Book Fair to offer something for everybody, including the children
You'll find something for everybody, including all the children, on your literary holiday list at the 35th annual Book Fair and Authors' Night Tuesday, Nov. 13. Nearly 100 authors will autograph and sell their books from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Starting today with children's books, and continuing up to the Fair, the Wire will list offerings by category: food, history, humor lifestyle, literature, mystery/thriller, memoir/biography, politics and current affairs, business, science/nature and sports.
The event is a fundraiser for The National Press Club's Journalism Institute, a 501 (c) (3) that provides training, research and resources for news professionals and scholarships for the next generation of journalists.
For a tax deductible contribution of $25, you can become a "Friend of the Book Fair." You will receive a complimentary raffle ticket ($10 value) for a chance to win one of a group of exciting prizes, from gift certificates to Georgetown Cupcake, Chef Geoff's, Clyde's and Cowgirl Creamery to a wine tasting at Sunset Hills Vineyard, a curators' private tours of National Portrait Gallery and Dodona Manor or a Saturday night stay at the W, a Washington D.C. hotel. Click here to become a Friend of the Book Fair.
Admission to the 35th annual fair is free for NPC members, $10 for non-members.
No outside books permitted. A full list of participants is on the Club's web site.
Books and authors in the children's book category include:
Oliver Jeffers "This Moose Belongs to Me" $16.99
Wilfred knew the moose was meant to be his. In this witty, thought-provoking story, Oliver Jeffers explores the concept of ownership when one dark day while deep in the woods Marcel the moose is claimed by someone else.
Karen Leggett-Abouraya "Hands Around the Library: Protecting Egypt's Treasured Books" $16.99
In January 2011, in a moment that captured the hearts of people all over the world, thousands of Egypt's students, library workers, and demonstrators surrounded the great Library of Alexandria and joined hands, forming a human chain to protect the building. This amazing true story demonstrates how the love of books and libraries can unite a country, even in the midst of turmoil.
Kelly Starling Lyons "Ellen's Broom" $16.99
Set in Reconstruction, a young girl learns the new meaning for freedom. When it was finally legal for her mother and father to officially be married, Ellen carries the broom that always sat above the hearth to the courthouse so they can jump the broom in this lawful marriage.
Jason Killian Meath and Aidan Patrick Meath "The Pepperoni Palm Tree" $21.99
We all know pepperoni doesn't grow on palm trees; that is, unless you stumbled upon the Pepperoni Palm Tree! Turns out, a pint-sized explorer named Frederick does exactly that on a far away island way out to sea. The authors (father and son) reveal how one off-beat palm tree found his moment in the sun.
Laura Murray "The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School" $16.99
When a class leaves for recess, their just-baked Gingerbread Man is left behind. But he's a smart cookie and heads out to find them. He'll run, slide, skip, and (after a mishap with a soccer ball) limp as fast as he can in this twist on the original Gingerbread Man story. The volume includes an activities poster.
Jerdine Nolen "Eliza's Freedom Road: An Underground Railroad Diary" $14.99
It is 1852 in Alexandria, Virginia. Young Eliza's recites the stories her mother taught her as she travels the Freedom Road from Maryland to St. Catherine's, Canada after her mother has been sent away and Eliza hears talk in her Master's house that she might be traded.
Mary Quattlebaum "The Hungry Ghost of Rue Orleans $15.99
Fred the ghost is perfectly happy haunting his lonely old New Orleans house until his perfect place is disturbed by Pierre and his daughter Marie who move in and turn the Fred's home into a restaurant. Gone is the dust, the house's squeaks and leaks. And, worse than that, as much as Fred clanks and moans, the diners are not squared away. Does he leave or make friends?
Mary Quattlebaum "Joe MacDonald Had a Garden" $8.95
Didn't Old MacDonald have farm? Well, this MacDonald has a garden that grows healthy food for people and wild creatures. In this adaptation of the old standard, young readers can sing along with Jo and learn how butterflies, bumblebees, and birds help a garden to thrive, and about garden ecosystems and stewardship.
Paul Reichert "The Lemonade Ripple: A Sweet Story of Kindness and Charity" $12.95
When Caroline watches her disabled friend Shannon struggling with an old, rusty, squeaking, and wobbling wheelchair, she decides to use her grandmother's secret recipe to make and sell lemonade to raise money for a brand-new wheelchair. When the neighborhood kids see Caroline trying to help, they choose to pitch in, too. This book engages kids in charity and shows them the value of helping others in fun and creative ways.
Corey Rosen Schwartz "The Three Ninja Pigs" $16.99
When the big bad wolf threatens their village, three pigs want some help and sign up for different martial arts lessons to prepare to take him down. Corey Rosen Schwartz combines smart-aleck dialogue, tongue-in-cheek rhymes and Dan Santat's spunky illustrations.
Michael Townsend "Where Do Presidents Come From? And Other Presidential Stuff of Super Great Importance" $14.99
In a comic book guide that could help young people figure out the 2012 presidential election or just give them some entertainment, Townsend provides some fun facts about the nation's presidency. Beyond some need-to-know facts about presidential power, they'll learn, for example, that President Coolidge had a pet pygmy hippo named Billy. Who knew?