When it comes to reading, folks young and old have a lot to celebrate. Topping Boomer’s fun list is the first-ever Tucson Festival of Books, March 14 & 15.
Now’s the perfect time to have a great time reading. Boomer Bear is a voracious reader, who wants all kids to develop a love of books. That’s why Bear Essential News is part of the new Tucson Festival of Books. This free literary extravaganza kicks off March 14 on The University of Arizona campus and offers a ton o’ fun for everyone!
Creating a Big Book Festival for Arizona
Community leaders, literacy people, businesses, the Arizona Daily Star and the UofA joined forces to get the Tucson Festival of Books off to a strong start. More than 300 authors (including many top-notch creators of kids and young adult books) are coming to town to share their great stories and the secrets of their success.
“The festival focuses around raising awareness, celebrating books, and celebrating authors and illustrators. It’s really looking at literacy from infant all the way through seniors,” says Kathy Short, who organized the festival’s authors, illustrators and storytellers for kids and young adults. Dr. Short has a passion for kids books and is a professor of language, reading and culture at the UofA.
Books for Kids Are Better than Ever!
From funny rhymes about Frankenstein to fairies flying about Never Land, from books about life in the NFL to books about ocean life—the variety of reads has never been greater. Books are more creative than ever and will develop your reading skills AND broaden your thinking!
But all this variety isn’t just due to a bunch of awesome authors and brilliant illustrators. According to Dr. Short, today’s young readers have a lot to do with this super selection of books. In fact, she says this is an exciting time for books. “Kids are so much more flexible and open to a wide range of forms,” she points out. “One of the reasons authors and illustrators like the field is because they can be creative and inventive. Kids really enjoy when authors play, and so the field has attracted some of the very best writers and the very best artists because of that flexibility,” she continues.
Festival Fun for Kids & Families
The Tucson Festival of Books is a BIG celebration. Organizers hope that the two-day event on March 14 and 15 will draw lots of people. “It’s really a community-based approach to literacy. We’re hoping for 50,000 people!” Dr. Short explains.
Kids and families are an important part of the festival, so tons of fun and engaging activities span the two days. Outside on the UofA mall, families can enjoy a kids area and a separate teens area. Young people can check out game and activity booths, including a great one with Bear Essential News.
Authors will visit the kids area and sign books. Every 30 minutes, younger kids can sit on a story blanket to hear a different author read a story or two.
“There will be interactive stage events—storytelling, puppetry and all kinds of music. For teens there is lots of live music going on. At the booths, kids can try their hand at bookmaking, decorate their own book bag from Bookmans and do all sorts of other activities around books. TMC’s Tomas the Turtle will be there to help promote health and safety to kids.
From the kids area, you can step inside the Education building for free hour-long workshops with some outstanding authors and illustrators. These speakers will guide you, entertain you and answer any questions that you throw at them! Authors will share their writing secrets, and artists will teach you some amazing illustration techniques.
Great Books and Their Great Authors, Too!
Dr. Short invited authors, illustrators and storytellers from all over. Several of ’em have strong ties to Tucson and Arizona. This diverse bunch offers great reads that cover just about everyone’s interests.
Local author Jennifer J. Stewart (Close Encounters of a Third-World Kind) will do a writing workshop on voice. Alexander Standler (the comic-style Julian Rodriguez series) is coming in from Philadelphia to do a writing and illustrating workshop. Joe Hayes, a famous storyteller from Santa Fe, N.M., will teach kids about his art, which is a very old form of literature.
New York author Gail Carson Levine (Ella Enchanted) and David Christiana (an art professor at the UofA) produced the Fairy books set in Never Land. They will show kids how teamwork can lead to spectacular books. And for those who like something on the wild side, Adam Rex (Frankenstein Takes the Cake) returns to Arizona from Philly to share his hilarious words and amazing art skills.
And the Winner Is…
Each year, Arizona kids vote on a book that they want young people throughout the state to read at the same time! The program is called ONEBOOKAZ for Kids. This year’s winner is “Hip, Hip Hooray, It’s Monsoon Day! Ajúa, ya llegó el chubasco!,” a bilingual book by Tucsonan Roni Capin Rivera-Ashford.
A long-time bilingual educator, Capin Rivera-Ashford started writing for kids about 15 years ago. She grew up in Nogales, Ariz., where the broiling heat of the summer gave way to terrific monsoon downpours. “I always enjoyed it. I loved the rain, the sound of the rain and the smell. When I heard thunder, I knew there’d be some beautiful lightning in the sky,” she remembers.
In her book, a boy named Aaron and his family highlight how people anticipate and celebrate monsoon season in the Sonoran Desert. The family shares cultural traditions and scientific facts that make this weather phenomenon special.
“I feel very humbled and excited—it’s unbelievable!” Capin Rivera-Ashford explains. “Beginning in April, this program encourages children around the state to read the same book at the same time.”
Capin Rivera-Ashford and last year’s ONEBOOKAZ author, Terri Fields, are coming to the Tucson Festival of Books.
Fields taught for 38 years, mostly at Sunnyslope High in Phoenix. In 1986 she earned Arizona Teacher of the Year honors, teaching language arts, English and communications, and coaching the speech team. As an author, she’s written books for kids from preschool all the way through 12th grade. Her book “Danger in the Desert” was the ONEBOOKAZ for 2008.
Fields says that she loves doing school visits and meeting her young readers. “It gives me an opportunity to connect with my readers. It’s such a thrill to interact with kids and get them excited about reading and writing,” she says.
Helping to get the Tucson Festival of Books off the ground really pleases her. “It provides a fun, exciting atmosphere. It shows that reading deserves celebration. It also gives families a chance to enjoy it as a family activity. I hope it grows and grows,” Fields concludes.
Boomer’s List of Upcoming Reading Events
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