Thanks to author Lois Peterson for inviting me as a guest to the Festival Of Trees event today. I had a ton of fun wandering around the event, seeing authors give workshops and talks, attending some of the awards ceremonies, chatting with other attendees.
And WOW, I’ve never seen kids SO EXCITED ABOUT BOOKS. Seriously. The audience reaction reminded of a rock concert crowd…except these kids were cheering and screaming about BOOKS. How cool is that? So inspiring and exciting.
Also great to finally meet Arthur Slade, Monica Kulling, Christie Harkin and Sharon Jennings in person after exchanging tweets/posts with them online, meeting Jill Maclean, and Sylvia Olsen. Talked iPads with Eric Walters, who is taking his iPad with him when he climbs Mt. Kilimanjaro this summer (!).
For those who aren’t familiar with the Forest Of Reading project, it’s a program where students read a selection of books nominated by professionals from schools and public libraries across Ontario, and then vote for their favorite. Unlike most literary awards, these awards are chosen by young readers.
Congrats to all the Forest Of Reading nominees and winners!
You can find out more about this Ontario Library Association project at www.accessola.com/reading.