It's time for our favorite time of the year! On Saturday, November 5, 9am-5pm, join us for our 9th annual Children's Festival of the Book. This year we feature the immensely talented illustrator, Christian Robinson. As a storyteller through pictures, he not only makes his living illustrating picture books, but he is also an animator, working with Pixar Animation Studios and the Sesame Street Workshop.

Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena, with pictures by Robinson, won both the Newbery Award and a Caldecott Honor, as well as other honors and awards. "Having Last Stop on Market Street recognized by the Coretta Scott King, Caldecott, and Newbery committees is truly unimaginable," said Robinson. "The pictures in this book were inspired by memories of riding the bus with my grandmother, who raised my brother and me, and taught me to count my blessings."

Other award-winning picture books include Josephine by Patricia Hruby Powell (a Coretta Scott King Honor, a Robert F. Sibert Honor, and a Boston Globe-Horn Book Nonfiction Honor) and Gaston by Kelly di Pucchio, which was named a Best Book of 2014 by Horn Books, Kirkus, and Amazon.

In addition to presentations by Robinson--on both illustrating and animating--there will be a writing workshop, live radio performance, and a local author panel on world-building, kids' crafts, book sales and signings, and writing and illustrating contests. Once again, this is a not-to-miss event at the Library!

Learn more about Christian and his animation and illustration work by visiting his website: http://theartoffun.com, and learn more about the Festival at www.childrensfestivalofthebook.wordpress.com. Thanks to our partners Humanities Montana, First Security Bank, Quilting in the Country, Magpie Guesthouse, Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, and MSU Education Department, this one-day festival is free and open to the public! For more information, please call 582-2425.