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| navigate: home: magazine: fall 2003: article | |
| Conference celebrates children’s literature By Melissa W. Kaye | ||||||||
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It is fitting the Children’s Literature Matters conference takes place annually in the spring. It has been running for 12 years, and conference director Dr. Daniel Hade, associate professor of education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in the College of Education, describes it as a “spiritual renewal.” “There isn’t a lot of beauty in school classrooms these days,” said Hade, referring to shrinking state budgets and staff cuts. He explained that a conference celebrating children’s literature may serve as a reminder to teachers and librarians about why they chose their careers in the first place. That’s why on a drizzly April day, he introduced the nearly 400 attendees to this year’s conference by declaring, “We’re going to create a lot of beauty here today.” With children’s book authors and illustrators describing how with their art they delve into a child’s inner world, conference-goers received a good dose of that splendor. This year’s opening keynote speaker was John Burningham, author and illustrator whose books include the award-winning Mr. Gumpy’s Outing, Would You Rather ... and Avocado Baby. With a dry wit, Burningham navigated through a presentation of slides of his work, explaining ideas and thoughts behind stories and illustrations. For example, he said Avocado Baby was based on his youngest daughter, who thrived on avocados and pears. (He joked, “I never got called and thanked by the avocado industry.”) And he actually traveled around the world to research his version of Around the World in Eighty Days. (“When I returned to London, I kissed the tarmac,” he said.) Other speakers included Jon Agee, author and illustrator of Milo’s Hat Trick; Ruth White, author of Belle Prater’s Boy, Memories of Summer and Tadpole; and Tim Wynne-Jones, author of The Boy in the Burning House, Lord of the Fries and The Zoom Trilogy. Breakout sessions offered conference- goers opportunities to meet authors and learn about new books and innovative teaching practices. In one session, Helen Oxenbury, author of popular baby board books like Tickle, Tickle, All Fall Down and Clap Hands, first described how she started her career and then took questions from the audience about her work. In another, Nikki Grimes, author of Bronx Masquerade, discussed her work and offered ideas on how to use poetry in the classroom. (“It’s a good way to learn more about a child and what he’s thinking,” she said.) Other breakout sessions featured ideas such as how to integrate novels across the curriculum and how to take literature and turn it into a theatre presentation. Whether an attendee has remained faithful to the conference each year or attended this year for the first time, the value of the conference as an outreach activity remains constant. In 2001, Children’s Literature Matters was recognized with the national Frandsen Award for sustained excellence by the University Continuing Education Association. “The conference provides professional development to teachers and librarians,” said Hade, who noted he has had help organizing the conference from Penn State Continuing Education Conferences and Institutes’ conference planner Carolyn Andersen for 11 of its 12 years. “The conference gives them a chance to become better acquainted with authors and illustrators, and it also gives them a chance to learn about new books and curriculum ideas.” Judging from the excitement in the air, those benefits are in high demand. “I like the opportunity to hear authors talk about their craft,” said Dorothy Delafield, a librarian at Mt. Nittany Middle School in State College who has never missed a conference. “It’s food for the soul.” Catherine Rodgers, a second-grade teacher in Pennsylvania’s Hollidaysburg School District, agreed that meeting authors was the best part of the conference. “Where else are you going to meet an author like John Burningham? I can go back to my classroom and tell the children I’ve met him, and that gives them a human connection when I read them his books.” Fifth-grade teacher Margo Steiner of the Parkland School District, said, “The breakout sessions give innovative teacher strategies that we can take back to our schools.” For example, Steiner said at a past conference she got the idea of making nature books in class from author Jean Craighead George. And Rebecca McTavish, a librarian at Schlow Memorial Library in State College, said at last year’s conference she and her colleagues got the idea of hosting story sessions for babies. “At the library, we had a story time for older toddlers and children, but hadn’t thought of doing it for babies,” she said. “But then after hearing the idea, we thought that if we could start them younger, it gets reading started earlier.” During the conference, the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award was presented to Constance Levy for Splash! Poems of Our Watery World, illustrated by David Soman (published by Arthur K. Levine). Established in 1992, the poetry award is presented annually to an American poet for the most outstanding new book of children’s poetry published in the past calendar year. Following the presentation, participants attended an autographing party. It’s not just the attendees but the featured authors who reap benefits from the conference. White said she found it “fascinating” to meet others who work in her field: “My list of books to read has lengthened considerably.” Agee agreed. “Meeting Burningham and Helen Oxenbury for the first time was a treat. I loved hearing John talk about his work. And Tim’s [Wynne-Jones] speech was really stellar,” he said. White also noted the enthusiasm she felt at the conference. “The atmosphere was electric, and one could not help learning, as well as having a good time.” An outreach program of the College of Education and Penn State Continuing Education’s Conferences and Institutes | |||||||
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