Kansas Center for the Book
- The new state librarian of the State Library of Kansas, Jo Budler, recently approved three new projects suggested by the Kansas Center for the Book. KCFB will participate fully in River of Words beginning with the 2010-2011 project year. River of Words is a contest of a non-profit organization dedicated to connecting K-12 kids to their watersheds through poetry and art, in affiliation with the Library of Congress Center for the Book. In Kansas, the contest helps youth explore the natural and cultural history of their state and express through poetry and art what they discover.
- Also approved was a proposal for KCFB to plan and implement a young adult (approx. age 12-grade 12) one-book/one-state project in 2011 or 2012. This will be modeled after the highly successful Kansas Reads to Preschoolers and Kansas Reads one-book/one-state projects. A theme will be identified to aid a committee in recommending potential titles to the state librarian for final selection. It will be marketed to schools, libraries, after-school programs, and youth activities such as Boys and Girls Clubs, Scouts, 4-H and others.
- The third new undertaking approved was a proposal for KCFB to plan and implement a Kansas Young Readers Ambassador for 2011 or 2012. The position will be opened to applications from Kansas authors of books for children and young adults, modeled partly after the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and partly after the Kansas Poet Laureate process.
- Preschoolers all over the state will be listening to Up, Down, And Around, by Katherine Ayres, the book chosen for 2010 Kansas Reads to Preschoolers about food, nutrition, and where our food comes from. Kansas Reads to Preschoolers is an annual project held the third week of November (which this year will be November 14-20, 2010). Watch for our Up, Down, And Around web page for program ideas, more preschooler books on food and nutrition, and a schedule for the author’s visit to Kansas.
- KCFB will be participating in the Kansas 150 celebration of the sesquicentennial of statehood with 2011 Kansas Reads…What Kansas Means To Me, edited by Thomas Fox Averill. Plans are being made for the annual adult one-book/one-state project January 29-April 30, 2011. Watch for our What Kansas Means To Me web page for program ideas, events, and how to contact Tom or other authors of articles in this collection. Join us for 2011 Kansas Reads…What Kansas Means To Me to celebrate Kansas 150!
Roy Bird, Director
Kansas Center for the Book
State Library of Kansas
300 SW 10th Room 169-W
Topeka KS 66612 1593
800/432-3919
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