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Childrens Literature Festival Celebrates 25th Anniversary

KEENE, N.H. 9/13/01 - To celebrate its anniversary, seven of the United States best-known authors and illustrators in the field of childrens literature will make return appearances to the 25th Annual Childrens Literature Festival Saturday, Oct. 27, at Keene State College.

Besides the speakers, this years festival features a book sale, the sale of original art, a gallery of illustrations, and a reception.

Begun in 1978, the day-long festival has grown from a small, regional conference to an annual gathering of more than 800 authors, illustrators, teachers, librarians, and other childrens literature enthusiasts from the U.S. and Canada.

Were very happy that some of the speakers whose previous appearances contributed to the success and longevity of the Festival are able to return to help us celebrate our 25th anniversary, says Dr. David E. White, the festival director and professor of education at KSC. We now have our largest representation ever, with people coming from 16 states and Canada. Our 25th anniversary celebration promises to be an exciting day.

Festival speakers include Tomie dePaola of New Hampshire, author and illustrator of hundreds of books for children including the Newbery Honor Award-winning 26 Fairmont Street; Trina Schart Hyman of New Hampshire, award- winning illustrator of many books including The Serpent Slayer and other Stories of Strong Women, written by her daughter Katrin Tchana; Patricia MacLachlin of Massachusetts, author of many books including Sarah, Plain and Tall, which won a Newbery Award; Patricia and Frederick McKissack of Missouri, authors of non-fiction works about Africans and African-Americans; David Shannon of California, illustrator of many books including his own classic No, David!; and Jane Yolen of Massachusetts, a poet and author of more than 200 works for children.

In addition to the presentations, festival participants will be able to see many new additions to the Festival Gallery Collection displayed in Rhodes Hall. Again this year, a variety of festival-related items such as posters and T-shirts will be offered for sale. Proceeds will be used to obtain other work for the collection.

The registration deadline for the festival is Friday, Oct. 20. After that date, people interested in attending should call 603-358-2302 to see if seats remain.

For more information, contact White at 603-358-2302 or visit the festival web site at www.keene.edu/clf.

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