Moose & Bear Live In The Front Yard—

Life As A Children’s Author

The Booth Library Authors Fund will present Nancy White Carlstrom on Sunday, December 10, at 2 pm, at C.H. Booth Library, 25 Main Street in Newtown.

Nancy White Carlstrom is the author of over fifty books for children, including Who Said Boo? And Wild Sunflower Child Ana, and the Jesse Bear series. Her books have been illustrated by a range of artists including the Caldecott Award winners Leo and Dianne Dillon.

Ms Carlstrom will be speaking about writing for a living, what it is like to live in Alaska with her family and moose and bear in the yard, and, of course, offer a reading from her books.

Younger children will be delighted as well as older children and adults interested in children’s book publishing. Ms Carlstrom was also the founder of a very special children’s book store in Seattle, A Secret Garden.

The talk will be followed by a book signing, including copies of her newest Jesse Bear book, Where Is Christmas, Jesse Bear?

Children’s book author and illustrator Bruce Degen established the fund in June 2000 with a monetary gift to Booth Library. The Newtown resident decided to create the fund, he told The Bee that month, after realizing how lucky Newtown is to have so many authors who could come into town if a budget were available to pay them for their appearances.

“The New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut area has so many good authors who could come and speak with the kids. I’d like to get theme here and expose our kids to this wealth of children’s book folk that are around,” the author-illustrator said, adding, “I’m hoping we’ll be able to have people who do everything from the earliest picture books through young adult novelists visit us.”

Mr Degen offered a reading and booksigning of his latest release, Daddy Is A Doodlebug, in June to inaugurate the Author’s Fund series. The Author’s Fund then welcomed Stephanie Calmenson on October 15. The children’s author, along with her dog Rosie, presented a program called “A Day in the Life of A Children’s Book Writer,” explaining how books are made, from idea to publication.

Admission to Authors Fund presentation is free and open to all ages. For additional information contact Booth Library children’s librarian Alana Meloni at 426-3851.