House Held Up by Trees, by Ted Kooser with Jon Klassen
(Illustrator), will represent Nebraska at the 2014 National Book
Festival in Washington, DC. The book is the state’s selection for
the National Book Festival’s “Discover Great Places through Reading
Map.” Each state selects one title of fiction or non-fiction, a book
about the state or by an author from the state that is a good read
for children or young adults. The map is distributed at the Pavilion
of the States at the Festival and lists “Great Reads about Great
Places.”
Kooser’s children’s picture book offers a powerful view of the
natural world. Though there’s a family involved, the real star of
this multilayered modern parable is a plot of land...the artwork
initially functions as stoic backdrop for the story, with wide-angle
perspectives filled with plenty of open space and muted colors. But
in the second part, as the trees take over, Klassen’s compositions
command more and more attention, elbowing the text into the
periphery and subtly reinforcing the themes in play... Unfolding
with uncommon grace, the environmental heart of this story is
revealed obliquely but powerfully. Ages 5-8. -Publishers Weekly
Ted Kooser was the United States Poet Laureate from 2004 to 2006 and
won a Pulitzer Prize for his book of poems Delights and Shadows. He
is the author of twelve full-length volumes of poetry and several
books of nonfiction, including Nebraska Book Award winner Local
Wonders, Seasons in the Bohemian Alps. His work has appeared in
many periodicals. He is also the author of Bag in the Wind, his
first picture book. Kooser lives in Garland, NE. For more
information see
http://tedkooser.net.
Jon Klassen is the author-illustrator of I Want My Hat Back. The
first picture book he illustrated, Cats’ Night Out by Caroline
Stutson, won the Governor General’s Award for illustration in his
native Canada. Klassen now lives in Los Angeles.
The National Book Festival will be held in Washington, DC at the
Walter E. Washington Convention Center on Saturday August 30, 2014.
This year’s festival will feature authors, poets and illustrators in
several pavilions. Festival-goers can meet and hear firsthand from
their favorite poets and authors, get books signed, hear special
entertainment, have photos taken with storybook characters, and
participate in a variety of activities. The Pavilion of the States
will represent reading and library programs and literary events in
all fifty states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. trusts and
territories. Children attending the festival are given maps to take
to each state’s table to be stamped to receive a prize.
Representatives from the Nebraska Library Commission and Nebraska
Center for the Book will staff Nebraska’s table in the Pavilion. For
more information see
loc.gov/bookfest.
The Nebraska Center for the Book is housed at the Nebraska Library
Commission and brings together the state’s readers, writers,
booksellers, librarians, publishers, printers, educators, and
scholars to build the community of the book, supporting programs to
celebrate and stimulate public interest in books, reading, and the
written word. The Nebraska Center for the Book is supported by the
Nebraska Library Commission. As the state library agency, the
Nebraska Library Commission is an advocate for the library and
information needs of all Nebraskans. The mission of the Library
Commission is statewide promotion, development, and coordination of
library and information services, bringing together people and
information.
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The most up-to-date news releases from the Nebraska Library
Commission are always available on the Library Commission Website,
http://nlc.nebraska.gov/publications/newsreleases.