How to use this Page

WordFest: Banff-Calgary International Writers Festival is an annual literary festival taking place Oct. 9 - 14, 2007 in Alberta, Canada. One of Canada’s premier literary festivals, WordFest 2007 features over 75 writers of local, national and international stature and will attract more than 12,000 individuals.

Children’s and young adult’s literature will be highlighted in the First Calgary Savings Book Rapport Programme. Festival Director Anne Green tells us:

“Book Rapport brings students up-close and personal with their favourite authors, which is a rare and fantastic opportunity for them. Students can hear the authors read, ask them questions, while teachers have a creative way to bring life into literature.”

Anne adds that this year’s Book Rapport Programme offers a superb line-up of KidLit writers, including the following award winning Canadian authors:

Canadian superstar Kenneth Oppel. Oppel, recipient of numerous prestigious literary awards, is the author of the million-copy-selling Silverwing Saga and has more than twenty children and young adult books to his credit. “To have Ken Oppel attend WordFest is great news for Calgary’s schools, students and families,” says Anne.

First nations writer Larry Loyie and his partner Constance Brissenden. In 2003, Loyie and Brissenden won the Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction for their children’s book, As Long as the Rivers Flow which was inspired by Loyie’s Cree childhood and the true story of his grandmother’s confrontation with a grizzly. As Long as the Rivers Flow is about a First Nations boy’s last summer spent with his family in the bush before being taken to residential school. The second book in this series When the Spirits Dance recounts the dramatic changes to the boy’s life when his father is sent overseas in World War 2.

Quebec writer Michel Noël. Noël has over fifty books to his credit and has written several award-winning books for young people, including Pien, which won the 1997 Governor General’s Award for French language children’s literature. His novel Good for Nothing, winner of the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People, takes place in northern Quebec in 1959 and is the story of young Métis who seeks to establish his own identity and find out more about the mystery surrounding his father’s death. The book provides compelling insights into many issues faced by First Nations people during this time (residential schools, racism, land claims etc.) as well as the ongoing struggles of native communities today. Noël was named Citizen of the World by the Canadian Association for the United Nations for his work in seeking better understanding among people.

For those of us who can’t attend WordFest in person, we can still take part! Pop culture writer Hal Niedzviecki will be writing the first official WordFest blog. Niedzviecki describes it as “a gossipy insider look at what’s going on and where to be, what’s not to be missed, who is who, and the opportunity to have your questions answered.”

Sep 29 through Oct 6 marks the 26th anniversary of Banned Books Week, a major event observed across the United States where libraries, schools, booksellers, and community organizations sponsor exhibits and present programs to shed light on the issue of censorship.

This years’ theme is – you guessed – “Aye mateys… celebrate your freedom t’ read!,” and the celebrations also happen at ALA’s InfoArts Island, in the virtual world of ‘Second Life.’ At the virtual island you will meet avatar volunteers that are ready to help you find your way through book events, discussions, and a cool exhibit that mirrors this year’s pirate theme.

I say: Wow!

As the researcher for our Eventful World calendar, I am always searching for events that highlight children’s and young adults’ literature. As you can imagine, it is fairly easy to find events taking place in Canada or the United States so when I find out about events happening in other Pacific Rim countries it can be especially exciting. Imagine my thrill when award-winning children’s book illustrator John Shelley emailed me with regards to a workshop that he hosted in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia!

Originally from the U.K. John resides in Tokyo and is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) . In June, he and fellow SCBWI Japan chapter member Holly Thompson traveled to Mongolia and hosted a three day workshop for children’s authors and illustrators. Over 40 participants attended the event with John addressing the illustrating aspects of children’s literature and Holly addressing the writing. Despite the major challenges involved (few of the attendees even spoke English!) John and Holly were able to cover the whole gamut of children’s publishing, from story ideas to story boarding, submissions to marketing and promotion. A very successful workshop indeed!

I encourage you to visit John’s blog to learn more about the workshop, the participants, and the state of the children’s book market in Mongolia. As John states in his blog:

We learned a lot through this and other experiences. Children’s publishing in Mongolia is in a state of development. The population of the whole country is less than 3 million, and as the number of people who can afford to buy children’s books is very small, the market is limited…Holly and I both felt a keen desire to help Mongolian illustrators make a name for themselves outside the country. The fundamental problem is simple - with a weak and limited local market for children’s books in Mongolia, writers and illustrators are faced with the choice to either create a stronger publishing market locally, or establish a bilingual agency that will promote work internationally. It’s a slow process, but people are aware of what needs to be done and will get there in the end, with help.

How interesting is that?

One event I will be missing this year, being on the wrong side of the Atlantic, is the exhibition of Allen Say’s work to celebrate his 70th birthday, which is currently running at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art – but if you can get to Amherst, Massachusetts before 28 October, I should imagine it would be well worth doing so. Writer, Lois Lowry certainly recommends it…

We love reading Say’s books together. Particular favorites are Under the Cherry Blossom Tree: An Old Japanese Tale, which appeals especially to my younger son’s sense of the absurd; and Kamishibai Man, which has inspired my older son to create his own storyboards. We also read Home of the Brave recently, following the discussions arising from A Place Where Sunflowers Grow. Say’s rich illustrations here and the slightly abstract conveying of the story stretch young children into asking questions… the bedtime storytime can certainly be drawn out beyond the deceptive brevity of the story. As Karen Edmisten says, it is “not a happy book but an excellent one”.

Podcast Just One More Book has reviewed Emma’s Rug and I think they sum up Say’s work as a whole when they say: (more…)

We are rapidly approaching the day that millions of kids (and adults) around the world have been waiting for. The much anticipated seventh and last work, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows written by J.K. Rowling , goes on sale this Saturday, July 21st.

The Harry Potter books have sold 325 million copies world-wide and have been translated into 64 languages, as well as being converted into a successful film franchise. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows reached the top spot on both the Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble bestseller lists just a few hours after the date of publication was announced on February 1, 2007. Retailers report that more orders have been placed for this book than for any other in history, and American publisher Scholastic announced an unprecedented initial print run of 12 million copies.

Check out your local libraries and book stores to see what special events they have planned to celebrate the book release!

There are two great children’s book fairs opening this week - one in Argentina and one in Hong Kong.

The 18th Feria del Libro Infantil y Juvenil (Buenos Aires Children’s Book Fair) opens on Monday, July 16 and runs until August 3. This is one of the premiere children’s book fairs and features all kinds of books for children and teens, as well as workshops, storytelling, games and competitions.

The Hong Kong Book Fair has 475 exhibitors and hopes to surpass last year’s attendance of over 685,000. This book fair runs from July 18 - 24, and features special events for children and their families.

To see the other great events, workshops and conferences happening this week please visit our calendar. As always, comments and feedback are welcome.

The upcoming week is a great example of what a truly Eventful World we live in! There are a variety of events taking place all around the world that promote children’s literacy. Summertime (at least here in the Northern Hemisphere) means that many of the events are held outdoors and are geared towards children and their families. Here’s a sampling of the upcoming week:

TV2 KidsFest (New Zealand), the London Literature Festival (United Kingdom), or Tezuka: The Marvel of Manga exhibition taking place in San Francisco would all be hits with the kids (and us) I’m sure. Check out the Books Illustrated Hi Five exhibition (Australia), the Nueva Paquime Festival (Mexico), International Arts Carnival (Hong Kong), and the children’s events offered at International Poetry Festival of Medellin (Columbia).

For kids that want to take part in summer workshops there are The Canadian Book Camp (Canada) and Cut It Out - Awesome Ways With Paper (Australia).

Those are just some of the events happening that are geared towards children and their families! Of course there are also events that promote children’s literacy that are just for us adults. Go to our calendar and see what might appeal to you.

There are lots of great literary events for kids happening throughout the summer but one of the closest (and according to my kids the best) events may be found at your local library. At this time of the year as schools let out for summer holidays, libraries unveil and promote their summer reading programs.

Summer reading programs began in the late 1800’s as a way to encourage children to read during their summer vacation, use the library and develop the habit of reading. Numerous studies show summer reading programs help ensure children retain reading and learning skills throughout the summer. As the American Library Association says “Summer reading programs are geared for reading for the fun of it. If you can read, thank a teacher. If you love to read, thank a librarian. Libraries are in the business of creating a new generation of readers – people who are curious and love to read. Summer library programs take advantage of children’s natural curiosity to introduce new subjects and different genres – things kids might not study in school but are interested in.”

Summer reading programs may vary but there is usually some incentive for the kids to read. At our local library kids that read for 15 minutes or more, 50 days throughout the summer receive a medal. Stickers are given out for every seven days of reading and special events for children and teenagers are held at the library throughout the summer. (I think almost every library is hosting a Harry Potter party on July 21st when the 7th and final book is released).

In our household it is a tradition that as soon as school is done we head to the library, sign up for the summer reading program and load ourselves up with a great selection of books. I hope you will make it a tradition in your home as well.

While searching for events to add to our Eventful World calendar, I came across this article entitled “A Nation Brought To Book: The literary festivals boom” by Cahal Milmo and Rob Sharp. In it the authors state:

“Literary festivals used to be humble gatherings of authors and fans. But now they are undergoing a boom, with new events opening and everyone from politicians to pop stars getting in on the act.

“Gordon Brown believes they are a sign of a new seriousness in Britain. Publishers believe they raise their writers’ profiles in a notoriously overcrowded market. And, most importantly, readers flock to them in ever-growing numbers with inquiring minds and open wallets.

“The literary festival scene is undergoing a boom akin to that in the music industry, with new events mushrooming around the country to compete with venerable annual showcases like Hay-on-Wye, Oxford and Cheltenham…Mr Browne said: “You might begin to ask whether the market is there to sustain so many literary events. I think as long as they are well organized and professional the demand is there.” ”

Well we at PaperTigers couldn’t agree more! The more literary events the better - especially those that feature events for children and young adults. What better way to turn children and young adults onto reading then by taking them to a literary festival. Big or small it’s not the size of the event that matters but the excitement for reading that it generates.

I would love to know if any of our readers have attended NAMBOOK-007 The Nami Island International Children’s Book Festival. This annual two month festival takes place in Korea and will end on July 1, 2007. When I told my two children (ages 6 and 10) about Nambook-007 they were ready to catch the next flight to Korea. My son commented “it sounds like Disneyland for book lovers!”

There are lots of literary events happening throughout the summer so check our calendar and see what catches your eye. Many of the festivals are held outside during summer months and have activities that will appeal to all ages. We always welcome your feedback so let us know what the literary festival scene is like in your city. Do you have any events that are geared specifically towards children and their families? What festivals have you attended? Will you be attending something exciting this summer that we should all know about?

We all know that there must be literary events happening around the world on any given day, but how can you find out about them without spending endless hours surfing the net? The PaperTigers calendar is the key! Click on a date to see what events are happening on that day and where they take place, and to explore the links to find out more details.

In the spirit of PaperTigers as part of Pacific Rim Voices, our primary focus continues to be children and young adult literary events that take place in Pacific Rim and South Asia regions. However, in the true flavor of the world-wide web and with one of our main bloggers living in the U.K., I would love to include events in other locations. As you can imagine it is easier to find events happening in the United States and Canada as compared to other countries. However, I am determined that the Eventful World calendar be just that - events that happen throughout the world, not just North America. This is where I need your help! I encourage all our readers wherever they may reside, to send me information or links to events that they think others should know about. If you have attended an event that we have mentioned, let us know what it was like. We’d love to get your feedback!

Thanks to John Shelley, a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Tokyo Chapter, I learned about the conference that he will be hosting in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on June 15-17. How exciting is that! Other highlights this week include the Nami Island International Children’s Book Festival (Korea), the Cape Town Book Fair (South Africa) and Tezuka: The Marvel of Manga exhibition (San Francisco, USA).

If you are aware of an event that is happening in your neck of the woods, let me know about it! Leave me a comment or email me - corinne(at)papertigers(dot)org