Shenandoah University’s Children’s Literature Conference is in full swing, after kicking off in April with a virtual author visit with classrooms around the United States by bestselling, Newbery Award-winning author Katherine Applegate and reading evangelist and author John Schu, aka “Mr. Schu.”
The pair also appeared in-person that same day at Shenandoah’s Ohrstrom-Bryant Theatre in Winchester for a Rally for Reading for local elementary school students. The pair appear together frequently and express their mutual admiration often. Mr. Schu also notes that Applegate’s “The One and Only Ivan,” is one of his favorite books. (It’s also a movie.) Schu also gave away copies of their books and some favorites by other authors at the events.
Just a few days later, author/illustrator Jon Klassen, who won the Caldecott Award for picture books in 2013, the same year Applegate won her Newbery for “Ivan,” appeared in a virtual visit with one of his regular writing partners, author Mac Barnett. The pair are the minds behind titles like “Sam and Dave Dig a Hole,” “Triangle,” “The Wolf, the Duck and the Mouse,” and “How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney?”
Hearing from the best
This quartet of children’s literature luminaries spent time not only talking about their creative process, but also answering questions from classrooms around the country, embodying the conference’s 2024 theme: “Bonding Through Books: Creating a Community of Readers.” Along with these virtual visits, which extend through mid-June, the conference will include an in-person component at Shenandoah’s Winchester main campus June 26-28. The Children’s Literature Conference, which is now in its 38th year, is offered through the generous support of the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation, through which Shenandoah established the Claude Moore Center for Literacy. This year’s conference features two Newbery medalists (for children’s literature) and four Caldecott medalists.
Applegate, who has written over 150 books, talked about the first book she ever truly loved – the E.B. White classic, “Charlotte’s Web.” Her love of animal stories has persisted (“The One and Only Ivan” is about a gorilla who lives as an attraction in an aging mall) and she just released the fourth and final book in the “Ivan” series, “The One and Only Family.” She said she also tends to write with a dog on either side of her and a cat draped across the back of her neck.
Katherine Applegate
Mr. Schu shared that he only writes in New York City, using notebooks bought at Target. Every day that he writes, he takes a “joy walk” to the Bethesda Fountain in Central Park to get inspiration from its angel.
While Applegate and Mr. Schu chatted with each other and the participants like old friends, Barnett and Klassen were more like a seasoned comedy team ready to delight the crowd with lighthearted banter – but that banter didn’t obscure their explanations about their work.
For example, the plot of their book “Triangle,” developed, unusually for them, from the artwork. They knew they wanted the images to be shapes with eyes. But, to keep the triangle’s eyes the same size as the circle and the square, its eyes had to be near its base, which made the character look pretty sneaky, the duo said. So, their triangle became a trickster and his story emerged from there. (And eventually led to a show called “Shape Island” on AppleTV+.)
While Barnett and Klassen talked easily about their work (which they’ve been doing in some form since elementary school – Barnett started writing stories in first grade, and Klassen wrote ghost stories in his third-grade journals), they admitted that writing isn’t simple, and they still mess up frequently. Barnett noted that sometimes he sees something he’d still like to change in a published version of one of his books.
When someone reads a book, Klassen added, all they experience is what an author and illustrator chose that worked well. They don’t see the thousands of mistakes that led to the final product.
The only rule is, there are no rules
All that said, there are also no absolute rules for how a book or its illustrations are made, the pair said. Sometimes the story comes first, sometimes the illustrations. Sometimes, the illustrations are created using combinations of paint and pencil shavings, which Klassen called “pencil dirt.” When it comes to art supplies, Klassen said, “You use whatever you can find, and you can just go crazy with it.”
The pair wrapped up their visit by reading a very special book, “How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney?” to all the classes participating in the virtual visit. And, after they concluded, the jolly old elf himself made an appearance, telling the classes that he’d visited their classrooms the night before and left each class a very special Christmas-in-May gift: a copy of Barnett and Klassen’s book about him!
Others who have conducted virtual visits during the 2024 conference include authors Steve Sheinkin, Elisa Carbone, Angela Burke Kunkel, and Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow as well as author/illustrators David Shannon and Matt Tavares, as well as Alice Faye Duncan.
Conference brings authors to thousands of children through virtual visits
“Over 2,500 students have participated so far in the virtual author visits, allowing them to interact with authors and learn more about their books and the authors’ writing processes,” said Director of Children’s Literature Program & Professor of Curriculum and Instruction Karen Huff, Ed.D. “Offering affordable virtual author visits is a way to bring authors to schools that otherwise could not do so because of costs. After the virtual classroom visits, teachers are invited to join the authors for in-depth conversations about the stories behind the books, engaging in discussions with the authors and illustrators. It has been rewarding to receive emails from so many teachers thanking us for organizing the virtual visits, commenting on how students requested they share more books with the guest authors, and sending examples of students’ writing inspired by the authors. I’m happy that we have been able to share the authors with so many students, both in person and virtually, and with the Rally for Reading with Katherine Applegate and John Schu.”
Upcoming virtual visits are scheduled with Lucky Diaz (June 7), Colby Sharp (June 13) and Gay Ivey (June 20). The conference is built into the curriculum of the university’s Master of Science in Literacy Education.
In-person conference promises even more insights (and a chance to “rock” the library through literature)
The in-person conference will feature the “power trio” of Caldecott Medal-winning authors/illustrators Sophie Blackall, Brian Floca and Doug Salati, who share a studio, on June 26; authors/illustrators Jerry Craft (Newbery Medal, 2020) and John Parra and illustrator Janelle Washington on June 27; and authors/illustrators Troy Cummings, Raúl the Third, and Antoinette Portis and author Sherri Duskey Rinker on June 28.
Educators can also earn continuing education credit for participating in the conference, which also features receptions and Rockin’ the Library events for young readers.
“Children in the community will have the opportunity to meet three Caldecott medalists and a three-time Pura Belpré Honors award winner, John Parra, on June 26, at the annual Rockin’ the Library Event held at the Handley Regional Library,” Dr. Huff said. I’m grateful to the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation, whose support makes this outreach to the children in the community and beyond possible.”
To learn more or register for virtual visits and/or the in-person conference, visit su.edu/clc.
Photos by SamCam Photography LLC
