[ Music ]
>> Oh, hi, guys.
I'm Jon Scieszka.
I am the guy who wrote
"The Three Little Pigs,"
the true story, "The
Stinky Cheese Man."
And you might know me as the
first national ambassador
of Young People's Literature,
which was kind of great.
That's why I loved the
Library of Congress.
They gave me a medal, and
gave me this great position,
where I get to tell kids all
about all these different
kinds of books.
And now we have all
kinds of ambassadors.
We're up to number
eight in Jason Reynolds.
But I was the first.
And I've still got my medal to
prove it, which I kind of love
to wear all the time just to --
you know, just to let people
know if they get confused.
Like, "Well, who's this guy?"
I'm the ambassador.
Yeah, yeah.
Let's see if we can get
a real closeup of that.
All right.
I don't want to mess with Jason.
I'll just put that away.
I'm here today to introduce you
to the amazing kids'
book authors that we have
at the 20th Library of
Congress National Book Festival.
The virtual edition,
where you get to come
and hang out in my library.
Which is very convenient,
because I have all the
books I want to show you.
I've got like just
a bazillion of them.
And I'll be introducing
all these authors,
who I would just love
for you to check out.
Because that's kind of the
great thing about this festival.
You get to hear from so
many different writers.
And that's the beauty
of what reading is.
I mean, reading is important.
Reading's a great thing.
But reading's also fun.
And it should be.
You should go pick
what you like to read.
If you like to read
information books,
we've got information books.
If you love graphic novels,
plenty of graphic novels.
So I hope you use this to just
like find something you like.
So, without further ado, please
join me in hearing from all
of these spectacular
authors that we have.
And I hope you find
something you like to read.
[ Music ]
Okay. Here's one of my
favorite authors ever.
She's actually a neighbor,
not too far from where I live
up here in the Catskills
now, Sophie Blackall.
She does the most amazing books.
And she is the most
amazing person.
And she's kind of put
all of that together
in her latest book, wondering
like what would happen
if a kid was writing
a letter to an alien,
and explaining all the
things you would need
if you came to Earth.
And that's what the kid does.
And it's just kind of
both sweet and funny,
and explains how we really
need to connect with everybody
on Earth, and take
care of Earth.
And that's a heck
of a great message.
So, Sophie, tell
us more about it.
[ Music ]
>> Hello. I'm Sophie Blackall.
I'm thrilled to be
here with you as part
of the National Book Festival.
I'm the illustrator
of "Finding Winnie,"
and of the Ivy and Bean series.
And I'm the author
and illustrator of,
"Hello Lighthouse."
I'm excited to tell you about
my new book, which is called,
"If You Come to Earth."
But, first, I'm going to warm
up with a little painting.
For me, drawing is the
thing I do when I'm trying
to really look at
something, and see it clearly,
when I want to notice
what it is,
and how it works,
and why it exists.
And painting is the thing I
do when I'm trying to figure
out how something feels.
Drawing is slow and painstaking
and filled with doubt,
and lots of sighing
and lip biting.
But I paint with my heart in
my mouth, because, honestly,
I have no idea how
it's going to turn out.
It's all about physics and
chemistry, how the paint moves
in water, and how long it
takes to dry in the air,
and how the pigment
reacts with the paper.
I use Schmincke watercolors,
because my father gave me a set
of 24 pans when I was 15.
And I painted at least
30 books with that set.
Now that I'm a grown-up,
I bought a big fancy
set with 48 colors.
But I stuck with Schmincke
because I'm sentimental.
I'm painting a comet in the
sky, because that's the moment
in my book when everything
comes together, when we realize
that you and I and
everyone we know,
and everyone we've never met,
share this one planet,
this one home.
"If You Come to Earth"
is a story
about a kid writing a letter
to a visitor from outer space,
explaining the world,
if you come to Earth,
here's what you need to know.
I wrote the first
draft seven years ago.
And it's taken that
long to make it a book.
When I was working with
UNICEF meeting children
around the world, I promised
I would try to make a book
about all of us, and
the planet we share.
There are still lots of
things we don't know.
We don't know where we
were before we were born,
or where we go when we die.
But right this minute,
we are here together
on this beautiful Earth.
And another thing
I know is this.
More than ever, we need books.
Especially books for children,
and books that connect us.
"If You Come to Earth" is a book
about a kid writing a letter
to a visitor from outer
space explaining the world.
If you come to Earth, here's
what you need to know.
Where our planet sits
in the solar system.
The fact that it's made of
land and water, mountains
and plains, cities and towns.
That the people who live here
come in all shapes and sizes.
And that we love each other.
That we get cold and hungry.
That we're always
learning, always busy.
And that we are not alone.
That we share the planet with
creatures in the sea and animals
on the land and birds
in the sky.
That we make music
and art, and mistakes.
That we tell stories
in many languages.
Many years ago, I drew a poster
for the New York City subway.
I've been taking the
subway for 20 years
since I moved here
from Australia.
And I always look around
at my fellow passengers,
and think how we each have
our own different thoughts
and experiences and
stories to tell.
But that right this
minute, we are all traveling
in the same direction.
I hope anyone reading
"If You Come
to Earth" might find something
in the book just for them.
And that alongside the small
things they find familiar,
that they will also be
reminded that the world is wide
and diverse and wonderful.
And that it belongs
to all of us.
It's the only home we have.
So we should take care
of it, and each other.
[ Music ]
>> Wow! See?
I told you.
That's just the kind of
book you want to read.
Right? Well, here's another one.
This is by a guy I know.
I've run into him a
million times when we're
out reading books to kids.
And his name is Peter Reynolds,
Peter H. Reynolds to you.
But Peter's got all
kinds of fun books.
And they're really
kind of inspirational.
And they're kind of just
uplifting things to read.
And I especially
love this latest one,
because it's kind of
what I love to do.
"Be You." In fact, I'm going
to use this from now on.
I'm just going to tell
people, "Hey, I got to be me."
Well, let Peter explain to
you like how that works.
[ Music ]
>> Hi. I am Peter Reynolds.
And I am here in my studio,
where I do my thinking,
my writing, my drawing.
And it's in Dedham,
Massachusetts,
which is not too far from
Boston, Massachusetts,
where I have been
living most of my life.
I was born in Canada.
But I made my home
here in Massachusetts.
And I am really thrilled to
be able to connect the dots
with all of you out there, and
share news about my latest book.
Which is called -- which
is called "Be You."
And this is what I like
to call the handbook
for amazing human beings.
It explores this idea
of being a human being.
And I was thinking to myself,
"Why are we called beings?"
Right? We say "humans."
Right? But we also
say "human beings."
And I thought to myself that
that's because we can be --
right, we can be so many things.
We can be -- we can be amazing.
And that's what I'm hoping this
book inspires my young readers,
and also really no
matter what age you are.
In fact, I wrote this
book for all ages.
And all of us are
works in progress.
So this book celebrates
our possibility.
And I'm an optimist.
And I think things are
going to get better.
Maybe because I'm a twin.
I was born a twin.
I am a twin.
My twin brother, Paul,
is my best friend,
my big brother by 14 minutes.
Being called identical as you're
growing up over and over again.
And people would stand us next
to each other, and they'd try
to figure out how we were the
same and how we were different.
For me, it was the
how we are different
that was interesting to me.
Because I am a human being
all separate from Paul.
And I love Paul.
But I am me.
And he is he.
And he's amazing in the garden.
And I love to draw really
quickly, and take ideas
from here and put them down.
That's my passion.
And I got really fascinated
with what people's passions
were, what drives you.
And I thought, "In school,
how often do we ask the
most important question,
the most important question?"
Which is, "Who are you?"
Who are you?
I'm a huge fan of libraries.
And, by the way,
happy 220th birthday
to the Library of Congress.
How cool is that?
That's an old library.
I used to hang out in
an old library myself,
the Charles Adams Public Library
in Chelmsford, Massachusetts.
And I remember jumping on
my bicycle after school,
and heading down, number
one, to do my homework.
And, of course, we'd
all be racing for the --
you know, there'd be like four
books on, you know, the --
you know, fill-in-the-blank
topic.
And so you'd have to get
to the library first
to get those books.
But when I finished my homework,
then I was free to roam.
And I like to say that I
was a free-range chicken
in the library.
And I could wander
anywhere in that library.
And that was a very formational
moment for me, that I realized
that all of these books, in all
of these sections, were mine.
And they were mine to explore.
And there was no teacher
saying, "Read this book."
Right? It was me
discovering those books.
And there was something
about a book cover, right,
you'd look at a book and it
would literally speak to you.
You could hear its voice
say, "Read me, read me.
This is -- this -- this
could be important for you."
Of course, the only way
to find out is to open
up that book, and start reading.
Which is kind of
my philosophy is
that the blank page
is a wonderful thing.
And some of us are
less afraid of it.
And my goal is to make
everybody see that blank page
as a swimming pool, and see how
refreshing it is to dive in,
and to share, right, what
you're thinking, feeling.
And, you know, if you're a bit
timid, you can always start
at the shallow end of the pool,
and then you work your way
up to the deep end of the pool.
And then you can really
do some heavy-duty sharing
with the world.
Because the world needs you.
The world needs your voice.
So don't be shy.
Speak up and be a
part of the change.
[ Music ]
>> All right.
Here's something.
Our next author is
five years old.
I mean, she's probably the
youngest author we've ever had.
Which might drive some
other authors crazy.
But I think you might
have seen her before.
And I think you might be pretty
excited to hear her story,
because her name
is Parker Curry,
and she's done this
book with her mom.
It's called "Parker Looks Up."
And it's about the time
she and her mom went
to the National Portrait
Gallery,
a couple years ago I
think when she was two.
And she saw the picture
of Michelle Obama.
And she just froze.
And in that moment,
it kind of set it all.
So here's the story behind that.
Check this out.
[ Music ]
>> Hi. My name is Parker.
>> And my name is Jessica.
And we are --
>> The authors of
"Parker Looks Up."
>> We are currently
in our hometown of --
>> Washington, D.C. The
book is about when I went
to the Portrait Gallery
when I was two
with my mommy and my sister.
>> And what did we
see when we were
at the National Portrait
Gallery?
>> And I stopped, froze, looked
at Michelle Obama's portrait.
And my mommy tried to
get a picture of me.
But I just froze there.
And a stranger took a picture
of me looking at Michelle Obama,
the first lady's, portrait.
The thing that inspired me was
that girl had a beautiful gown
and dark skin like me.
And I knew I could
meet her in person.
>> Maybe you could
meet her in person.
And you got to.
Right?
>> Yes, for three times.
>> Yes. We wanted to write
the book, because we wanted
to inspire -- well,
share the story, but --
>> With other kids
and other grown-ups
so they can be inspired, and
they can maybe write a book.
>> You said it better
than I could have.
>> And they can be authors.
They can be activists.
And they can inspire the
world with their book.
>> Okay. Good job.
>> So cool!
>> It was very cool to hang
out with Michelle Obama.
I think "cool" may
be an understatement.
It was surreal.
It was --
>> So magical.
>> It was magical to
meet Michelle Obama.
I was going to say "magical."
It was magical to meet her.
>> And enchanting.
>> It was enchanting.
Mrs. Obama is as --
>> A friend of mine.
>> A friend of Parker's.
But Miss Obama is as kind
and as warm and as humble
as you could ever imagine.
And it was a wonderful
experience to meet her, and --
>> Person.
>> To see to meet her in person,
and see the interaction
between --
>> And hug her and [inaudible].
>> As you can see, Parker
has very fond memories
of her visits with
Michelle Obama.
And I'm grateful for Mrs.
Obama's willingness --
>> Yes, we [inaudible] --
>> To further inspire
Parker beyond --
>> Yep.
>> The portrait.
I hope that readers will
take away from this book
that representation is
indeed very important,
more now than ever.
And we hope that our book will
inspire children like Parker
and little ones to
dream big dreams.
Because anything is achievable.
You can even be an
author at five years old.
Right?
>> Yes.
>> So dream big dreams.
[ Music ]
>> How amazing is that?
So all you authors out
there, get started.
I don't care how old you are.
Get your book going.
Let's join the party.
Come on, I'll be introducing
your book next year.
So get started writing it.
All right.
Here's some books
you need to read.
If you are a middle-grade
reader, or want to be,
here's a way to start.
"Stella Diaz" by
Angela Dominguez.
And she writes just
these kind of funny,
sweet-spot illustrated books,
because she's both the
illustrator and the writer.
Which is kind of cool.
And she's telling her story.
Or it's kind of her story,
a little autobiographical
but also fictionalized,
about a shy Mexican girl
who becomes an environmental
activist,
and makes a difference
in her community.
Who wouldn't want to read that?
So it's "Stella Diaz
Has Something to Say"
and "Stella Diaz
Never Gives Up."
So don't give up.
Check these out.
[ Music ]
>> So, hi.
I'm Angela Dominguez.
I'm an author and illustrator.
And I've worked on
quite a few books.
The books I'm going
to talk today
about is the Stella Diaz series,
"Stella Diaz Never Gives
Up," which is the second.
And this was the first, Stella
Diaz Has Something to Say."
And I am here in
Doylestown, Pennsylvania
with my little puppy, Petunia.
She's a Boston terrier-chihuahua
mix.
It's about Stella, who is
this character who is shy.
And in the first book, she's
really finding her voice.
In the second book,
she's still a little shy.
And she has to use these
conversation starters
to kind of help her.
Which are like just fun
facts that she shares
to start a conversation.
But it's about her
learning to become a leader
when maybe you don't have the
loudest voice in the room.
And so it's about this
growth of this character,
and this continuing
love of the oceans.
And, also, still
has to do somewhat
with her trying to
fit in the world.
Because, like Stella, I
was born in Mexico and grew
up in the United States.
And sometimes I stumbled with
my English and my Spanish.
And with this book,
she visits Mexico.
And she kind of has
that connection
of like what does it mean to
be Mexican, what does it mean
to be Mexican-American.
So there's a lot in this
book that I feel like a lot
of kids can relate to.
And we're seeing all
these wonderful activists,
like Greta Thunberg,
who are really caring
about the environment.
And I wanted to show kids
that they can be part
of the solution in
their own way.
More than anything, I just hope
this book inspires kids to speak
up for themselves, and also
be passionate about something.
[ Music ]
>> All right.
Don't tell anybody
else, but here is one
of my favorite kids'
books of the last year.
It's "Tristan Strong
Punches a Hole
in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia.
Ah, is this something else.
It's fantasy.
It's action.
It's mythology.
It's a mix of African-American
folk tales,
and West African gods, that
just get all mashed together.
So we've got John Henry just
duking it out with Anansi.
And one of the cool things
about this book, too,
is it's the first in a series
of books by Rick Riordan,
who you know from
"Percy Jackson."
So, I mean, if Rick
Riordan likes it,
that's a great recommendation.
And this is going
to be a series.
So get started.
And you are going to be amazed.
[ Music ]
>> Hi. My name is Kwame Mbalia,
author of the Tristan
Strong series.
Tristan Strong is an
African-American boy
who is dealing with
grief and sorrow.
And so he has been
sent by his parents
down to his grandparents farm.
It's a new place.
It's scary.
There's no Wi-Fi.
Things are terrible.
And then he meets
someone very intriguing,
whose name is Gum Baby.
I wanted to write "Tristan
Strong Punches a Hole
in the Sky" for a
couple of reasons.
The first and foremost,
I grew up listening
to African-American folk
tales, African folk tales.
I was one of four who
we shared a bedroom.
And, you know, four kids in one
room trying to get them to go
to bed at night was, you
know, wild and tough.
So my parents would play
stories on a cassette player.
They would play the
Anansi tales.
And we would listen to them.
And, you know, I would
dream about Anansi
and all his trickster games, and
all of the different shenanigans
that he would get into.
So I wanted to write a story
that involved those characters,
but to bring it forward for,
you know, readers today,
my children, you know,
students, young adults,
kids like the readers who
are reading it right now.
But the other reason that I
wanted to write this book was
because Tristan is
dealing with grief.
He has lost someone close
to him, someone who he loves
and cherishes, and who
meant the world to him.
That was his best friend.
About six months before I
started writing this book,
my father died.
And so writing about
how Tristan dealt
with his grief throughout the
book helped me help myself.
And, also, helped my
daughters go through the grief
of losing their grandfather.
So it's a two-part answer.
And I love this answer,
because it involves both dealing
with grief, and also
dealing with wonder and joy.
Two sides of a coin.
And something that I think
we should present to readers,
like you, as much as
we can to show you
that the world is
not always high,
and the world is not
always low, but how we deal
with the changes between both.
And then a lot of research
was just me finding
out how to tell a good story.
And that when you're reading a
story, it's completely different
from when you're
listening to a story.
You might hear voices.
Someone might do voices.
The cadence, the rhythm,
the melody might change.
And so a lot of my research was
not necessarily what stories
to tell, but how
to tell that story.
Writing your own version of
a myth or a legend, I mean,
it can sound intimidating.
You know? You will have a lot
of detractors, a lot of people
who say, "Oh, you know,
that's not what John
Henry's hammer was supposed
to look like," or "That's
not what Anansi was supposed
to sound like."
And what you have to
realize is that you have
to write the version of
the story that you find
that attracts you, that
sparks wonder in you.
For me, it was writing Anansi.
You know, he's a
trickster character.
But what is a trickster
character?
Is he always playing jokes?
You know, does he have puns?
Or does he just always
have like a sly smile?
And so you're never quite sure
if he's telling the truth,
or if you need to
get a second opinion.
Write the version of the
story that speaks to you,
the one that's inside of you.
Because at the end of the day,
you're the one who's
going to enjoy it.
Whether someone else
wants to read it,
whether someone else wants
to read it aloud,
it doesn't matter.
Write the story that
matters to you.
Thank you so much for tuning in.
Thank you for having me.
Thank you for reading
and supporting my books.
Thank you for reading and
supporting your libraries,
your local libraries, or whether
it's the Library of Congress.
Thank you for being readers.
Thank you for enjoying stories.
And, hopefully, I'll get to read
one of yours in the near future.
[ Music ]
>> Wow! How about that?
Well, your next writer is a
friend of mine who's going
to give you an earful, too.
This guy, Mo Willems, you
probably know who he is.
He is this guy "Don't Let the
Pigeon Drive the Bus" guy.
He also wrote some
Knuffle Bunny books.
And some of my personal
favorites,
Elephant and Piggie books.
And, in fact, this next
book is the "Elephant
and Piggie Biggie
Piggie" volume three.
Could it be?
Tell us more, Mo Willems.
Be yourself.
We know you will.
[ Music ]
>> But I think a lot of adults
frame the question by saying,
"Where do you get your
ideas," as if they're a thing.
Like where you buy your shoes.
And ideas are not a thing.
Ideas are a growth.
Right? A growth.
Yes, ideas are like a plant.
They grow.
You have a seed of an idea,
and it gets bigger and bigger.
So as opposed to where
you get your idea,
how do you grow your ideas.
Those are two very different
ways of framing the question.
And I think that's
why a lot of people,
a lot of artists have
a hard time answering,
"Where do you get your ideas?"
They're like, "Ah,
I don't know."
You know, we make -- I used
to make a joke and say, "Well,
I get them in Belize."
Because everything
has to be Belizable.
You know? There's --
because ideas aren't gotten.
They're not things.
Ideas are too important
to be things.
Things are less important
than ideas.
[ Music ]
>> I just can't believe how much
stuff we've got going on here.
Isn't that crazy?
I mean, you can read anything.
Right? Well, here's
another thing you can read.
Our next author is a guy
your parents probably know,
who wrote "The Da Vinci Code."
But now he wrote a book for
you called the "Wild Symphony."
And not only did he write this
book, he wrote the music to it.
It's the craziest thing.
I kind of love that
it's -- it -- it --
it has all of that
stuff together.
All the different animals have a
different part in the symphony.
You can actually access
it with your phone.
You can hear the music, look
at the pictures,
experience the book.
And Dan Brown's a guy
who knows some libraries.
And I love that he's such a
fan of the Library of Congress.
And, in fact, we've got a little
special treat for you, too.
We've got the Librarian
of Congress strolling
through the Library of
Congress with a friend of hers
by the name of Daliyah
Marie Arana.
She was four years old then.
And she had read over
1,000 books already.
Just trying to make
us all feel bad.
But don't feel bad.
Just read some more books.
Let's catch up with her.
So tell us what you got, Dan.
>> My name is Dan Brown.
I am coming to you from
my home in New Hampshire.
This is my library, where I
keep one copy of all of my books
from around the world.
And I call it the
Fortress of Gratitude,
just because these
books have enabled me
to make great connections with
publishers all over the world.
I'm a huge fan of the
Library of Congress.
I've been there numerous times.
But I think for anybody who
goes to the Library of Congress
that the thing they always take
away is that sense that we have
when we first step
into the Reading Room.
It is -- as I said in the novel,
it is considered the
most beautiful room
in the world by many writers.
And I, certainly when I first
saw it, felt the same way.
And I was honored to to
be able to be in there.
So thank you for that.
And a final hope for
"Wild Symphony" is
that it inspires young people
to dare to be creative,
to dare to draw, to dare to
write, to dare to make music.
The creative process for me
personally, and for many people,
is the single most
rewarding aspect of my life,
to take something and
create it out of nothing.
You take a blank piece of
paper, and you create a world.
Or you take silence, and
you create a symphony.
You take a blank piece of paper,
and create a whole
world of drawings.
So I do hope that there will
be young people who read
"Wild Symphony," and
not only enjoy it,
but think, "You know what?
I'd like to do something
like that.
I bet I could write poetry.
I bet I could draw.
And I bet I can make music."
So that would be -- that
would be a real bonus,
if the book inspired
people to learn
to love the creative process.
Just in closing, I wanted to
thank the Library of Congress
for putting on this
amazing festival.
It is so important to
celebrate books in our culture.
We live in a world where we're
increasingly tied to technology.
And books in all other
forms are a reminder
of where we come from, and in a
real sense, where we're going.
And I just -- I'm grateful
that we're taking the time,
and you're taking the
energy, to celebrate books.
Thank you.
>> My next author is a
spectacular new talent
on the scene, Jerry Craft.
Oh, man. And his book
"New Kid" partially based
on his own experience about,
you know, going to a school,
but not really a school that
was part of his neighborhood.
So the problem was like
sometimes he was part
of his neighborhood, sometimes
he was part of a school,
sometimes he was
part of neither.
And it was hard to fit in.
But, man, I love all
of the art in this.
And if you're a graphic novel
fan, you have to read this.
But hear it from Jerry.
[ Music ]
>> Hi. My name is Jerry Craft.
And I am a resident of
Norwalk, Connecticut.
And a lot of times
with graphic novels,
there's still some people
that look down at it.
Like, you know, a prose book
is like steak, a fine steak.
And a graphic novel is
like, you know, a donut.
Something like that
that's just dessert.
But I know having written prose
books that I put the same amount
of work rewriting,
rewriting, rewriting.
The editing process,
you know, the story arc,
the character development I put
in any book that I've ever done.
The message in "New Kid" is to
just take a little extra time
to get to know people.
So how to pronounce their
name, how to spell their name.
If your friend is Chinese,
that's not the same
as being Korean, that's not
the same as being Indonesian.
You know, if they're
Dominican, that's different
than being Puerto Rican.
So I really feel that if
we take that time to learn
about each other, learn about
the culture, learn about food
without always going,
"Ew, what is that?"
Like, "Hey, let me taste that.
Let me look at it.
Let me learn."
I think that we'll all
be better off for it.
My message to aspiring writers
and illustrators is I know
that whenever I do school
visits, I always show homework
from seventh grade that I
used to draw superheroes on,
or even comic books
that I would make.
Because a lot of kids will
look at "New Kid" and go, "Oh,
I can't ever do that."
I'm like, "I couldn't
do this either.
Like I drew just like you did."
But it's a matter of what
you want to do with it,
how much you practice.
And, also, not having -- some
kids are so hard on themselves
that they'll draw
like one little line
and go, "Oh, I messed up."
And then spend the next
20 minutes erasing.
You know, they would
spend more time erasing
than they do creating.
You know, sketchbooks that are
just half full, and then thrown
in the garbage, because
they didn't like it.
So give yourself a break.
You know?
[ Music ]
>> Our next author is somebody
you might have heard of before.
She's kind of big.
She's kind of great.
Parents, you probably know her
as the most generous
person on social media.
Chelsea Clinton.
You other people might have
heard of her mom or dad.
But, I don't know,
I think we need
to hear about more from her.
Because she had an
amazing book out.
She persisted.
And her new book is "She
Persisted in Sports."
Which kind of covers an
amazing bunch of women,
half of whom you've
probably never heard of,
or might have heard
just a little bit.
But you need to know
the real story.
So Chelsea is bringing
it to you.
Chelsea, tell us
what you've got.
[ Music ]
>> Hi. I'm Chelsea Clinton.
And I am currently sitting
in Chappaqua, New York.
As a new mom reading books
to my daughter, Charlotte,
who at the time was two and a
half, and my infant son, Aidan,
just realized how many of the
children's books were centered
on and told through male
kind of voices and gazes.
Even so many of the books around
animal characters were kind
of told through kind
of male ducks
or male cows or male frogs.
And I wanted there to be
kind of more women injected
into the pages of
children's story books.
And I certainly think we see
American ingenuity in sports.
And I think about, you
know, some of the women
that I highlight in "She
Persisted in Sports."
Whether kind of Wilma Rudolph,
who kind of overcame multiple
illnesses and challenges
as a child, and kind
of went on to kind
of prove what was possible
for black women athletes,
and was the first kind of image
that so many Americans saw
on their television streams of
a kind of fierce, unapologetic,
strong, successful
black woman athlete.
And possibly for
many white Americans,
just a black woman
kind of achieving,
improving what was possible
kind of through her own brand
of American ingenuity.
We think of ingenuity as
kind of being the province
of our scientists, or
our kind of creatives,
whether it's authors or
filmmakers, you know,
visual artists, performance
artists.
I think it's also really
important that we recognize kind
of ingenuity can come in the
way someone teaches a class.
Or in the way kind of someone
races across a finish line.
Part of these stories for me are
both to inspire kids to think,
and to see themselves, to
visualize themselves like,
you know, in these character
stories so that, hopefully,
they are unafraid
and unapologetic on
the sports field.
Whatever kind of
that field may be.
And, also, to think
like, "That isn't right.
You know, I don't
think it's okay
that these girls were told
they couldn't do something."
I hope you enjoy "She
Persisted in Sports."
And I hope that if
you have books
that you think we should
be reading with my kids,
I hope you'll send those
recommendations my way.
[ Music ]
>> Here's a little
more history for you.
If you ever wondered about
who was that woman who helped
out our second president,
John Adams?
That would be Abigail Adams.
And in this book,
"Leave It to Abigail!"
Barb Rosenstock lets us
know like what did happen.
Abigail was incredibly important
to our second president.
I mean, I think we really
got all kinds of great things
in our government from her,
because she became involved,
and helped the president.
And she also became the mother
of another president,
John Quincy Adams.
So how great is that?
Abigail Adams, check her out.
[ Music ]
>> Hi. I'm Barb Rosenstock, the
author of a bunch of non-fiction
and historical fiction
picture books for children.
And you're here in
my writing office,
which used to be a bedroom.
I live north of Chicago,
Illinois.
And my latest book is
"Leave It to Abigail:
The Revolutionary Life
of Abigail Adams."
It's illustrated by
Elizabeth Baddeley.
And it's about Abigail Adams.
And Abigail was born
before our country started.
People talk about the
founding fathers all the time.
But Abigail was one of
our founding mothers.
And she's one of the
most important ones, too.
She was the first American woman
to talk about women's rights.
And she did that in a really
famous letter to her husband,
John Adams, where she said the
words "remember the ladies."
She was trying to get John to
put some idea of women's rights
in our country's
initial documents
that were making the laws
for the beginning of
the United States.
Abigail also surprised people in
millions of ways her whole life.
In a time when girls were
supposed to stay quiet
and in the background, she
was confident and competent.
She was a great parent, a great
politician, a great writer,
a great business woman.
And whenever there were problems
in her life, people
relied on her.
And kind of "leave it
to Abigail" became one
of the things that was
said a lot about her.
She could do anything.
She used her skills to support
her family and her country,
and the other women in her life.
I love the library, in general.
It's like my first memory is
being taken to the library.
But the Library of
Congress, specifically,
I wrote an entire book about
the Library of Congress called
"Thomas Jefferson
Builds a Library."
And, obviously, did a lot
of research in the Library
of Congress' own collections
to find out the information
for the book, and how Thomas
Jefferson's books became the
core of the collection.
I have actually used
the library often.
This other book "Otis and Will
Discover the Deep" was inspired
in part by a librarian
named Connie Carter,
who's at the Library
of Congress.
And she was sort of the
godmother of the book.
The book is dedicated to Connie.
And we did lots of work
researching early ocean science
in those collections at
the Library of Congress.
And "Fight of the Century"
was in part kind of inspired
by the Library of Congress'
suffragist photo collection.
Which is on a specific
site right now.
It's the 100th anniversary this
year of the 19th Amendment.
And I used those photos,
and realized how much
actual conflict there was
in the suffrage movement.
And came up with the idea of
Alice Paul and Woodrow Wilson,
and the fight that gave
women the right to vote,
how she had a battle for it.
So I use the Library of
Congress kind of all the time.
I'm a big fan, big fan.
Everyone has a story.
Kids especially.
Kids have hundreds
of stories to tell.
And I want them to know that
their stories are important.
People need to hear what you
think and you wish and you hope
for and you dream about.
So writing is the process
of playing with words,
really, to tell a story.
So keep reading and keep
writing and keep playing.
[ Music ]
>> This is turning into
the History Channel.
And I'm loving it,
because that's what I
thought [inaudible].
In fact, half of these books
back here is history, comics,
a little science fiction down
there, all my kids' books
over there, all my
[inaudible] books there,
my fishing books there.
But here's a book I am so
happy to add to my library,
because it was exactly that
thing I was talking about,
where we think we've heard
of the underground
railroad and know about it.
And you certainly have
heard Harriet Tubman's name.
But have you ever
heard of "William Still
and His Freedom Stories"?
He worked at the same
time as Harriet Tubman.
And he was a person --
his whole family ran away,
came up to Pennsylvania.
And then he helped
other slaves escape.
But the coolest thing
was he kept a record
of all the slaves
that he was helping.
So in some ways -- and
there's these great end papers
in this book that's from
his actual diary entries.
Some of this is the only
way people can connect
with their families
still to this day.
And this is by Don Tate, who
is just an amazing writer.
This is another great thing.
Like find a great
book like this,
and read more of his stuff.
Because I've met Don before,
and he's just a spectacular guy
about digging in and really
making history come alive.
So check out William Still
and more Don Tate stuff.
[ Music ]
>> Good morning.
My name is Don Tate.
And I live in Austin, Texas.
And I'm honored to
be visiting with all
of you in my home studio.
I've been writing
and illustrating children's
books for 30-plus years.
But I've been right here in
this studio for about 20 years.
I'm in warm, cozy Austin, Texas
where I absolutely love living.
So I am really excited to
introduce my next book.
It is called "William Still
and his Freedom Stories:
The Father of the
Underground Railroad."
And it publishes with Peachtree.
And I'm going to read a
bit of the story for you.
This story begins at a time
when the United States
was split in two.
In the north, black
people were free.
In the south, they were
enslaved by whites.
Slavery was a nightmare,
back-breaking work
under a scorching sun, threats
of lashing or worse, no pay.
Children were separated from
their mamas and papas, brothers
and sisters, sold away at
auction, never to be seen again.
Sometime during the 1700s,
Levin and Sydney Steel
were held captive
on a Maryland farm
forced to work.
Their four children were, too.
The family yearned to live free.
And so I wanted to tell the
story of not only William Still,
but the many hundreds
of African-Americans
who played an important
role in the success
of the underground
railroad system.
So what inspired me to
tell William Still's story?
I love stories of
little-known historical figures.
When I was in school, I remember
studying all about Rosa Parks
and Dr. Martin Luther King.
But those stories often
didn't go beyond the stories
of Dr. King.
And so when I got
into publishing,
I wanted to tell
children the stories
of other African-American
historical figures
who did great things in
the face of adversity.
And so I thought that's the
story that I want to tell.
I want to tell William
Still's story,
so that children understand
the role that we played
in helping our own people.
So, throughout history,
Americans have demonstrated
considerable ingenuity
in overcoming obstacles.
And those are the stories
that I like to tell.
It makes no difference
whether we are talking
about George Washington
or Benjamin Franklin,
who were imperfect figures.
They went on to do great
things to make contributions
to our world, as did
George Moses Horton,
who was an enslaved poet,
who became the first
African-American
to get a book published
in the south.
And he published while
he was still enslaved,
as did Lonnie Johnson,
who was the inventor
of the Super Soaker squirt gun.
William Still recorded the
stories of enslaved people
as they passed through
his office.
He not only recorded their
stories, but he recorded details
like the color of their
skin, their height,
where they were running away
from, who had enslaved them.
It was his hope that he could
help reunite enslaved people
after they had escaped
north, to help them
to reunite with their families.
Little did he know that
his work would help
to reunite his own family.
So what children
can do to be sure
that their own stories don't
get lost, and preserved,
you can do exactly
what I'm doing today.
And I just decided
this recently.
I'm going to write a memoir.
I'm going to tell the story of
my life in graphic novel form.
I'm going to use
words and pictures.
And I encourage kids to
tell their own stories.
Not only so that they
can take a look at
and investigate their own lives,
but think about future
generations of children who want
to study and learn about
your life today in 2020.
Say, living through a pandemic,
or, you know, whatever it is,
whatever challenge that you
may be living with at home.
Think about that kid 100
years from now who wants
to know what's going
on in your life.
Sit down and record
your story every day.
Talk about your family,
your brothers and sisters,
the things that are going
around you in the world.
How do you feel about
the circumstances
that you're living through?
Record those things,
because those are the details
that will help future
generations of people.
[ Music ]
>> Another middle-grade book.
It's called the "Three
Keys" by Kelly Yang.
Partially based on Kelly's
experience of growing
up in California as a Chinese
immigrant, her parents.
And they just had
to like deal with --
well, she had to deal
with like being seen
as an alien, someone
from outside.
And she -- and I
know she's talked
about how it just freaked her
out as a kid saying
like, "How am I an alien?
I'm a kid.
I've got friends.
I go to school."
And at that time when
she was growing up,
California started messing
around with laws saying like,
"Well, if you're not
-- if you're an alien,
maybe you can't go to school."
And it's both like just shocking
and topical, but also funny
and just uplifting,
and just a fun read.
So listen to Kelly some more,
and then pick up this book.
[ Music ]
>> Hi. I'm Kelly Yang.
And I'm the author
of "Front Desk."
And I'm also the
author of "Three Keys,"
the sequel to "Front Desk."
I've always wanted to write a
sequel to "Front Desk" because,
in my mind, the story
was not over.
I wanted to see what happened to
that family, what happens to Mia
as she gets older, and she
has to deal with, you know,
her friends at school,
and also people finding
out what she does for a living.
Which is she lives
and works in a motel.
And that was always
so terrifying
to me growing up as a kid.
You know, I never saw
that reflected in books
or in movies and TV shows.
So I always thought that where
I lived was really not normal.
And so I always wanted to
hide it, and keep it a secret.
And in "Three Keys," Mia's
biggest secret is revealed
to her class, because
somebody in her class finds
out that she actually does
live and work in a motel.
And so she has to deal with
the aftermath of having
that truth be revealed.
But just to give
you guys a hint,
it is not the end of the world.
And, in fact, becomes a really
interesting turning point
in this story.
And I actually, in fact,
originally wrote "Front Desk"
for my son, who was
only eight at the time.
And he had no idea
how I grew up.
Because the way I grew
up was so different
from the way that he grew up.
You know? And he grew up like,
you know, in a normal house,
and with like a dog
and all these --
you know, he didn't have
to worry about going
to the Goodwill to find clothes.
Like I would take him
to Target or whatever.
And so he had a really different
life than the way I was raised,
and the way I grew up.
So when he was eight, I thought
to myself like, "I
better tell him.
Because if I never tell
my own kids, you know,
what does that say about me?"
And so I took a huge leap
of courage, leap of faith,
because I didn't know how
he was going to react.
And I didn't want him --
you know, I didn't want him
to be embarrassed by it.
But I also didn't want
him to feel sad for me.
Because I had joy as a kid.
Like if you read "Front Desk"
and you read "Three Keys,"
you'll see there's a lot of
joy and fun in these books.
You know, I had a fun childhood.
It was really fun.
So I wanted him to experience
all of that, the whole package.
You know, the hope and
the optimism, and the joy,
and just the silliness
of growing up.
But, also, the real
issues that we had to face.
And we had, you know,
a lot of real issues.
Like, you know, not having
a turkey for Thanksgiving.
Just very real.
And like, you know, not
having all the fancy toys,
not having vacations,
never having a vacation.
It was really hard growing up.
But I wanted to put that in
with a heavy dose of hope,
so that he would
have that empathy
in him towards all people from
all different walks of life,
all different ethnicities,
and be able to understand
more about the world.
Which is really what the Front
Desk series was all about.
And when I took that leap
of faith, he loved it.
At the end of that summer, I
remember he came back from camp,
and he was like, "Mom, you have
to do something with
that story."
And I said, "Well, what am
I going to do about it?"
And he said, "You have to
-- you have to sell it.
You have to like
let me make copies,
and sell them to my classmates."
And that's when I
realized, "You know what?
First of all, I better
get a literary agent.
But, also, that it's really
amazing what can happen
when you share the truth,
and when you are not afraid
to put yourself on the page."
So my final message for
kids is never give up.
If you like writing, like
Mia, you know, keep at it.
Keep going to the library.
Keep reading.
Keep writing, even if
you're making mistakes.
I made a ton of spelling
mistakes, a ton, a ton,
a ton of grammar
mistakes growing up.
But, trust me, it'll get better.
It'll get easier.
It'll get funner.
So just keep at it.
Keep learning, you guys.
I know we're going through
a rough time right now.
But I believe in you.
And I'm here for you.
>> Oh, man.
Here is one of my
favorite books.
Because I love information
books.
It's that thing where
you -- like --
and even for stuff you
think you know about,
maybe you don't know everything.
Maybe there's some more
information you could
learn about.
And that's the case
with this book.
It's called "Finish
the Fight: The Brave
and Revolutionary Women Who
Fought for the Right to Vote."
And it's kind of interesting
that this year was
exactly 100 years
since we've ratified
the 19th Amendment
to the Constitution
saying women could vote.
I mean, my first question is,
"Why did that take so long?"
The second one is, "Who
else was helping out?"
And there's all these
amazing women
who you probably
haven't heard of before.
I mean, of course, we've
heard of Susan B. Anthony.
But Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin?
No, probably not.
So check it out.
Be a more informed citizen.
And maybe find out some
stuff that we can use today.
>> Hi. I'm Veronica Chambers.
And I'm the author, along
with several other New
York Times' journalists,
of a book called
"Finish the Fight."
I come to you from
Hoboken, New Jersey.
And I'm in my apartment.
And I'd love to tell
you about the book.
"Finish the Fight" is
the story of the brave
and revolutionary women who
fought for the right to vote.
When I was growing up, I
studied women's history.
But I actually didn't
learn a lot about suffrage.
So our book really focuses
on the women and suffrage
that you don't often hear about.
We are often taught
about Susan B. Anthony
and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
And sometimes we hear
about Alice Paul.
But we really wanted
to talk about women
like Mary Church Terrell,
and women that are thought
of as race women, like
Ida B. Wells-Barnett,
but who were really integral
to the suffrage story.
We also really, really wanted
to center the narrative
of Native American
women into this story.
Partly because, as
one of the scholars
that we interviewed said, you
know, women have had the vote
in the United States
for 100 years.
But [inaudible] women,
which is a nation
in the Native American
Tribe System,
they have had political
power for 1,000 years.
You know, we're at a moment
where, because of where we are
in the country and the world
and a public health crisis,
we're all spending a
little bit more time alone.
We're spending a little
bit more time inside.
But I think we also have
a tremendous opportunity
to connect with greater ideas
that can help us shape
the future, the suffrages.
They were going through
World War I, they were going
through the Spanish flu.
You find so many
parallels in history.
And what you realize is that,
you know, people survive.
And they find that
ingenuity to go back to it.
They find creative solutions.
Sometimes having
limited resources
or choices helps you
be more creative.
That's something to
remember as a young person.
I think when I was a kid, I
thought, "If I was super rich,
and if I had all the help in
the world, I could do anything."
But I think actually
not being super rich,
and only having limited
help, really forced me to dig
into my own creativity,
and figure things out
and try things, and
not be afraid to try.
I would advise young people,
and the people who teach them,
their parents, the
teachers, librarians,
to really embrace this
moment for connection
and exploration and curiosity.
Thank you so much for
having me and my co-authors
as part of this festival.
[ Music ]
>> Thanks, Veronica.
That is just amazing.
And I've got that book
right here on my desk.
I'm reading it.
But our next author is really
my favorite author I've got
to say, because it's me.
I've been working on these
books called "The Astro-Nuts."
It's a three-book series.
Book two is just coming out.
Oh, here's book one,
"The Plant Planet,"
book two, "The Water Planet."
And book three is going to
be "The Perfect Planet."
But the guy I'm working
with, Steven Weinberg,
my son-in-law, pretty
amazing, too.
Take a look at these guys.
>> Beep, beep, beep, beep,
beep, beep [spoken together].
>> Oh, hi.
>> Well, hello.
And welcome to the
inside of our rocket ship.
How do you like that?
So "Astro-Nuts" is the story
of four super powered animals
looking for a Goldilocks planet.
They have to find
a planet that's not
as polluted as this one.
And Earth is our narrator.
And she's not too thrilled
about what's going on.
So these guys in this next book
that land on a water planet --
which has been taken
over by clams.
Clam McConnell is
making things bad.
But, luckily, there's
a clam resistance.
There's Susan B. Clamthony.
And she gets together
with the astro-nuts --
and, well, I don't want
to give it all away.
But let me just tell you things
get weird, things get wild.
And as in every Astro-Nut book,
there's a giant fold-out
fight, a battle royale.
Astro-Nuts versus bad clams.
You haven't seen
anything like that.
And it ends with
my favorite, Earth.
She says, "Come on, you guys,
we've got to work
on this together."
Well, that's it.
That's the National
Book Festival.
You have been here.
Thanks so much for joining us.
Now go out there and
just like be yourself.
Remember, like we said, be you.
I'll be me.
You be you.
We'll be us.
And just enjoy yourself.
Read some books.
Thanks, guys.
[ Music ]