SU Children's Literature Festival Features Authors April 19-20

SALISBURY, MD---Laurence Pringle, Sandy Burk and Kevin O’Malley are among the authors who will speak about their works during Salisbury University’s annual Children’s Literature Festival Wednesday-Thursday, April 19-20, at Salisbury University.

Festivities begin 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 19, in Holloway Hall Auditorium with the presentation of the 2006 Green Earth Book Awards, sponsored by the Newton-Marasco Foundation. Author Anthony D. Fredericks and illustrator Jennifer DiRubbio receive this year’s award in the picture book category for Near One Cattail: Turtles, Logs and Leaping Frogs. Author Carl Hiaasen receives the award in the young adult category for his book Flush.

Honor Books also recognized during the ceremony include Let the River Run Silver Again! by Sandy Burk; Circles of Hope by Karen Williams, illustrated by Linda Saport; The World That We Want by Kim Toft; and The Secret Under My Skin by Janet McNaughton. DiRubbio and Burk join Pringle for a reception and book signing following the ceremony from 8-8:30 p.m. in the Social Room of Holloway Hall.

Events continue the next morning as Pringle, author of An Extraordinary Life of a Monarch Butterfly, Come to the Ocean’s Edge and more than 100 other science-based books for young readers, delivers the keynote address at 10 a.m. in Caruthers Hall Auditorium. The winner of major awards from the National Wildlife Federation, American Nature Society and Washington Post Children’s Book Guild, The Chicago Tribune calls Pringle “one of America’s top nonfiction writers for young people.”

Burk speaks at 11 a.m. in Caruthers Auditorium. A marine biologist, science educator and conservationist, she has worked with universities, state and local agencies, and private organizations throughout the Mid-Atlantic on aspects of marine biology and the monitoring, conservation, restoration and interpretation of freshwater and marine systems. She lives in Chevy Chase, MD, where she consults and writes on environmental matters. Her book Let the River Run Silver Again! tells the story of an elementary school environmental education activity deeply influencing the lives of young people by involving them in a hands-on project that combined real environmental restoration with public advocacy and learning science.

O’Malley follows from 12:30-1:30 p.m. at the Commons with a lunch discussion of his books, including Little Buggy and Miss Malarkey Doesn’t Live in Room 10. From his debut book Froggy Went A-Courting, based on the well-known folk ballad, O’Malley has gained a reputation for humor and introducing children to modern version of such classics as Who Killed Cock Robin? and Cinderella (or in his rendition, Cinder Edna). However, he is best known for his Miss Malarkey series, featuring the life of an elementary school teacher and her students.

Along with speakers, this year’s Children’s Literature Festival serves as a backdrop for the Children Between Worlds traveling book exhibit, sponsored by the International Youth Library in Munich, Germany. Focusing on intercultural relations in children’s literature, the exhibit makes its first stop in the United States at SU’s International Education Center on Camden Avenue April 10-May 25. Sponsored by the Education Department, the festival is free and the public is invited. Dining costs apply for events at the Commons. For more information call 410-543-6030 or visit the SU Web site at www.salisbury.edu. "