Caroline Kennedy bringing new book to Naperville

Caroline Kennedy has a special place in her heart, and tummy, for Lou Malnati’s pizza.

She also really enjoys the reception she gets whenever she visits Naperville as part of a book tour.

So it’s no surprise that Kennedy will be making her fourth such appearance next month when she visits North Central College to read from her new children’s poetry collection, “Poems to Learn by Heart.”

Don’t be shocked if you see her wiping away a speck of tomato sauce during her presentation at 7 p.m. April 4 in the school’s Pfeiffer Hall, 310 E. Benton Ave., not far from Malnati’s in downtown Naperville.

Kennedy attracted roughly 1,000 people the last time she came to town in support of her book “Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life With John F. Kennedy,” and organizers from Anderson’s Bookshop, which is sponsoring her appearance, say they expect the same kind of response this time around.

“She’s just a wonderful person and very down to earth,” Anderson’s spokeswoman Candy Purdom said Thursday. “I think she finds our community really supports her ... and she really loves Lou Malnati’s pizza.”

Tickets for Kennedy’s appearance are required and available at Anderson’s, 123 W. Jefferson Ave. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Naperville Education Association’s Kid Boosters Foundation.

The program also will feature several student readers from Naperville Unit District 203 schools, a question-and-answer session and a book signing.

The new book is a companion to Kennedy’s earlier “A Family of Poems,” organizers say, and the works are divided into sections about nature, sports, monsters and more. Kennedy provides an introduction to each section that her publisher says reflects her family’s “engagement with and enjoyment of poetry.”

The book is illustrated by Jon J. Muth.

For details on Kennedy’s appearance, call Anderson’s at (630) 355-2665 or visit andersonsbookshop.com.