The noted children’s author and illustrator will be in Knoxville on June 1 and 2
Tomie dePaola, author and illustrator of more than 200 books for children, will be in Knoxville on June 1 and 2 to discuss and celebrate children’s literature. His books include Strega Nona, Meet the Barkers, and 26 Fairmount Avenue. Mr. dePaola and his work have been recognized with the Caldecott Honor Award, the Newbery Honor Award, and the New Hampshire Governor’s Arts Award of Living Treasure.
The Center for Children’s and Young Adult Literature, in cooperation with the Dollywood Foundation and Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers, is sponsoring Mr. dePaola’s visit.
Mr. dePaola will give a presentation about his creative process at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 1, at the University Center auditorium on the UT Campus that is free and open to the public.
On Saturday, June 2, Mr. dePaola will be the star presenter at the Knox County Public Library’s Third Annual Children’s Festival of Reading in the World’s Fair Park. The festival is the kick-off to the library’s Summer Reading Club, which provides over 150 programs throughout the summer to encourage young people to read. Children and parents will also have an opportunity to speak with Mr. dePaola at the festival’s Meet the Author’s tent. For more information about the festival, please visit www.knoxcounty.org/library or call 215-8767.
The Center for Children’s and Young Adult Literature was created through the cooperative efforts of the University of Tennessee Libraries, the School of Information Sciences, the College of Education, Health, and Human Services, the Knox County Schools and the Knox County Public Library. The center works to promote the use of literature in the education and lives of children and young adults by providing workshops for teachers and librarians, and sponsoring talks by authors and illustrators which are open to the public.
Publishers of children’s and young adult books place review copies of their most recently published books in the center, where they are displayed for a period of eighteen months. These books are available for study by librarians, students, teachers and the public.