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books

GET TICKETS NOW!!! The Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival Story Concert – Presented by The Chappaqua Orchestra!!!!

October 19, 2016 by The Inside Press

GET TICKETS NOW!!!

The Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival Story Concert – Presented by The Chappaqua Orchestra 

Saturday, November 19, 2016 at 4 pm

Wallace Auditorium

480 Bedford Rd, Chappaqua, NY

Michael Shapiro conducts music by Chappaqua composer Brad Ross for narrator and orchestra. Paul Shaffer (SNL and Late Show with David Letterman) narrates “A Family for Baby Grand” Story by Sharon Dennis Wyeth, preceded by Ogden Nash’s “The Tale of Custard the Dragon” sung by Broadway star Roger Seyer.

Tickets – $25 (children under 4 free) Purchase Tickets here: http://tcochildrensconcert2016.brownpapertickets.com!!!

ccbf-story-concert-20161

Filed Under: Happenings Tagged With: books, Chapapqua Orchestra, paul shaffer, story, Story Concert

Highlights for the 2016 Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival: “Be a Part of Our Story”

August 25, 2016 by The Inside Press

Be-A-Part-of-our-Story

By Dana Y. Wu

Our bucolic suburban hamlet with its excellent schools and vibrant community support for literacy is the perfect setting for the 4th annual Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival (CCBF) on September 24. This free, day-long event attracts thousands of families from Westchester and beyond to meet 90 authors and illustrators including award-winners Chris Raschka, Rita Williams-Garcia, and Jane Yolen.

Children’s authors and illustrators share a similar hope–to imagine a better world through images and ideas in books. Book lovers know the particular joy of putting a book into young hands and seeing curiosity greatly inspired by imagination.

Eric Velasquez says his book, Liberty Street, a story of a slave girl’s escape, is one of his favorites, “because the closer the little girl in the story gets to being free, the closer she gets to literacy.”

Writing as Activism

At a master class hosted at the Library of Congress, Kwame Alexander, the 2015 Newberry Award winner for The Crossover, said that “writing children’s books is activism.” Given recent events that signal a more polarized world, the CCBF is our community’s way to acknowledge, appreciate and celebrate both differences and commonalities in our increasingly multicultural and multilingual society.

Velasquez continues, “When I was a child, very few children’s books had characters that looked like me. I remember feeling left out and uninterested in reading.”

Today, his deeply moving drawings are rendered with realistic details so children see themselves, their friends and their families in his books, but also see outside themselves.\“Children need both windows and mirrors. Too much of one and not enough of the other can seriously impair the intellectual growth of a child, especially their sense of empathy,” says Velasquez.

Author/illustrator Nick Bruel, creator of this year’s CCBF poster “Be Part of Our Story” makes a conscious effort to be inclusive and authentic in his laugh out loud books which are about a cantankerous cat.

Bruel says, “In A Bad Kitty Christmas,” I needed to depict generations within the same family. I made several characters, Black, Asian and Hispanic, and I included a LGBT couple. I debated with myself–do I write a book that could potentially speak to that kid who actually has two Mommies? I recognized that there would be people who would be offended. Like it or not, that kid exists and deserves to see his/her world represented in a book. Over the years, I received many, many angry missives over the very brief mention of Nan and Pam and even a school in Houston banned my book.”

Shared Priorities

The CCBF is our community’s way to promote reading, freedom and the power of discernment–keys to our children’s success in the 21st century world. Our town’s recent capital bond vote enables our schools and the Chappaqua Library to be “active and dynamic learning environments where students engage in meaningful inquiry, invention, interaction, hypothesizing, collaboration, and personal reflection.” It demonstrates our shared priority that students think deeply, apply problem-solving skills, and actively participate in their learning. The CCBF represents the desire for all our kids and teens to experience a broader world through the pages of a book, with empathy in their hearts and critical thinking in their minds. Barry Graziano of Houlihan Lawrence says, “the CCBF “is a great example of bringing the community together for a great cause. By empowering our children with the art of reading and language, we open a world of culture.”

Here’s what to look forward to:

  • “Be Part of Our Story” Join the all-day excitement of the CCBF at the Robert E. Bell Middle School–rain or shine–Sept. 24th.
  • Meet and greet favorite authors and beloved illustrators at readings and book signings.
  • Healthy fun with live music, STEM challenges with Regeneron, and games courtesy of Kiwi Country Day Camp.
  • Enjoy treats from the food trucks and the always wonderful “Great American Bake Sale to End Hunger” at tables on the Great Lawn of the Church of St. Mary the Virgin.

“Banned Books Week” Sept. 25- Oct. 1, 2016

This annual event sponsored by the American Library Association celebrates the freedom to read, to seek and to express ideas, even those ideas which some consider unorthodox or unpopular and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those viewpoints to all who wish to read them.

InsideChapAd_Quarter2016c-600

Filed Under: Cover Stories Tagged With: books, CCBF, Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival, children, festival

CCBF “Funraiser” is May 1; A Chance to Meet Rosemary Wells!

April 26, 2016 by Inside Press

A Kids’ Carnival and “Funraiser,” with activities and carnival games for kids, will take place at 586 King Street in Chappaqua on Sunday, May 1 from 1 p.m. – 4pm, with proceeds benefiting the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival. Families will have a rare chance to meet Rosemary Wells, of Max and Ruby fame, courtesy of Houlihan Lawrence, and there will be lots of carnival fun including Kiwi Country Day Camp’s gaga pit, blow-ups, carnival games, plus raffles and refreshments.

A special appearance by Rosemary Wells at is planned at the May 1 funraiser.
A special appearance by Rosemary Wells at is planned at the May 1 funraiser.

“The Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival has grown to become one of the most anticipated family events in Westchester,” said CCBF Executive Director Dawn Greenberg. “In order to continue championing our cause to promote children’s literacy, we need the support of our community. It’s through fundraisers such as the Kids’ Carnival, as well as through our thoughtful sponsors, that we are able to raise funds to keep our Book Festival as vibrant as previous years.”

COST:
Admission is $20 per family.

REGISTER:
To register visit, EVENT BRITE.
(https://www.eventbrite.com/myevent?eid=24333125032)

WHEN:
Sunday, May 1, from 1 to 4pm

WHERE:
586 King Street, Chappaqua, NY

WHO:
The Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival is the only children’s book festival in Westchester County. From princesses to pups, to angst-filled tweens, and every crazy character in between, you’ll find them all at the fourth annual CCBF, on September 24, 2016. More than 85 popular authors, who bring your favorite characters to life, are expected to participate. Most will be signing their books and reading excerpts. It will be a family event with tons of fun, food, kid-friendly activities, entertainment and, of course, books! For more information, visit www.ccbfestival.org or follow the CCBF at www.facebook.com/chappaquachildrensbookfestival.

Filed Under: New Castle Releases Tagged With: books, CCBF, Chappaqua, Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival, children, Family, Inside Press, Rosemary Wells, theinsidepress.com

MEET THE AUTHOR OF AMERICAN GIRL BOOKS, VALERIE TRIPP

October 20, 2015 by The Inside Press

MKCCC-AG-Fundraiser-to-Benefit-Scholarship-Program-Valerie-Tripp-791x1024

Filed Under: Happenings Tagged With: books, child care, Mt Kisco

New Kids on the CCBF Block

September 1, 2015 by The Inside Press

BooksShelfC1510_L_300_C_Y

By Sarah Jane Weill

It’s no surprise that the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival (CCBF), a growing phenomenon, has attracted a whole cast of new authors for this year’s upcoming event on October 3rd. Highly praised by the media as well as in the literary community, the CCBF gets numerous requests from authors and illustrators to join the festival. The 20 newcomers this year bring more variety to the event in terms of genre, content, and appeal. In hosting a range of authors, the CCBF can cater to the needs of almost every young reader, which will draw a larger turnout to the festival.

Two genres that were particularly sought after are nonfiction and Young Adult (YA.)  Nonfiction has a big appeal for children, so they were pleased to add authors like Jennifer Berne and Susan Stockdale.

These writers focus on concepts that engage readers in their own world. “I like to write about our amazing universe and the people who explore its mysteries and discover its secrets,” Berne says in reference to her books like On a Beam of Light about Albert Einstein. “I try to write books that are as compelling, interesting and inspiring for the adults who read them as for the children they’re reading them to.” In discussing her books like Stripes of all Types, Susan Stockdale says, “I enjoy conveying scientific themes such as how animals benefit from their stripes and spots.”

Since the breadth of the YA readership is so wide, organizers of the CCBF wanted to expand the representation of this genre in order to appeal to even more readers. As a result, the new YA authors vary in terms of their content.

Bianca Turetsky, author of The Time-Travelling Fashionista series about Louise Lambert, a 12-year-old girl from Connecticut, describes her style. “It’s historical fiction through a fashion lens. Louise tries on a vintage dress and gets magically transported back to the last time the dress was worn,” And Turetsky adds, “she gets to meet some of the greatest fashionistas in history.”

Virgina Euwer Wolff writes more realistic fiction. “I’m particularly interested in young people who are trying to understand the transitions that are happening to them…as they go through the twisty route to maturity,” she says in describing her novels such as True Believer.

Henry Neff who, along with author Matt Myklush, adds more contemporary fantasy and adventure fiction to the festival this year. “Both The Tapestry and my upcoming Impyrium series blend elements of fantasy, mythology, science fiction and history in ways I haven’t encountered too often,” Neff says in describing his work. “While [the two series] have many elements of epic fantasy, the stories and many characters have roots in actual historical eras, events and folklore. It’s a lot of fun to blend my love of history with products of my imagination.”

This is only a sample of the great new authors who will complement the many returning authors that should make it a very exciting year for the CCBF. The full list of new authors in attendance this year is as follows:
Nina Crews, Susan Stockdale, Jennifer Berne, Jane Sutcliffe, Sarah Cross, Virginia Euwer Wolff, Henry Neff, Matt Myklush, Susan Kuklin, Emmy Laybourne, Wendy Mass, Bianca Turetsky, Natasha Sinel, Sergio Ruzzier, Caldecott Medalists David Ezra Stein and Ed Young, Anya Wallach, and father and daughter co-authors Jeff and Erynn Altabel.

Avid reader Sarah Jane Weill, HGHS Class of ’14, is entering her sophomore year at Bowdin College.

Book-Fest_Rick-Edit

 

Filed Under: Cover Stories Tagged With: authors, books, inside chappaqua, Inside Chappaqua (Sept 2015), reading

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