Watch the Newton Children’s Book Festival
Tui T. Sutherland event at West Newton Cinema
Learn the Origins of the Newton Children’s Book Festival
on Innovator’s Showcase on Newton TV
News Release
Contact: Mia Wenjen
Read Your World
pragmaticmomblog@gmail.com
November 19, 2024
For Immediate Release
Read Your World and New Art Center Create Inaugural Newton Children’s Book Festival
(Newton, MA) – The New Art Center and Read Your World have teamed up to create the inaugural Newton Children’s Book Festival. This free event will be held on December 14th, Saturday, from 10 am to 2 pm, at the New Art Center in Newtonville, MA. A snow date is set for Sunday, December 15th, from 10 am to 2 pm.
The Newton Children’s Book Festival will showcase 60+ children’s book authors and illustrators signing books. Newtonville Books will be selling the books, with a 20% discount for teachers! There is a free bookmark craft for children.
“We are pleased to offer the New Art Center space to the inaugural Newton Children’s Book Festival,” says Emily O’Neil, Executive Director of New Art Center. “Kids benefit from meeting children’s book authors and illustrators, and signed books make great gifts for the holiday season! ”
“Boston has one of the largest concentrations of children’s book creators in the United States, and we are thrilled to have more than 60 in the area at our event, including Caldecott Honor author and illustrator Brian Lies, and Newbery Honor author Rajani LaRocca,” says Mia Wenjen, President of the Newton-based non-profit, Read Your World.
In support of the Newton Children’s Book Festival, West Newton Cinema Foundation is hosting a children’s book event with the New York Times best-selling author of the Wings of Fire series, Tui T. Sutherland. It will be held on Monday, December 9th, at 5 pm at the West Newton Cinema. Newtonville Books will supply signed copies for this ticketed event. To order tickets, go to newtonvillebooks.com.
Newton Children’s Book Festival sponsors include Platinum Level The Drucker Group; Gold Level Massachusetts Center for the Book, The Village Bank, Perfection Auto; and Bronze Level Boston Authors Club and The Bookcase Factory Outlet. Otto Pizza in Newtonville is a Food Sponsor. Newtonville Books is donating a portion of sales to Read Your World and New Art Center nonprofits and is also an Organizing Partner. Friends of the Newton Free Library and West Newton Cinema Foundation are Community Partners.
For more information including a complete list of authors and illustrators, go to the Newton Children’s Book Festival website, newtonchildrensbookfest.com. Please contact Newtonville Books at 617- 244-6619 to order any books before or after the event.
First Newton Children’s Book Festival to be held Dec. 14
By Julie M. Cohen on November 18, 2024
As the inaugural Newton Children’s Book Festival approaches, it’s a fitting coincidence that participating author Elly Swartz’s upcoming novel, Same Page, focuses on “the freedom to read and the power of kids to change the world.”
Swartz is one of more than 60 Newton-area authors and illustrators who will be featured in this free event taking place on December 14, 10AM-2PM, at the New Art Center (61 Washington Park, Newtonville).
“The kid’s lit community in our area is a really great community,” said festival co-organizer and children’s book writer and blogger Mia Wenjen. Some of the talented participants have won Caldecott and Newbury Honors, and others have works that are New York Times bestsellers.
Wenjen first came up with the idea of a children’s literature gathering while participating in the Chappaqua (New York) Book Festival. There, she said she “noticed there [were] a lot of authors and illustrators coming from the Boston area.”
Wenjen was inspired to create a similar event here because she wanted local children to be able to speak with their favorite creators about their work.
A book festival is a “very fun way to just meet a ton of authors and illustrators,” said Wenjen.
After being invited to hold the festival at the New Art Center, she coordinated with fellow author David A. Kelly and Brown Middle School librarian Jean Stehle to organize the event.
“We are passionate about inspiring young readers and celebrating the joy of storytelling in our community,” according to the festival’s website.
Wenjen, Kelly, and Stehle received enthusiastic reactions from other children’s literature creators about joining. In fact, so many authors wanted to participate, there is now a waiting list.
In choosing the participants, Wenjen said they “want complete diversity of book choices” as well as authors and illustrators from varied backgrounds to be part of the event. The writers’ and illustrators’ fiction and nonfiction books are aimed mainly at children from birth to middle school.
The free event will feature a bookmark-making craft, and if attendees would like to purchase copies of their favorite stories – or perhaps own a book they’ve just learned about – Newtonville Books will be selling titles at the festival.
Meeting local creators
Author Jabari Asim was surrounded by children’s books even before he got his first library card at age 5. A fan of Dr. Seuss, he also learned from the works of Lucille Clifton, including the moving Everett Anderson’s Goodbye. The former Newton resident continued to be surrounded by kids’ books as an adult. His wife was a children’s librarian, and as an editor at The Washington Post, he covered publishing and children’s literature.
“I was immersed in them,” recalled the father of five, who is a writing professor at Emerson College.
With 14 children’s books under his belt (plus a number of adult works), Asim was excited to be asked to participate in the festival.
“I was very pleased,” he said. “The Newtonville community has always been supportive of my work.”
Among his many children’s titles, Asim has written baby board books in honor of his daughter as well as A Child’s Introduction to African American History, an illustrated book that covers topics from slavery to the slaying of teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012.
Asim said he is looking forward to speaking with kid and adult fans at the festival.
Newton’s Elly Swartz, the author of six middle-grade novels, lives in Newton and on Cape Cod. A writer since fourth grade, she said stories allow “kids to see themselves and hopefully understand the world around them.”
Excited to participate, she said that she’s looking forward to meeting fans.
“It’s magical – there’s nothing better than talking with readers,” said Swartz, who is also a lawyer. “It’s so wonderful that we live in an area that has a very vibrant community of children’s literature creators.”
When she was younger, she said that famed author Judy Blume was one of her influences because of her strong female characters.
Swartz said her own stories reflect her commitment to breaking down stigmas about mental health and neurodiversity.
Honored to be asked to participate, she said, “I feel the festival is a gift to the community.”