Children at Texas Book Festival 2010 watch an author presentation. / courtesy photo
The Texas Book Festival’s Reading Rock Stars is a dynamic program in which selected authors from across the country are invited to share their literary works with students in economically disadvantaged schools. This year Reading Rock Stars will include Cunningham, Dawson, Galindo, Ortega, Rodriguez and Baty elementary schools. The aim is to promote literacy, and celebrate authors and their contributions to the culture of literacy, ideas and imagination.
There will be two separate bilingual children’s author presentations by Duncan Tonatiuh and James Luna, followed by distribution of their books. An interactive game show event called “Class Acts,” where kids compete to win their favorite author the coveted title in the Class Acts Challenge, will be hosted by Baty Elementary School’s Reading Rock Stars on Friday, Oct. 26.
“We chose Baty Elementary as this year’s new school because it’s a really big school where RRS could make a really big difference,” said Amy Roberts, chair of Reading Rock Stars. “To be chosen, a school must be classified as Title 1. All of Del Valle ISD’s schools are Title 1, which makes them especially deserving.”
This year, children’s book authors Jon Scieszka (Guys Read: The Sports Pages), Adam Rex (Cold Cereal), Tim Green (Unstoppable), Duncan Tonatiuh (Diego Rivera: His World and Ours) and James Luna (Runaway Piggy/El Cochinito Fugitivo) will be featured at the event. Class Acts will be featuring Scieszka, Green and Rex.
“All three Class Acts authors have written books geared towards young reluctant male readers,” said Roberts.” It’s generally not very hard to get young girls to want to read, but it’s more challenging to get the boys interested.”
The event will last from 8:15 to 10:30 a.m on Friday, Oct. 26. For more information on the Texas Book Festival and their Reading Rock Stars, program visit texasbookfestival.org.
