July / August 2002 Vol. 34, no. 4

The Fun of Reading
International Forum on Canadian Children’s Literature

Conference

June 26  -  29, 2003
Ottawa Congress Center in downtown Ottawa

The central event of the International Forum is an international conference on Canadian children's literature. The conference will bring together, for the first time, all the partners whose efforts support Canadian literature for young people in both official languages: the writers, illustrators and storytellers who create it; the translators, publishers, teachers, librarians and booksellers who bring the books to children in Canada and abroad; young Canadian readers and their families; Canadian literature specialists from Canada and other countries; and literacy groups, policy-makers and the media.

The conference will celebrate and promote Canadian children's literature in all its rich cultural, linguistic and regional diversity and strengthen the presence of this literature within Canada and on the international stage.

Conference activities being developed include conference papers and presentations by scholars, writers, illustrators, publishers, teachers and librarians; roundtable discussions on reading, publishing, writing, translation and illustration; public readings and book signings; exhibitions and a trade fair.

The conference The Fun of Reading will offer a strong content in a festive atmosphere. It will present an overview of the past, present and future of Canadian children's literature. Themes will cover the development of reading patterns and habits from early childhood to the teenage years; the potential for a network of libraries, from public libraries to school libraries, to become a cornerstone of reading development; and the importance of Canadian children's books and stories as a reflection of Canadian identity. Most importantly, the conference will give participants ways to share the Fun of Reading with children in the classroom, at home or at the library.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

Reading Patterns and Habits

• The imaginary world of early childhood
• Storytellers from the North, the East and the West
• My favourite books (panel discussion with children and Canadian authors)
• Club C-J (An electronic book club for teenagers)

The Role of Public and School Libraries

• Panel discussion on a national survey on children’s needs in public libraries
• Workshops on literary and literacy programs offered in public libraries
• Where is the school library?  -  a roundtable on the state of school libraries across Canada

Canadian Stories and the Identity of the Self

• The keeper of the stories  -  a plenary session on the sacred tradition of the Aboriginal storyteller
• A landscape of many colours  -  illustrators from different regions offer a glimpse of the wide diversity of the natural world and the urban or imaginary environment
• Stories from other places  -  writers and illustrators share their views of and experiences with different cultures
• Joint readings by Canadian children’s authors and their translators

The Fun of Reading includes

• An "electronic" conference on literature in the classroom  -  teachers and educators throughout Canada, suggesting original ways to include Canadian stories in the school curriculum
• How to tell a story, workshops for parents (at the Ottawa Public Library)
• Workshops on poetry, historical novels, and Read Up On It, the National Library’s reading kit
• Visual literacy  -  an interactive session in which participants write a story based on an illustration

Plus Many Other Great Activities, among Them

• Exhibition of ABC books at the National Library of Canada
• Storytellers’ sessions
• Read Up On It, the NLC reading kit, will feature 50 favourite Canadian children’s books in French and in English
• Regional and nationwide activities with the Forum’s partners during the month of June 2003
• Major authors, illustrators, experts on Canadian children’s books, publishers and librarians will present papers, seminars and workshops, among them
• Authors and illustrators: Marie-Louise Gay, Gilles Tibo, C.J. Taylor, Kevin Major, Bill Richardson, and more
• Charlotte Guérette, Université Laval (an eminent expert on early childhood reading)
• Judith Saltman, University of British Columbia (expert on Canadian picture books, co-author of The Second Republic of Childhood)
• Representative from International Board on Books for Young People  -  Canada (IBBY  -  Canada): Catherine Mitchell, past-president of IBBY  -  Canada, and Hadley Dyer, president
• Communication-Jeunesse
• Canadian Children’s Book Centre
• Major Canadian publishers
• Canadian and international experts on Canadian children’s literature
• Librarians: Ken Setterington, Toronto Public Library, and André Gagnon, Regina Public Library

For more information: www.nlc-bnc.ca/forum