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Children's Literature Breakfast coming to Woodridge

Roughly 500 educators, authors and fans of children's books will gather Feb. 24 for a morning of literature and learning in Woodridge.

That's when Anderson's Bookshop will sponsor its 16th annual Children's Literature Breakfast from 8 a.m. until noon at Bobak's Signature Events, 6440 Double Eagle Drive.

The cost for the morning is $59 and includes a full breakfast. Advance registration is required. Visit andersonschildrenslitbreakfast.eventcombo.com or call (630) 820-2802 to use a school/library check or PO.

Attendees will have an opportunity to meet celebrated children's authors, including dozens from Illinois.

Confirmed speakers are:

• Brian Selznick, the Caldecott Medal-winning creator of The New York Times best-sellers "The Invention of Hugo Cabret," adapted into Martin Scorsese's Oscar-winning "Hugo;" "Wonderstruck," adapted into Todd Haynes's eponymous movie, and "The Marvels."

Among the celebrated picture books Selznick has illustrated are the Caldecott Honor Book "The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins" by Barbara Kerley and the Sibert Honor Book "When Marian Sang" by Pam Muñoz Ryan.

His books appear in more than 35 languages. He also has worked as a bookseller, a puppeteer and a screenwriter. He divides his time between Brooklyn and San Diego.

• Peter H. Reynolds is the best-selling author and illustrator of "I'm Here," "The Dot," and "Ish," and illustrator for The New York Times best-seller "Someday" by Alison McGhee.

He is also the illustrator of "Going Places," "Little Boy," "Charlie and Kiwi," and the Judy Moody series. He lives in Dedham, Massachusetts, where he is co-owner of the Blue Bunny bookstore. Visit Reynolds at PeterHReynolds.com.

• Charlotte Jones Voiklis manages her late grandmother Madeleine L'Engle's literary business. She lived with her grandmother during college and graduate school, co-hosting dinner parties, helping answer readers' letters, and earning a Ph.D. in comparative literature.

Voiklis has worked in academia, nonprofit communications and fundraising, and philanthropy. She lives in New York City with her husband and two children.

• Lena Roy was raised in New York City in the cloistered environs of a theological seminary, with extracurricular education provided by Manhattan's club scene. She worked as a bartender, an actor, and as a therapist with at-risk adolescents before finding her voice as a writer in young adult fiction.

When not writing and spending time with her family, she is teaching creative writing workshops for kids and teens from 8 to 18 with Writopia Lab in both New York City and Northern Westchester.

Her inspiration and touchstone is her late grandmother, author Madeleine L'Engle, who was able to transform the solitary nature of writing into a sacred sense of community where her art and the art of others could flourish.

"Edges" is her first novel.

• Linda Ragsdale shares her stories through Peace Dragon Tales, an imprint of Flowerpot Press. Initially a project drawn from tragedy, the project now seeks to inspire people to focus "on the universal desire for peace presented in its many dragon forms … where truth and the celebration of diversity will build bridges" and encompasses dance, music, visual arts, food, and more.

Learn more about The Peace Dragon Project at its website, where you can find printables that provide great starting points for discussion.

• Leslie Connor is the author of several award-winning books for children, including "Waiting for Normal," winner of the ALA Schneider Family Book Award; "Crunch;" "Miss Bridie Chose a Shovel," and "Dead on Town Line," a young adult novel in verse. Connor lives with her family in Connecticut.

Check-in for the literature breakfast opens at 7:15 a.m. and activities begin at 8 a.m. A time for autographing follows at noon.

Brian Selznick
Peter H. Reynolds
Linda Ragsdale
Charlotte Jones Voiklis
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