Fay B. Kaigler Children's Book Festival

Complimentary coffee service from 8 a.m. to noon at the end of the 2nd floor exhibitor's hall.

9-10 a.m. Concurrent Sessions

A1. Secrets of the Graphic Novel: An Exploration of the Newly Respected Literary Art Form
Chuck Galey
Anime, Comics, and Graphic Novels; Storytelling
(0.1 CEUs)

A2. Celebrating Racial Diversity in Children's Literature*
Callie Ann Starkey
Diversity and Multicultural Booktalks; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
(0.1 CEUs)

A3. Puppets with Purpose: Using Puppets to Enhance Early Literacy Storytimes*
Lana Montgomery
Programming; Emergent Reading Strategies
(0.1 CEUs)

A4. Making Books Come Alive with Music
Jo Hackl
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Cross-Curriculum
(0.1 CEUs)

10:15-11:15 a.m. CST Concurrent Sessions

B1. Summer Reading Program
Stacy Creel
Public Libraries; Programming
(0.1 CEUs)

B2. We Need Diverse Books!: How to Evaluate & Develop a Collection to Meet All Your Users’ Needs*
Janet Hilbun and Jane Claes
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Collection Development
(0.1 CEUs)

B3. Set the Stage: Using Primary Sources to Bring Picture Books and Novels to Life*
Soline Holmes and Alicia Schwarzenbach
Programming; Nonfiction
(0.1 CEUs)

B4. The Wheels On the Bus Go Round and Round: Early Literacy Outreach Aboard the Words on Wheels BookWagon*
Meridith Wulff and Hanna Lee
Community Outreach, Public Libraries
(0.1 CEUs)

11:30 a.m. CST
Welcome Session
Announcements
Kaigler-Lamont Award
Magnolia Awards Ceremony
Thad Cochran Center Ballrooms

12 – 1:30 p.m. CST
Coleen Salley Storytelling Luncheon with Amy Bluemel ($25)
TCC Ballrooms
Lunch Menu
(0.1 CEUs)

1:45-2:45 p.m. CST
deGrummond Lecture with Loren Long
TCC Ballrooms
(0.1 CEUs)

3-4 p.m. CST
General Session with Vikram Madan
TCC Ballrooms
(0.1 CEUs)

4:15-5:30 p.m. CST
Autographing
Barnes and Noble

4:30-5:30 p.m. Second Chance Concurrent Sessions*

SC1. The Wheels On the Bus Go Round and Round: Early Literacy Outreach Aboard the Words on Wheels BookWagon*
Meridith Wulff and Hanna Lee
Community Outreach; Public Libraries
(0.1 CEUs)

SC2. Celebrating Racial Diversity in Children's Literature*
Callie Ann Starkey
Diversity and Multicultural Booktalks; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
(0.1 CEUs)

SC3. Set the Stage: Using Primary Sources to Bring Picture Books and Novels to Life*
Soline Holmes and Alicia Schwarzenbach
Programming; Nonfiction
(0.1 CEUs)

SC4. We Need Diverse Books!: How to Evaluate & Develop a Collection to Meet All Your Users’ Needs*
Janet Hilbun and Jane Claes
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Collection Development
(0.1 CEUs)

Complimentary coffee service offered from 8am to noon at the end of 2nd floor exhibitor’s hall.

8-8:45 a.m. CST
Social with Southern Miss School of Library and Information Science
Southern Miss SLIS invites you to grab coffee and pastries while networking, socializing, and waking up with the faculty of the School of Library and Information Science

9-10:00 a.m. CST Keynote Session
Kyle Lukoff
TCC Ballrooms
(0.1 CEUs)

10:15 -11:15 p.m. CST Keynote Session
Southern Miss Medallion Session
Gene Luen Yang
(0.1 CEUs)

11:30-1:00 p.m. CST Keynote Session
Ezra Jack Keats Award Luncheon ($25)
TCC Ballrooms
This event will be livestreamed at live.usm.edu.  The livestream is open to the public.
Lunch Menu
(0.1 CEUs)

1:30-3:00 p.m. CST Autographing at Barnes and Noble

2:00-3:00 p.m. CST Second Chance Concurrent Sessions*

SC1. Puppets with Purpose: Using Puppets to Enhance Early Literacy Storytimes*
Lana Montgomery
Programming; Emergent Reading Strategies
(0.1 CEUs)

SC2. A Celebration of the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award for Children*
Karla M. Schmit
Poetry; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
(0.1 CEUs)

SC3. Children's Literature and Developing Social-Emotional Skills*
Kitty Ainsworth and Amelia McCann
Children's Books and Social Emotional Development
(0.1 CEUs)

3:15-4:15 p.m. CST Concurrent Sessions

C1. Drawing for Kids*
Steven Harper
Anime, Comics, and Graphic Novels
(0.1 CEUs)

C2. A Celebration of the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award for Children*
Karla M. Schmit
Poetry; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
(0.1 CEUs)

C3. A World of Possibilities: Recent International & Domestic Children’s Literature Promoting Cross-Cultural Understandings
Jamie Campbell Naidoo and Kimberly Rogers
Diversity and Multicultural Booktalks; Programming
(0.1 CEUs)

C4. Children's Literature and Developing Social-Emotional Skills*
Kitty Ainsworth and Amelia McCann
Children's Books and Social Emotional Development
(0.1 CEUs)

C5. Inspiring Young Writers: Sense of Place Through Tall Tales*
Karen Konnerth
Storytelling; Common Core
(0.1 CEUs)

7 p.m. CST
Celebration of the Ezra Jack Keats Award
Hors d’ourves and cash bar
Hattiesburg Train Depot
Co-sponsored by the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation and the de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection

Complimentary coffee service from 8 a.m. to noon at the end of the 2nd floor exhibitor's hall.

9-10 a.m. CST General Session
Linda Williams Jackson
TCC Ballrooms
(0.1 CEU)

10:15-11:30 a.m. Autographing at Barnes and Noble

10:30-11:30 a.m. Second Chance Concurrent Sessions*

SC1. Check Your Bias at the Door*
Mac Buntin and Dawn Zimmerer
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Access
(0.1 CEUs)

SC2. Baby + Me: Easy Steps to Reach the Youngest Generation*
Kandice Evans and Karyn Walsh
Programming; Public Libraries
(0.1 CEUs)

SC3. Summer Reading*
Stacy Creel
Public Libraries; Programming
(0.1 CEUs)

Noon – 1:30 p.m. SLIS Lecture Luncheon with Angie Manfredi ($25)
TCC Ballrooms
Lunch Menu
(0.1 CEU)

1:45-2:45 p.m. CST Concurrent Sessions

D1. Check Your Bias at the Door*
Mac Buntin and Dawn Zimmerer
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Access
(0.1 CEUs)

D2. Level Up! Transform Your Library Life Through Involvement in Professional Associations
Ally Watkins and Hanna Lee
Professional Development and Engagement; Public Libraries
(0.1 CEUs)

D3. Baby + Me: Easy Steps to Reach the Youngest Generation*
Kandice Evans and Karyn Walsh
Programming; Public Libraries 
(0.1 CEUs)

D4. Picturing Math
Sarah C. Campbell
Nonfiction; How to Get Published
(0.1 CEUs)

D5. Are Your Words Like My Words? Writing with Lyrical Language*
Margaret Simon and Leslie Helakoski
Poetry, Storytelling
(0.1 CEUs)

3-4 p.m. CST Concurrent Sessions

E1. Tapestry: Creating Hospitality through Creativity, Social Artistry, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Gloria J. McEwen Burgess
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Anime, Comics, and Graphic Novels
(0.1 CEUs)

E2. Exploring the Magnolia Book Awards, Mississippi Children's Choice Award
Bethany Carlisle and Wendy Daughdrill
School Libraries; Public Libraries
(0.1 CEUs)

E3. Kamishibai Storytelling: Bringing Culture and Interactive Storytelling into your Program
Claudia Nisbett and Nancy Varian
Diversity and Multicultural Booktalks; Storytelling
(0.1 CEUs)

E4. Library of Things: Adding Everything but the Kitchen Sink to Your Collection
Ethan Glenn and Karyn Walsh
Public Libraries; Community Outreach
(0.1 CEUs)

 

Summer Reading Program 
Stacy Creel
Public Libraries, Programming
Join Southern Miss SLIS director Dr. Stacy Creel to learn about the upcoming Collaborative Summer Library Program All Together Now for early literacy, children's, and teen summer programming.  Session will include make and takes.

Celebrating Racial Diversity in Children's Literature
Callie Ann Starkey
Diversity and Multicultural Booktalks, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
This presentation will discuss the steps taken at the Nashville Public Library to celebrate racial diversity in children's literature, while also acknowledging the history of children's books containing racist and problematic content. We will discuss our reading recommendations, as well as our curriculum kits, and ways to encourage parents to engage with their children about the books they read. 

Puppets with Purpose: Using Puppets to Enhance Early Literacy Storytimes
Lana Montgomery
Programming, Emergent Reading Strategies
We all know puppets can be a great tool for imaginative play. But did you also know that you can use puppets to enhance emergent literacy strategies in your storytimes? Puppets can be a great tool to help explore and develop social foundational skills and a love of books and reading with small children. We will investigate some strategies for librarians to use puppets to create great storytimes using puppets with purpose. 

Making Books Come Alive with Music
Jo Hackl
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Cross-Curriculum
We all know that students learn in a variety of ways. In this session you will learn evidence-backed ways to engage students by creating a chapter-by-chapter playlist of the book they are studying, with a narrative explaining the connection between the song and the chapter arc. The session also includes a sample playlist featuring Mississippi artists, best practices, resources, and tips to get started.

Secrets of the Graphic Novel- An Exploration of the Newly Respected Literary Art Form 
Chuck Galey
Anime, Comics, and Graphic Novels; Storytelling
The graphic novel has come into its own over the past couple of decades encouraging reluctant readers to move from picture books to chapter books. Join us for an intriguing evolutionary journey of the graphic novel. Learn how its humble beginnings in comics paved the way to the highly respected and popular literary art form it is today.

We Need Diverse Books!: How to Evaluate & Develop a Collection to Meet All Your Users’ Needs
Janet Hilbun and Jane Claes
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Collection Development
Having a diverse library or classroom collection is more important now than ever. How can you know that the book you chose to address an area of diversity is accurate, well-written, and of interest to your patrons or students? Having tools to help you evaluate books can help in making sure that the books you choose are the best and most accurate available. This session will provide a framework for evaluating existing books and selecting new books for library and classroom collections. Have books you aren’t sure about? Bring them and we will work together to determine if the book best fits what you want to share with your students and patrons. 

Set the Stage: Using Primary Sources to Bring Picture Books and Novels to Life
Soline Holmes and Alicia Schwarzenbach
Programming, Nonfiction
Want to bring picture book biographies and historical fiction novels to life for readers? Librarians can set the stage for readers by using primary sources and creating an immersive experience for patrons. Primary sources are the "raw materials" of history. Pairing primary sources with literature can help to bring the stories and time periods to life for all ages of readers. Find primary sources from the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, and other sources to incorporate into library programs and classes and bring stories to life, building empathy in readers.

The Wheels On the Bus Go Round and Round: Early Literacy Outreach Aboard the Words on Wheels BookWagon
Meridith Wulff and Hanna Lee
Community Outreach, Public Libraries
Get ideas and inspiration from First Regional Library’s Words on Wheels BookWagon, the state’s only bookmobile devoted entirely to early literacy! As an extension of FRL’s 14 branches, the BookWagon brings the library – monthly storytimes, materials delivery and checkout, and modeling of early literacy best practices for caregivers – to childcare centers in outlying and underserved areas of five northwest Mississippi counties. Learn about the BookWagon’s unique mission, space, and collection, as well as tips and strategies anyone can use to provide top-notch outreach library service to childcare centers and young children. (And, no, you don’t need a bookmobile!)

Drawing for Kids
Steven Harper
Anime, Comics, and Graphic Novels
A Step by step "How To" drawing for Artists of all ages and abilities, led by Author/Artist/Illustrator Steven Harper of Tikifez Comics. Join us for a fun and easy lesson on how to draw an outer space explorer on an adventure!

A Celebration of the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award for Children
Karla M. Schmit
Poetry; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
"Give children poetry. It is one of the best gifts you can give them...a gift to last a lifetime." Lee Bennett Hopkins This session will highlight the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award for Children administered by the Pennsylvania Center for the Book at Penn State. The legacy of Lee Bennett Hopkins (April 13, 1938-August 8, 2019) and his advocacy of children's poetry will be shared. Hopkins was a medallion winner at the University of Southern Mississippi Children's Book Festival in 1989. He was also the winner of the 2009 National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children and in 2011, recognized by the Guinness World Records as the world's most prolific anthologist of poetry for children. The Hopkins Poetry Award for Children began in 1993 with "Sing to the Sun" by Ashley Bryan being named the first winner of the award, and 29 titles later, in 2022,"The 1619 Project: Born on the Water" by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renee Watson. Learn more about the Hopkins poetry award, the winners and honor books--come away wanting to share poetry and enrich the lives of students, family, and friends of all ages. 

A World of Possibilities: Recent International & Domestic Children’s Literature Promoting Cross-Cultural Understandings
Jamie Campbell Naidoo and Kimberly Rogers
Diversity and Multicultural Booktalks, Programming
From graphic novels to picture books and middle grade novels to nonfiction, a rich variety of recent global children’s books hold exciting possibilities for fostering intercultural connections among children. This session highlights some of these titles and provides suggestions for integrating them into your classroom or library through engaging activities. Presenters focus on creating meaningful conversations that will plant the seeds for advocacy.

Children's Literature and Developing Social-Emotional Skills
Kitty Ainsworth and Amelia McCann
Children's Books and Social Emotional Development
Students often enter school with no "skill-set" on how to properly process and act on their emotions. Presenters will discuss Social-Emotional skills and how to use children's literature to assist students in developing appropriate behaviors.

Inspiring Young Writers: Sense of Place Through Tall Tales
Karen Konnerth
Storytelling; Common Core
This fun, arts integrated project merges social studies and language arts learning goals for students grades 3, 4, and 5. Students are introduced to a traditional American story genre, unearth the elements of their home culture, and create the story of a tall tale character born there. A packet of creative worksheets lead step by step through to an original tall tale!

Tapestry: Creating Hospitality through Creativity, Social Artistry, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Gloria J. McEwen Burgess
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Anime, Comics, and Graphic Novels
How does a young Black boy hold onto & achieve his dreams in the white supremacist culture of the Jim Crow South? With courage, perseverance, & the generous embrace of community. We, too, can weave a tapestry of hospitality. We can do so by drawing on our innate creativity, expanding our reach as social artists, & centering diversity, equity, & inclusion.

Exploring the Magnolia Book Awards, Mississippi Children's Choice Award
Bethany Carlisle and Wendy Daughdrill
School Libraries, Public Libraries
The Magnolia Book Awards provides the children and youth of Mississippi the opportunity to nominate, read, and vote for their favorite books. Please join us to learn more about the Magnolia Award and participate in discussion to explore integrating the Magnolia Award into school or public library settings. The Magnolia Award has four voting categories: PreK-2nd Grade, 3rd-5th Grade, 6th-8th Grade, and 9th-12th Grade. Learn about the process and help us advocate for the Magnolia Awards as we continue to offer children and youth in Mississippi opportunities to develop a lifelong love of reading.

Kamishibai Storytelling – Bringing Culture and Interactive Storytelling into your Program
Claudia Nisbett and Nancy Varian
Diversity and Multicultural Booktalks, Storytelling
Come to our session and learn how to use Japanese Kamishibai storytelling into your library, classroom, or even sharing stories with your children and/or grandchildren. This interactive storytelling technique uses a small theater and will be a hit with all ages. Try your hand at writing and illustrating your story to be presented in the theater and get lots of take home ideas! 

Library of Things: Adding Everything but the Kitchen Sink to Your Collection
Ethan Glenn and Karyn Walsh
Public Libraries, Community Outreach
Step outside the box… Or should we say bookshelves. Learn how your public library can loan items such as sensory kits, power tools, electronics (i.e. hotspots and laptops), STEAM kits, and more! In this session, we will discuss ideas, cataloging, and policies that went into creating this inclusive collection.

Check Your Bias at the Door
Mac Buntin and Dawn Zimmerer
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Access
This program will investigate the inherent biases surrounding the publishing and reviews in children's literature. Attendees will be asked to examine their part in restricting access to information for the patrons they serve. The group will discuss how they can actively lessen the influences of bias in their collection development.

Level Up! Transform Your Library Life Through Involvement in Professional Associations
Allie Watkins and Hanna Lee
Professional Development and Engagement; Public Libraries
Looking for ways to up your game professionally? Or maybe you’re feeling alone, burned out, and looking to reignite your passion for your work? Service in local, regional, and national associations can transform your librarianship. In this session, participants will learn more about how and why to get involved with professional associations for people involved in library service to youth, as well as how to overcome common barriers to participation. 

Baby + Me: Easy Steps to Reach the Youngest Generation
Kandice Evans and Karyn Walsh
Programming; Public Libraries
Baby + Me is a program for public libraries designed for parents/caregivers and babies from birth to 24 months of age. The program explores baby books, songs, lap reading, and fun age-appropriate activities. In this session, we will share the road to success, ideas, and ways to implement and present a baby program for anyone, like us, not realizing their library needs one. 

Picturing Math
Sarah C. Campbell
Nonfiction; How to Get Published
Awarding winning Author/Photographer Sarah C. Campbell shares a segment from her school and library visit for Infinity: Figuring Out Forever (Astra Books for Young Readers, 2022). Campbell will talk about the creative process that led to this book and share some ways you can use it in your library or classroom to spark curiosity for mathematics and the natural world. Campbell’s previous books—Mysterious Patterns: Finding Fractals in Nature, Growing Patterns: Fibonacci Numbers in Nature, and Wolfsnail: A Backyard Predator—are favorites on nonfiction shelves.

Are Your Words Like My Words?  Writing with Lyrical Language
Margaret Simon and Leslie Helakoski
Poetry, Storytelling
What makes one word more powerful than another? These two teacher/authors will discuss meter, sound and emotion which all play a part in writing lyrically. Utilizing strategies to elicit emotion, we will write in our own zines about life around the world and uncover fresh perspectives that ask— do I see what you see? 

Picture Books as Coping and Calming Tools@
Kim Becnel
Social Emotional Learning; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
In this session, we'll talk about the RULER theory of social emotional learning (Baily, Hoffman, & Simmons 2109) and share a project in-progress, a webliography called “We’re all orchids now: A bibliography of children’s picture books about dealing with anxiety,” which is supported by a Carnegie-Whitney Grant from the American Library Association. Using example books and reviews from this project, we'll explore the RULER framework, how it can be applied to picture books, and how these books can be used to support children and families coping with anxiety, overstimulation, and other emotional challenges.