Six award-winning and nationally recognized authors and illustrators will be presenting during the 23rd Symposium on Books for Young Readers Thursday and Friday, July 15-16, in the Provo City Library. The event is hosted by Brigham Young University Conferences and Workshops.
The two-day symposium is for librarians, teachers, parents and anyone who enjoys children’s literature. The presenters will share their perspectives on children’s literature and be open for question-and-answer sessions.
Registration is available online at bfyr.byu.edu or by calling (801) 422-8925. Noncredit registration is $93 for Friday, $123 for Thursday or $164 for both days. Credit registration is $194 for both days. Registration is also available by visiting or mailing to 120 Harman Continuing Education Building, Provo, UT 84602. Registration is open until July 8 at 5 p.m.
The speakers are:
• Award-winning artist and best-selling author David Shannon will be speaking Thursday at 9 a.m. Shannon has written “Duck on a Bike,” “Good Boy, Fergus!” and “A Bad Case of Stripes.” He also published “No, David!” a picture book that was named a Caldecott Honor Book and New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year.
• Elizabeth Partridge, an award-winning author of more than a dozen books, will present Thursday at 10:45 a.m. She has been named a National Book Award finalist and winner of the ALA Printz Honor Award, and she was the chair of the National Book Award committee. She is the author of “Whistling,” “Moon Glowing” and “Clara and the Hoodoo Man.”
• The author of The New York Times best-selling “Fablehaven” series, Brandon Mull, will be speaking Thursday at 2:50 p.m. Mull is a graduate of BYU. Mull is also the author of “The Candy Shop War” and a picture book, “Pingo.”
• Patricia MacLachlan will be presenting Thursday at 5 p.m. in the BYU Wilkinson Student Center. She is the author of the Newbery Award-winning “Sarah, Plain and Tall.” She has also written many novels and picture books. MacLachlan has taught at Smith College in Massachusetts. She received the National Humanities Medal for her work in 2003.
• Kadir Nelson will be presenting at the Provo City Library on Friday at 8:45 a.m. He is the illustrator of many children’s picture books, including “Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story From the Underground Railroad” and “Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom.” Both books were Caldecott Honor books.
• Laurie Halse Anderson will be speaking Friday at 1:15 p.m. Anderson is a New York Times best-selling author who is well-known for tackling tough subjects with humor and sensitivity. She has written “Speak,” a Printz Honor Book, and “Chains,” a Scott O’Dell Award recipient. She was recently awarded the 2009 Margaret A. Edwards Award for her deep impact on young adult literature.
For a full schedule, visit bfyr.byu.edu. For more information, call (801) 422-2568 or e-mail cw135@byu.edu.
Writer: Brandon Garrett
