28th Annuals Children’s Literature Workshop

Director Bonnie Adams attended the 28th Annual workshop June 18-19 in St. Cloud. Miss Myrt Arbuckle is pictured with Library Director Bonnie Adams from the Teacher's Funeral : A Comedy in Three Parts by Richard Peck

Highly acclaimed middle grade and young adult author, Richard Peck was the keynote speaker. Peck has won numerous national awards, including the Newbery Medal, for books that include "A Year Down Yonder," "A Long Way from Chicago," "On the Wings of Heroes" and many other books for middle-age readers. He is the only children’s book author to receive a National Humanities Medal. Ritz has had several of her books exhibited at the annual Society of Illustrators Show in New York City. She illustrated "Ellis Island" (a Minnesota Book Award winner), "Snowboarding on Monster Mountain" (by Eve Bunting) and 40 other children's books.

Children’s Literature Workshop, was sponsored by the Center for Information Media at SCSU and more than 150 media specialists and teachers attended the workshop. The additional keynote presenter was Minnesota illustrator Karen Ritz.

Gertie Geck discussed new books for 2006-07, and Ritz lead a hands-on session on visual literacy and children's literature. Small-group sessions were led by Julie Notsch, teacher at Becker Intermediate School (Book Talks That Sizzle); Angela Revier, language arts teacher at Albany School (Movies & Books); Mike Borka and Jake Knaus, professors at College of St. Benedict / St. John's University (Two Boys and Their Books); and Pat Heine, professor of children’s literature at SCSU (Award Winning Books of 2006-07).