In an age where technology is overwhelmingly prevalent, books are all too often associated with schoolwork — but the Youth Literature Festival on Saturday, Oct. 9 will demonstrate how reading can inspire musical and multilingual celebration for all ages.
Taking place at the Krannert Center by the University of Illinois’ College of Education, the Youth Literature Festival began on Thursday when the selected authors visited neighboring schools. These visits will continue Friday, leading up to Saturday’s festival, which runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and features 14 authors, several musical performances, crafts, puppet shows and storytelling. In order to engage their audiences, the selected authors bring more than just their writing skills to the table.
Alice McGinty, author, said that she loves the enthusiasm she witnesses in the children when she incorporates music into her presentations.
To appeal to an even wider audience, the festival also offers Spanish Storytime presented by the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies. They will provide bilingual stories from 1:15 p.m. to 1:45 p.m., but, surprisingly, the majority of children who listen to the Spanish stories are non-hispanic.
This creates an opportunity for students and their parents from all different backgrounds to be exposed to Hispanic culture, said Alejandra Maria Seufferheld, outreach coordinator for the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies.
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By the time the festival is over, the College of Education hopes to have reached over 5,000 students, as it did in its inaugural year in 2008. With so many students involved in the Youth Literature Festival, school libraries, teachers and parents actually saw an increase in children’s interest in books, said Mary Kalantzis, dean of the College of Education.
Yet, children are not the only ones who benefit from a gathering of literature and its authors.
“[The authors] probably knew each other’s names just by seeing the name on a book but really hadn’t met, and they really connected nicely too, and I think some new relationships came out of the fact that we brought them here,” said Joan Tousey, associate dean for Advancement in the College of Education, of the 2008 festival.
The Youth Literature Festival also gives parents and their children the chance to see the University active in their community.
“We see it as a partnership with the local businesses, local libraries, schools and families to try and create another opportunity for pleasure and joy and celebration in our community, but one attached to one of the most important things we can all do, which is to read and write,” Kalantzis said.
Bottom line: the Youth Literature Festival is not just for the youth.
“We’d love to see students from across the campus attend — those with children, and those without children,” Tousey said.
Food and free admission are also appeals to the festival, but Kalantzis said that the best part of the celebration is the children’s energy.
“The kids were reacting in such an excited way that it was just infectious, and that for me was the most memorable part and I’m looking forward to feeling that again when I listen to these wonderful authors,” said Kalantzis.
