MEDIA RELEASE

Children’s Lit Conference Spotlights Books
on History/Social Studies, Math, Science, the Arts

(NORTHRIDGE, Calif., March 12, 2008) — Children’s literature has the power to engage and inspire young readers. In the K–12 classroom, informational literature can inspire a love of learning as well.

Fulfilling a long-held desire to create a children’s literature conference that brings together local educators and draws on the rich resource of local authors, Cal State Northridge’s Elementary Education Department will present the First Annual Children’s Literature Conference from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, April 12, in the university’s Michael D. Eisner College of Education building.

CSUN’s conference will offer a full agenda, with featured author presen¬tations, breakout sessions, and a showcase of new children’s literature, including the books of authors spotlighted at the April 12 event.

The conference’s "Minds Alive on the Shelves’ theme highlights the interactive richness that informational literature offers. Highlights of the day will include presentations by local authors of informational books, including keynote speaker Stacia Deutsch, author of the acclaimed "Blast to the Past" series that cleverly intertwines diverse historical figures with compelling plots to create stories that educate while they enthrall.

Other speakers will include Caroline Arnold, author of "The Terrible Hodag and the Animal Catchers," "Giant Sea Reptiles of the Dinosaur Age" and about 130 other books for children; and Ann Whitford Paul, author of "Mañana Iguana," "Fiesta Fiasco" and "All By Herself: 14 Girls Who Made a Difference."

"There is no other conference like this in the area," said Nancy Prosenjak, elementary education professor and co-chair of the Children’s Literature Conference. The need for such a gathering spurred Prosenjak and co-chair Greg Knotts to spearhead the effort, with energy and support provided by the Elementary Education Department.

The event’s interactive workshops—encompassing the subject areas of history/social studies, mathematics, science, and the arts—will focus on the use of content area reading and informational literature.

Knotts, a professor of elementary education, emphasized the attempt to draw from a broad array of expertise by soliciting a diverse group of presenters, from educators working in K–12 to university and parent educators. The goal is to provide "hands-on implementable strategies," said Knotts, that will enable educators to access content areas through literature.

The $45 conference registration includes continental breakfast, lunch and a CSUN parking pass. For a registration form, campus map, directions, links to authors’ titles and other information, visit http://www.csun.edu/coe/eed/childlit.