Reading in the Grass

Families are invited to meet and interact with well-known authors of favorite children’s books at the inaugural “Literacy on the Lawn” event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, June 13.

The free event will be held at NIU’s health and literacy building at 3100 Sycamore Road in DeKalb (the former Monsanto building), and will feature music, booths, hands-on activities, raffle prizes and free books.

Sponsored by the Jerry L. Johns Literacy Clinic, the event will feature well-known authors and illustrators, including:

• Tom Lichtenheld, award-winning author and illustrator of dozens of popular children’s picture books including several New York Times best sellers such as “Duck! Rabbit!” and “I Wish You More”;
• Stacy Curtis, award-winning cartoonist and illustrator of many children’s books including “The Seven Habits of Happy Kids,” the “Raymond and Graham” chapter book series, the “Meghan Rose” series and “Snack Attack”;
• Pamela J. Farris, Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus from NIU and author of “Crossover Dribble” and “Presidents from the Prairie State”; and
• Marianne Malone, award-winning author of “The Sixty-Eight Rooms,“ Stealing Magic,” “The Pirate’s Coin” and “The Secret of the Key.”

“This event will be a celebration of literacy and an invitation to families to engage in reading and writing with their children in during the summer and beyond,” said Laurie Elish-Piper, director of the Jerry L. Johns Literacy Clinic.

“We have great authors and illustrators lined up, a wide variety of booths with hands-on activities, and lots of special surprises planned,” she added. “We hope all families will join us for this fun and free event.”

The event is designed to celebrate literacy by offering educational activities for families and to create awareness about free community resources throughout the area. Each children who attends will receive a new book to add to his or her personal library. In addition, each family will receive a raffle ticket to win various door prizes, including one Kindle Fire HD.

For more information, call (815) 753-8187 or email shinrichs@niu.edu.