A Community Conversation Exploring Mac Barnett’s "Make Believe"

Mac Barnett's "Make Believe: On Telling Stories to Children" is the framework for this community-led chat about sparking a love of reading. How do we help kids become better readers—and, more importantly, help them enjoy reading? Join us for a casual community conversation discussing these exact questions between three members of our community who work with kids and books every day. Using Mac Barnett's book, Make Believe: On Telling Stories to Children, as a jumping off point, we’ll be discussing ways to encourage a love of reading among children, unique ways to help kids find books they love, how to build confidence, and much more. We look forward to having you join us and hope to learn from many different perspectives throughout our city! Expect to leave feeling empowered and armed with a few new ways to encourage the young readers in your life. If you are an educator, early literacy teacher or advocate, librarian, parent, or simply passionate about fostering the imagination of little minds , this event is for you! Mac Barnett will not be in attendance at this event. Panel: Stephanie Hijazi, bookseller at Bird’s Bookstore with a Masters of Fine Arts specialized in Children’s Literature and Writing Norma Nelson, CEO of Readers 2 Leaders Rosie J. Pova, children's book author and founder of Picture Book Author Academy Moderated by: Lesa Engelthaler, local children's book author Tickets Panel discussion: $10 Copies of Make Believe will be available for purchase in store. Educators recieve 15% off books. About the Book Make Believe is bestselling children’s author Mac Barnett’s rallying cry for art and imagination, and a celebration of the power of storytelling in all our lives. It’s an incisive, intimate, and timely invitation to approach children’s literature not only as an art form worthy of deep study and criticism, but as a portal into the lives of the children. And at a time when we are faced with a national literacy crisis, he champions the profound joys of literature and the importance of reading for pleasure. What if children are a great audience for art? What if they are in fact better equipped to engage deeply with stories than adults? What if humans’ ability to appreciate art is, if not innate, awakened early in childhood? Well, then we’d better do our best to make some good kids’ books. Written with humor and academic rigor, Make Believe reads like a letter from your smartest and funniest friend. Includes spreads from Goodnight Moon and Busy, Busy Town, illustrations by Caldecott Medalist Jon Klassen, and cover art by celebrated illustrator Carson Ellis. About the Author Mac Barnett is the ninth U.S. National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, appointed by the Library of Congress and Every Child a Reader. He’s aNew York Times-bestselling author of stories for children and the writer, with Jon Klassen, of Looking at Picture Books, a newsletter for adults about how picture books work. Barnett’s work has been translated into more than 30 languages and sold more than 5 million copies worldwide. His books have won many prizes, including two Caldecott Honors, threeNew York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Awards, three E.B. White Read Aloud Awards, theBoston Globe-Horn Book Award,Germany’s Jugendliteraturpreis, China’s Chen Bochui International Children’s Literature Award, The Netherlands’ Silver Griffel, and Italy’s Premio Orbil. He lives in Oakland, California.