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Date 3-28-06
Contact David Tisdale 601.266.4499
HATTIESBURG—The
University of Southern Mississippi will mark four decades of celebrating
children’s literature and artwork when it hosts the 39th Annual
Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival April 5-7 at Hattiesburg’s
Lake Terrace Convention Center.
The university
will also celebrate the 40th anniversary of the de Grummond Children’s
Literature Collection during this time, which will include a ribbon-cutting
ceremony at 1:30 p.m., April 5, for a new exhibit room located on
the second floor of Cook Library.
Acclaimed children’s
literature author Walter Dean Myers is the festival’s 2006 Southern
Miss Medallion recipient. Myers has written more than 50 books for
children and young adults. He is a five-time recipient of the Coretta
Scott King Award; a Newbery Honoree; the winner of the first Michael
L. Printz Award; and the recipient of the First Annual Virginia
Hamilton Literary Award. Recent books include Monster,
the winner of the Michael L. Printz Award, Autobiography of
My Dead Brother, a 2005 National Book Award finalist, and Here
in Harlem.
“We’re looking
forward to a successful festival,” said Dr. Catharine Bomhold, assistant
professor of library and information science at the university,
who serves as director of the festival. “We have some outstanding
authors and artists presenting this year, and we hope that fans
of children’s literature and artwork will take advantage of the
opportunity to participate in these events.”
Other authors
and artists who are scheduled to attend include Mo Willems, a 2005
Caldecott Honor recipient for Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale
and a 2004 Caldecott Honor recipient for Don't Let the Pigeon
Drive the Bus; Deborah Wiles, whose stories and characters
come from spending the summers of her youth with her extended family
in Mississippi and who has written books for young adults and children,
including Each Little Bird That Sings, Freedom Summer,
and the ALA Notable Book for Children Love, Ruby Lavender;
author and illustrator Kevin O'Malley, who has illustrated such
books as the Miss Malarkey series, Cinder Edna,
and Humpty Dumpty Egg-Splodes; Patricia and Frederick McKissack,
known for their nonfiction titles in African-American history, whose
books include multiple Coretta Scott King Award winners, such as
A Long Hard Journey: The Story of Pullman Porter, Sojourner
Truth: Ain't I a Woman, and Goin' Someplace Special;
and Pam Munoz Ryan, author of children's and young adult books that
include Becoming Naomi Leon and Amelia and Eleanor
Go for A Ride, who won the 2002 Pura Belpre Medal for Esperanza
Rising.
The Children's
Book Festival was renamed Dec. 5, 2001, in honor of retired elementary
school teacher Fay B. Kaigler, a native Mississippian, who contributed
planned gifts of life insurance and a charitable trust to the festival
in excess of $1.1 million. Kaigler, a longtime supporter of the
festival and the university, taught in the public schools of California
and Mississippi for 33 years, instilling the importance of reading
in her students.
She first attended
the festival at the invitation of her friend Ruth Lamont, a children's
librarian from Baton Rouge, La. Over the years the two traveled
to Hattiesburg each spring to participate in the festival. In 1998
they established the Kaigler-Lamont Award through the Children's
Book Festival to recognize teachers and librarians for distinguished
accomplishments in promoting children's reading.
“The festival
is always a special time, but this year has special significance
as we celebrate the de Grummond Collection’s 40th anniversary and
the opportunity to formally present our new exhibit room,” said
Ellen Ruffin, curator of the de Grummond Children's Literature Collection.
The de Grummond
collection was begun by former Southern Miss professor Dr. Lena
Y. de Grummond in 1966. The Children’s Book Festival was begun to
celebrate the de Grummond Collection.
For more information
about the festival and the de Grummond Collection, including registration
information, call 601.266.4349 or visit http://childrensbookfestival.org/.
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