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Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Virginia Children’s Book Festival Returns to Longwood

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Greenwood Library

The Virginia Children’s Book Festival (VCBF) is returning to Longwood University from Oct. 16 to 18, marking 11 years of bringing literature to young readers. For three days, volunteers will host events around campus for visiting students and authors.

Longwood has hosted the festival since its inception, with university staff working closely to support the festival's operations. Founder and Director of VCBF Juanita Giles grew up in Farmville, and wanted to bring the festival back home to boost readership and literacy in Southside Virginia.

“There's nothing that's a predictor of success in life more than being a reader,” she said. “So I thought…what if I can make the greatest field trip ever and it's all based on reading?” Giles said this is how the VCBF was born.

This year, organizers put a focus on advocating against book bans around the county. The festival adopted the slogan, “We don’t ban books, we read them,” as part of its commitment to promoting free access to literature and providing a safe space for authors to share their work.

Organizers invited authors whose works have been banned in schools and libraries, such as Mike Curato and Todd Parr, to speak and share their stories.

The festival adopted the slogan, “We don’t ban books, we read them,” as part of its commitment to promoting free access to literature and providing a safe space for authors to share their work.

Giles said, “Just because a book is on a shelf doesn't mean you have to read it, but it doesn't mean that nobody else should be able to read it.”

Festival programming, scheduled from Wednesday through Friday, will highlight themes of diversity and inclusion, with special sessions aimed at creating a welcoming environment for all children.

Dr. Brent Roberts, assistant provost for academic outreach and dean of the Greenwood Library, said, “We try to get authors that fit all of those different reading levels so we invite schools from all over the commonwealth to come and interact with them.”

Attendees can expect panels, speeches, and presentations featured in three sessions every day of the festival at Greenwood Library, Dorrill Dining Hall, Lankford Hall, and Brock Commons. An average of 15-20 authors will be in attendance each day of the festival with activities for a diverse range of students.

Author and activity sessions include M.T Anderson, who wrote Elf Dog and Owl Head, who has sessions involving agility dogs for kids to work with; Jonathan Roth, who wrote Rover and Speck, has sessions bringing in rovers and geologists to teach kids about geology and Mars; Karyn Parsons, who wrote Clouds Over California, has sessions teaching children to write 100-word horror stories; and Cece Bell, a deaf author, who wrote El Deafo will be leading an instrument petting zoo for children to try numerous instruments.

Giles noted the festival will include quiet areas for kids who get overwhelmed and require a break. The festival also has a sensory-sensitive program for neurodivergent children on Friday, Oct. 18, at the Speech, Hearing, and Learning Center.

Roberts said, “[We] really support people's right to read, especially for young people who are exploring the world and learning about their identities and things that they can do in their lives.”

In preparation for this year’s festival, organizers are calling for volunteers to assist in managing the event. Volunteers are needed from both Longwood University and the Farmville community.

Dr. Brent Roberts, assistant provost for academic outreach and dean of Greenwood Library, said, “We invite everyone to volunteer, it's a great way to get involved in your community as citizen leaders here at Longwood. That's just one of the things that we do to think about the community over our individual selves.”

Greenwood LibraryManaging and Photo Editor

savannah.bartlett@live.longwood.edu

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