Public Information and Communication
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 24, 2018
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Mary Jo Ryan
402-471-3434
800-307-2665
Choose Your Days by Paula Wallace
to Represent Nebraska at National Book Festival
A children’s picture book that encourages us all to remember
that we hold the key to our days will represent Nebraska at the
2018 National Book Festival. The Nebraska Center for the Book
selected Choose Your Days by Paula
Wallace (Cinco Puntos Press, 2016) as the state’s selection for
the National Book Festival’s “Discover Great Places through
Reading” brochure and map. Each state selects one book about the
state, or by an author from the state, that is a good read for
children or young adults. The brochure and map will be
distributed at the September 1 Festival in Washington DC and
will be featured in the “Great Reads about Great Places” links
on the websites of both the national and Nebraska centers for
the book.
This book, written and illustrated by Omaha artist Paula
Wallace, tells an engaging story of a child learning to live her
dreams to the fullest. The bright and whimsical illustrations
sweep the reader along through the story and help deliver a
powerful message about love and loss. Nebraska’s “Great Reads
about Great Places” book is chosen from the previous year’s
Nebraska Book Award winners and this book was awarded the 2017
Nebraska Book Award in the Children’s Picture Book category.
Entries for the 2018 Nebraska Book Awards will be accepted until
June 30 - see
http://centerforthebook.nebraska.gov/awards/nebookawards.html.
The National Book Festival will feature presentations by
award-winning authors, poets, and illustrators at the Walter E.
Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. Festival
attendees can meet their favorite authors, get books signed,
have photos taken with mascots and storybook characters, and
participate in a variety of learning activities. States will
staff exhibit booths to promote reading, library programs, and
literary events. Find out more about the 2018 National Book
Festival (including a list of featured authors) at
http://www.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
.