Plum Creek was a Wow!
10/4/12 7:21 PM
What a remarkable experience I enjoyed at the Plum Creek Children’s Literacy Festival last month, at Concordia University, in Seward, Nebraska! Nebraskan’s (at least for now) hold the title of ‘most hospitable folks on earth,’ in my mind.
For three full, fun days I joined some remarkable authors, illustrators, teachers and school kids to share our love for reading and books. Who was there? I’m glad you asked. Tom Lichtenheld, a really funny illustrator/author, Clare Vanderpool, the Newbery award-winning author of Moon Over Manifest, super-talented illustrator/author Jarrett Krosoczka, Andrea Davis Pinkney, award-winning author of many books for children and young adults, Zoe and Bob Alley, a fabulous writer-illustrator team from Rhode Island, Gary Schmidt whose books have won Newbery and Printz Honors and, finally, David Wiesner, winner of three Caldecotts for his illustration.
We each presented to kids in local Nebraska schools, and to huge groups of kids and teachers on campus, and finally to teachers alone on the third day. We did a pile of laughing,learning, and book-signing. For me this was a top-ten life experience, and a HUGE honor. I shared my poems with over 2000 kids and teachers in three days!