Book Authors, Illustrators to Visit Rowland Unified Schools

Students in the Rowland Unified School District will get a chance to meet famous children's book authors and illustrators at upcoming events, thanks to Mrs. Nelson's Toy & Book Shop in La Verne.

Today at 8:45 a.m. at Blandford Elementary, students in grades K-3 will meet illustrator Loren Long. From Noon to 1 p.m., Long will visit K-2 students at Ybarra Academy of the Arts and Technology.

Loren Long is the #1 New York Times best-selling illustrator of Watty Piper’s "The Little Engine That Could" and Madonna’s "Mr. Peabody’s Apples." Loren’s other New York Times best-selling books include: "Toy Boat" by Randall DeSeve, which was awarded the 2007 Publisher’s Weekly Cuffie Award for Favorite Picture Book of the Year and the 2008 Great Lakes Book Award for Children's Picture Book, "Angela and the Baby Jesus" by the Pulitzer Prize winning author Frank McCourt, and the chapter book series "Sluggers" that he created with Phil Bildner.

His first picture book, Angela Johnson’s "I Dream of Trains," won the SCBWI’s Golden Kite Award for picture book illustration. His version of Walt Whitman’s "When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer" was a Golden Kite Honor Book. In 2010, Loren illustrated President Barack Obama’s book, "Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters."

More information is available at www.lorenlong.com.

Blandford Elementary is located at 2601 S. Blandford Drive in Rowland Heights (626)965-3410. Ybarra Academy is located at 1300 Brea Canyon Cut-Off Road, Rowland Heights (909)598-3744.

Upcoming RUSD Author Visits:

• October 22 – Authors Rachel Cohn and David Leviathan, who wrote "Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist," visit Santana High School and Rowland High School.
• November 9 – Author David Shannon of the "No, David!" series visits Telesis Academy of Science & Math and Killian Elementary.

The Rowland Unified School District and schools have won numerous state and national awards for academic achievement and RUSD is at the forefront of educational transformation with its work on literacy and best teaching and learning practices. Please visit www.RowlandSchools.org for more information.

--Rowland Unified School District