STORYTELLER Tales from a Different Drum 

Our children’s events always start with a story. This year storyteller Yvonne D. Ceaser will tell “Tales from a Different Drum” featuring stories from Africa, Haiti and China. Thanks to Montclair Public Library for organizing this fun and popular event! (Age 2-12)

Venue: Montclair Public Library, The Green Space (3rd floor)

CHILDREN'S FICTION Dining! A Lucy Littlebit Book. 

A story time event with author Stephanie Henderson Snyder and illustrator Jed Snyder, including reading, singing, coloring and sticker fun. Littlebit Book Club helps parents instill a passion for literacy in children from an early age. Join Lucy Littlebit on her early childhood adventures and watch your Littlebit(s) make connections to their own experiences as they develop receptive language, new vocabulary, and reading comprehension skills. (Age 0-3)

Venue: Montclair Public Library, The Storytime Room (3rd floor)

ART AND LITERATURE WORKSHOP AT MAM Fangbone and other Heroes with Michael Rex 

Learn to write and draw your own comics! Discover the secrets of making something funny! Michael Rex will share simple tricks and techniques that will get you creating your own characters and writing your own stories. Michael Rex is the author/illustrator of more than 40 books for children, including the #1 bestseller Goodnight Goon and the popular, sword-swinging graphic novel series Fangbone, also an animated show on Disney XD. 

Ages 5 to 8 with an adult caregiver. Maximum 16 participants.

Venue: Montclair Art Museum, Geyer Studio 

TEEN WRITERS WORKSHOP Finding Your Character’s Voice with Rachel Carter and Dayna Lorenz

How do writers craft different voices for their characters? What does it mean to get inside of a character’s head and capture how they speak on the page? In this workshop, we’ll dive deep into finding your character’s voice, looking closely at the ways that different authors craft voices for their characters and how we can translate that into our own writing. We will also participate in writing exercises that will help us better understand our characters and how they speak. Participants will have the opportunity share their work in an open forum, getting feedback on their characters and the ways they’re creating a unique sense of voice. (Age 15-19)

Maximum 20 participants. 

E-mail montclairliteraryfestival@gmail.com to register.

Venue: Montclair Public Library, The Classroom (1st floor)     

CHILDREN'S FICTION Twins

This is a book about a boy and his twin who do everything together—leap frog and piggy back rides, dancing and disagreeing, and everything in between. Is there someone you like to do everything with? Even if you don’t have a twin, it could be your sister or brother, or your BFF. Bring them along for story and drawing time that celebrates togetherness, with author-illustrator and father of twins, Mike Ciccotello. (Age 2-6)

Venue: Montclair Public Library, The Green Space (3rd floor)     

CHILDREN'S FICTION Something Beautiful 20th Birthday Party!

Montclair author Sharon Dennis Wyeth’s award winning book Something Beautiful has been read in classrooms throughout the country for 20 years. Join her to celebrate the book’s 20th birthday, with a reading followed by cupcakes, party favors, and a brief Q&A with the author. Young readers will also be invited to present (show) or talk about “something beautiful” in their own lives. (All ages)

Venue: Montclair Public Library, The Storytime Room (3rd floor) 

CHILDREN'S FICTION Bunny Business (Mama’s Day at Work) 

It's morning when Mama gets the call that the bunnysitter is sick. But Papa is out of town and school is out. That means Bunny gets to go to work at Mama's office! But the big city isn't all it's cracked up to be, even with its many distractions. Boredom and hunger strike, and Bunny has to get creative to save Mama's office from the workday blues. Don’t miss author-illustrator Lori Richmond and her new book, Bunny Business. Parents and children alike will laugh and cheer at the ingenuity of one bunny's impromptu Take Your Child to Work Day! (Age 3-5)

Venue: Montclair Public Library, The Green Space (3rd floor)

CHILDREN'S FICTION Super Satya Saves The Day

Super Satya is ready to have a super day, including finally conquering the tallest slide in Hoboken. But her day takes a not-so-super turn when she realizes her superhero cape is stuck at the dry cleaner. Will she be able to face her fears, help her friends and be the true hero everyone knows she is? Author Raakhee Mirchandani introduces Satya, a precocious Indian-American superhero. (Age 5-9)

Venue: Montclair Public Library, The Storytime Room (3rd floor)

ART AND LITERATURE WORKSHOP AT MAM Book Making Workshop with Lisa Conrad

Working within the fine art of bookmaking, students will learn about various bookbinding techniques, including pamphlet stitch, flag books, and accordion. In this fun workshop each student will create an original artist book, reflective of their personal voice and acquired skills of the medium.

Ages 7 to 9 with an adult caregiver. Maximum 16 participants. 

Venue: Montclair Art Museum, Geyer Studio

CHILDREN'S FICTION Bilingual Story Time with Malty the Blue Tiger 

Kelsey Kloss reads her bilingual Spanish and English storybook, Malty the Blue Tiger. Listen to Malty’s story in both Spanish and English, learn new Spanish words and enjoy some interactive language learning games. Kelsey will also share language learning tips and give away some free books! (Age 4-8)

Venue: Montclair Public Library, The Storytime Room (1st floor)

CHILDREN'S FICTION Stories of Resistance

The authors of two books about teenagers who resisted the Nazis in Germany during World War Two lead a discussion about what it means to resist. K.R. Gaddy’s book Flowers in the Gutter is the true story of the Edelweiss Pirates, working-class teenagers who fought the Nazis by whatever means they could. Jennifer Voigt Kaplan’s novel Crushing the Red Flowers is about how two ordinary boys deal with the changes steamrolling through Germany in 1938, and the extraordinary circumstances of Kristallnacht. Join them to talk about what resistance means and the different forms it can take, in history and today. Does it have to be political? Does it have to be organized? How far would you go to help someone in trouble? (Age 10+)

Venue: Montclair Public Library, The Green Space (3rd floor)

EDUCATION/YA When Adults Listen to Kids: Young People on the Forefront of Social Change. 

As some young people are taking action on issues from gun violence to climate change and LGBTQ rights, others are pulled into activism through circumstance. What is it like to live through major social change and be caught up in social activism? In her novel The Long Ride, Marina Budhos tells the story of three mixed-race girls who are part of the social experiment of bussing in 1970s New York, while journalist Candy Cooper explores the Flint water crisis in Poisoned Water: How the Citizens of Flint, Michigan Fought for their Lives and Warned the Nation. They are joined by MHS junior Devany Kurtti, who talks about her activism. (Age 11+)

Venue: Montclair Public Library, YA Room

CHILDREN'S FICTION Wild About Dads 

Dads are strong, dads are brave, but sometimes dads could use a shave. Everyone loves dads—humans, lions, frogs, prairie dogs, and even pelicans! Celebrate dads of every kind with author Diana Murray and her new book, Wild About Dads, and learn some fun facts about animals at the same time. (Age 2-6)

Venue: Montclair Public Library, The Storytime Room (1st floor)

YOUNG ADULT FICTION Imagining Disaster  

Two young adult authors discuss how they turned disasters—both real and imagined—into fascinating fiction. What are the challenges of using real historical events for action and adventure? What happens when reality catches up with fictional disasters? Come hear Rachel Carter, author of the So Close to You series, and Dayna Lorentz, author of the No Safety in Numbers trilogy, talk about the inspiration and challenges behind creating their action-packed disaster novels. (Age 12+)

Venue: Montclair Public Library, The Green Space (3rd floor)

TEEN WRITERS WORKSHOP  Your Literary Community: Social Media Literacy for Young Writers

Writing doesn't have to be a solitary pursuit. Whether you've got half a novel or 10, an idea or a goal or any of the above, you can use social media to work towards your literary dreams. In this workshop, we'll discuss using social media to join a worldwide literary community through blogging, BookTube, Twitter, and more. No matter where you live, no matter how old you are, and no matter what your goals may be, you can put yourself out there and build a platform for yourself and your art. Bring your dreams and your questions!

Krisdee Dishmon, Gabbi Calabrese, Camille Smaby, Kaylee Duff, and Kate Koenig are MFA candidates at The New School studying Writing for Children & Young Adults. Collectively, they have experience with professional book blogging, website design, BookTube, literary agencies, literary magazines, online journalism, and evaluating Twitter pitch contests including #PitchWars and #DvPit. 

(Age 15-19)

Maximum 20 participants.

E-mail montclairliteraryfestival@gmail.com to register.  

Venue: Montclair Public Library, The Classroom (1st floor)

ART AND LITERATURE WORKSHOP AT MAM Introduction to Cartooning with Chental Song Bembry 

Twelve-year-old Desiree Davenport adjusts to life in a new city and a new school while fitting in as a cheerleader for USA Little League Football. Challenges arise when she befriends the stars of the football team and must choose between holding onto the close relationship with her friends and standing up for what is right. Author, motivational speaker and literacy advocate Chental Song Bembry uses Desiree’s story to introduce storytelling through cartooning and shares ideas about finding passion and purpose. 

Ages 10 to 14. Maximum 20 participants. 

Venue: Montclair Art Museum, Geyer Studio

READING How to Raise a Reader with Maria Russo

Join Maria Russo, children’s book editor of the New York Times Book Review, in a discussion of her book, How to Raise a Reader, an indispensable guide to welcoming children—from babies to teens—to a lifelong love of reading. The book combines clear, practical advice with inspiration, wisdom, tips, and curated reading lists.  Maria debunks common myths, assuages parental fears, and delivers invaluable lessons in a positive and easy-to-act-on way, from how to develop rituals around reading or build a family library, to ways to engage a reluctant reader.

Venue: Montclair Public Library, The Green Space (3rd floor)