The authors and illustrators go to Ipswich

Tatty Rat, Paige Turner and I headed down to Ipswich today to see authors and illustrators in action. Brilliant blue skies, cool breezes and the lovely art precinct of Ipswich! 

Tatty Rat's favourite illustrators today were Greg  and Narelle.

Kids from local schools headed to the Ipswich Civic Centre, the Community Art Gallery, the CWA Hall and the Masonic Lodge Hall (all within a 2 minute walk of each other) where Festival authors and illustrators had settled in for the day - like Andy Griffiths, Tristan Bancks, Greg Holfeld, James Moloney, Chris Bongers, Narelle Oliver, John Heffernan, Leigh Hobbs.

Andy Griffiths

Narelle Oliver talking about the Barking Owl

 Paige Turner went to everyone's sessions and decided all of the presenters were her favourite authors and illustrators. (Editor: very diplomatic is our Paige!)

LET THE WILD RUMPUS BEGIN...

Yes, it's all stations go here at the Ipswich Festival of Children's Literature. 

Over 13 schools with a combination total of around 1000 children have arrived. And the organisation is so good, everyone is in the right place at the right time! Even the resident peacock knows when to pose.

We've got Andy Griffiths making kids laugh their heads off.

Lucia Masciullo and happy kids.

Sally Rippin's funny monkeys! :)

Leigh Hobbs, Old Tom and all.

The quiet Festival bookshop before the kids arrive.

Tune in later for more!

And the list goes on!!

Andy Griffiths - author    

Greg Holfeld - illustrator

Gus Gordon - author 

James Moloney - author 

ANDY GRIFFITHS - A Free Event for Families Monday 5th September 2011 - All Welcome!

The Ipswich Festival of Children’s Literature invites you to an evening with Andy Griffiths 

A Free Event for Families

Books for sale

For Further Details: ejones@iggs.qld.edu.au

Monday 5^th September at 6.00pm

Ipswich Girls Grammar School - Katherine Carter Theatre

Andy Griffiths is the author of over twenty books, including nonsense verse, badly drawn cartoons, short stories, comic novels and creative writing textbooks. Over the past 15 years Andy’s books have been New York Times bestsellers, won over 40 children’s choice awards, been adapted as a television cartoon series and sold over four million copies worldwide.

Andy is an ambassador for the Indigenous Literacy Project. He has travelled around Australia to conduct writing workshops with students in remote communities. The students wrote stories based on their own lives. These stories could be true or fictional or a mixture of both. Thirteen stories edited by Andy have been published in The Naked Boy and the Crocodile.

Andy and Terry live in a 13-storey treehouse. They’ve got a bowling alley, a see-through swimming pool, a tank full of sharks, a games arcade, a giant rope swing, a vegetable vaporiser and a marshmallow machine that follows them around and shoots marshmallows into their mouths whenever they’re hungry. Read all about them in The 13-Storey Treehouse.    

  

ANDY GRIFFITHS talks about 'Getting Boys to Read'

Parents and teachers bemoan the challenges involved to get boys to read. But wave an Andy Griffiths title tantalisingly in front of their eyes and the temptation is too great to resist. 

What is Andy's secret? 

Andy Griffiths is one of the authors appearing at the Ipswich Festival of Children's Literature in September - and the proof that kids love his books is in the 'pudding'. Andy's author-talk sessions will be attended by over 1000 eager, excited children!

Thought you might like to hear and read the transcript of Andy's secrets. In this interview from the NSW Education Dept's School A to Z website, Andy chats with James O'Loghlin about 'the cleverest and most disgusting ways to get boys and girls into books'.

Many thanks for permission to access this interview to Jenni Hamilton, Service Manager-Digital Channels, New South Wales Department of Education and Communities; Andy Griffith and James O'Loghlin. Their site also links through Mobile Applications as well.   

To tantalise you, see below ... for much, much more, click on the GETTING BOYS TO READ transcript link from the NSW Department of Education.

At a glance

• A key to getting boys to read is finding subject matter that interests them.
• Often young boys are interested in "rude things" because it allows them to laugh about it without having to do it themselves.
• Boys can see reading as a feminine activity because it's often women they see reading.
• Hook boys into reading something they like and they will broaden their choices in time.
• Books allow the reader to visit different worlds and dimensions; something many boys love.

COMPETITION BOOK PRIZES .. details coming

Here is the full list of competition BOOK PRIZES:

  

 

   

Plus a signed picture of one of our Festival stars, Tatty Rat.

Competition details announced on this blog!

Book prizes donated by The Book Garden, Julie Nickerson, Tania McCartney and Sheryl Gwyther. 

Many thanks from the Ipswich kidslitfest blog to John and Deb at The Book Garden, Julie and Tania.  

KIDS' COMPETITION COMING SOON!!

Are you aged between 7 and 12 and you live in Queensland?

This Festival Writing and Drawing Competition is just for you. 

Prizes include:

• Books - like Andy Griffiths book, What Body Part is That? 
• Your very own autographed picture of Tatty Rat
• More prizes coming once finalised. 

Details of competition coming soon on this blog!