Arts & Entertainment
More Than 1/3 of Authors, Illustrators at the Chappaqua Children's Book Festival from Westchester
Marisabina Russo from Yorktown will be among them!
More than a third of the 85 renowned children’s book authors and illustrators participating in the 2015 Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival (CCBF) are from Westchester County.
The annual event, which will take place from 10AM-4PM Oct. 3, at Robert Bell Middle School, is one of the largest children’s book festivals in the region.
Is your town represented at the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival?
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Check out this list:
Ardsley
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Briarcliff Manor
And Putnam County neighbors:
Gail Carson Levine (Brewster)
Jean Marzollo (Cold Spring)
A complete list of CCBF authors/illustrators can be found at http://www.ccbfestival.org/authors/.
CCBF was inspired by Celebrate Children’s Book Day at Sunnyside in Irvington, which was discontinued in 2012 after 15 years.
Books will be available for sale, a “Food for Thought” food court with food trucks from around the region will offer great eats, and the 6th Annual Great Chappaqua Bake Sale will be selling baked treats and raffle tickets to benefit Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry mission to end childhood hunger. Admission and parking are free, and the event is rain or shine.
“The Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival is a grassroots, all-volunteer effort, with community members working together so that children and teens can be inspired by their favorite authors,” said Dawn Greenberg, executive director and founder of the Festival. “It’s about giving kids and families a chance to meet and interact with the creators of their favorite characters – to appreciate that there is a real person behind the art and the words on the page.”
In just three years, the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival has grown from 65 authors to 85, and from 4,000 visitors, to an expected 6,000 this year, from all over the tri-state region.
This year CCBF will feature 20 new authors and illustrators, including Jennifer Berne, Nina Crews, Susan Kuklin, Wendy Mass, Matt Myklusch, David Ezra Stein, Susan Stockdale and Ed Young, and many CCBF regulars, including Peter Sís, Victoria Kann, Jerry Pinkney, Gail Carson Levine, Dan Greenburg, and Bryan Collier, among many others. Authors and illustrators span multiple genres and reading levels. A complete list of CCBF authors/illustrators can be found at http://www.ccbfestival.org/authors/.
“CCBF is a true community event, and we are proud to have so many local authors and illustrators participating,” said Greenberg. “More than a third of our authors are from Westchester County, and just from Chappaqua and its surrounding towns, we have Jeff and Erynn Altabef, Michael Balkind, Nick Bruel, Barbara Dee, Gary Golio, Jennifer Lyne, Susanna Reich, Sujean Rim, Marisabina Russo, Mara VanFleet, Matt VanFleet, Natasha Sinel, Jean VanLeeuwen and Heather Zschock.”
In addition to book signings, author readings and illustrator demonstrations, CCBF spreads out onto the lawn of St. Mary the Virgin Church, where families will have the chance to participate in kids’ activities, such as creating a story using inspiration from live Hudson Valley Llamas, GaGa courtesy of Kiwi Country Day Camp, science experiments with Regeneron, and visits from costumed characters including Biscuit and Bad Kitty.
Family-friendly food will be available for purchase at the Food for Thought food court, with award-winning BBQ from Chappaqua’s Le Jardin du Roi, healthy and inventive food fromSkinny Buddha Organic Kitchen, wood-fired pizza from Mt. Kisco’s Village Social, among other choices.
Delicious baked treats and raffle prizes will be available from CCBF partner, The Great Chappaqua Bake Sale, a community bake sale started six years ago by three local families to support Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry mission to end childhood hunger. Having raised nearly $80,000 since its inception, it is Share Our Strength’s top fundraising bake sale team in the country. All proceeds fund breakfast and summer meals programs in NY State. To learn more or to make a donation, go to http://join.nokidhungry.org/goto/GCBS.
Local sweets shop Hall of Scoops crafted a new “literary” ice cream flavor to benefit CCBF –Purple Pig Tales, based on Jean Van Leeuwen’s Oliver and Amanda Pig series – to be sold at the shop in the month of September, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting CCBF. Those who visit Hall of Scoops should also check out the full-wall mural on the south side of the building, generously painted by Chappaqua artist Sophie Mendelson in the summer of 2014. The mural is dedicated to CCBF, and features beloved literary characters intertwined with scenes from the Book Festival and around Chappaqua.
CCBF hosts events and programs during the year to benefit the Pajama Program, whichprovides new pajamas and books to children in need nationwide, and JCY-Westchester Community Partners, which develops intergenerational programs to meet the literacy needs of children in Westchester communities such as Yonkers, Mount Vernon and Elmsford. CCBF also sends local volunteer to JCY’s Summer Reading Program at Yonkers Riverfront Library.
This year’s Book Festival poster (which can be seen on the CCBF home page,http://www.ccbfestival.org/) was created by award-winning designer, illustrator and author Carin Berger. Her poster design features a parade of whimsical reading characters that showcase her distinctive style.
“We are thrilled that Carin Berger, who has won many awards and acclaim for her books and illustration work, created our 2015 official poster,” said Greenberg.
CCBF is a not-for-profit volunteer organization dedicated to promoting literacy and community. Major sponsors of this year’s Festival include Kiwi Country Day Camp, Houlihan Lawrence,Regeneron,
Chappaqua Learning Center, Inside Chappaqua, Westchester Family Magazine, News12, DDR Public Relations, Susa Designs, Janine Marino Creative and Double Vision Photographers. For a complete list of CCBF sponsors, visit http://www.ccbfestival.org/currentsponsors/.
CCBF will take place at the Robert Bell Middle School, directly across the street from the Chappaqua train station (a 50-minute train ride from Grand Central Terminal). Event parking is free at the Chappaqua train station. The Festival is rain or shine. For more information, visit www.ccbfestival.org or follow the CCBF at www.facebook.com/chappaquachildrensbookfestival.
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