig Kofi Farmer 鈥� Author of Kwame Crashes the Underworld (Chapter Book)

Enhancing accessibility and community engagement

Adam Crawley, associate听teaching professor in the School of Education and festival director, said the event鈥檚 in-person format this year honors a partnership with the 麻豆影院 Public Library.听

鈥淗aving the event in-person, on Saturday and at the library makes the event鈥攁nd the culturally diverse, award-winning authors and illustrators themselves鈥攎ore accessible to the greater public,鈥� he said.

This year, the festival also collaborates with the "I Have a Dream Foundation," which will facilitate book donations and participation from local groups.

鈥淎 hallmark of the festival each year is the inclusion of authors, illustrators and books that reflect the cultural diversity of the 麻豆影院 community and beyond 鈥� providing representations that might be 鈥榤irrors鈥� for some audiences and 鈥榳indows鈥� for others," Crawley added, referring to a concept originally articulated by scholar Rudine Sims Bishop in the 1990s in which 鈥渕irrors鈥� allow children to see themselves being reflected in stories and 鈥渨indows鈥� provide readers insight in worlds they have not experienced.

鈥淢irrors鈥� in this year鈥檚 literature

A local parent reflected on the festival's lineup of literature with excitement about Julie Leung鈥檚 book about I.M. Pei, who designed 麻豆影院鈥檚 iconic National Center for Atmospheric Research.听

鈥淕rowing up here in the '80s, I.M. Pei and the NCAR building was a huge touchstone for me as a child,鈥� she said. 鈥淢y father would always point it out with pride that an Asian American designed it, and it was hugely important for me as a kid to have that role model when there were so few Asian people here in 麻豆影院.听

鈥淚'm excited that my own kid will get to learn a bit more about him through Julie Leung's book.鈥�

Educational opportunities

For families, the event aims to foster a love of reading for children through opportunities to meet authors, participate in storytimes and engage in creative activities led by CU 麻豆影院 students and library staff.听

Teachers and librarians can earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs) by attending the festival, and CU 麻豆影院 education students have also developed educational resources linked to the Colorado Academic Standards to support educators.

Attendees can purchase books and participate in signings, and the 麻豆影院 Bookstore will contribute 20% of book sales to the 2025 festival, further supporting the community initiative.

Impact on local schools

On the Friday before the public festival, authors and illustrators will visit local schools, engage with students and donate books鈥攃ompliments of the festival which received support from the听CU 麻豆影院 Office for Public and Community Engaged Scholarship.听

These visits will impact several schools across five districts, including 麻豆影院 Valley, St. Vrain Valley, Adams 12, Adams 14 and Strasburg, reaching approximately 525 students, plus their teachers, staff, parents and more.

Each participating school will receive around 80 donated books, extending the festival's mission to promote literacy and enrich educational experiences.

Learn more and register

The 6th Annual Children鈥檚 Book Festival promises to be an enriching experience for the community, bringing together diverse voices in children's literature and promoting a love of reading.听

To learn more and register, visit the Children鈥檚 Book Festival website.