Events

The Curriculum and Instruction, Children’s Literature Program, sponsors two major book events featuring authors of children’s literature. Book Week which is held in the fall and the Naomi Chase  Lecture is held in the spring. You’ll find details of those events as well as other Twin Cities events related to the field of children’s literature.

  • How Do I Choose What to Write About? Donna Jo Napoli at Book Week 2019 (11/25/2019) - by Nick Kleese When Donna Jo Napoli touched down in Minneapolis, the November sun was just beginning to break the eastern horizon. It would rise into a nearly cloudless day and bring some warmth to the crisp, cool weather that had settled over campus.  So, too, did Donna Jo bring joy and and illumination to…
  • Book Week 2019: Donna Jo Napoli (10/1/2019) - 2019 Book Week features Donna Jo Napoli Donna Jo Napoli is the author of award-winning books for children as well as a prominent linguist, whose work ranges from mathematical analysis of folk dance to structures of American Sign Language. Born to Italian American parents, Napoli is best known for her emotionally gripping retellings of premodern…
  • BOOK WEEK: Meet Author Nnedi Okorafor (9/5/2018) - Award-winning author Nnedi Okorafor delivers the 2018 CEHD Book Week lecture on Thursday, October 25,  2018.  Read about the event here.  Nnedi Okorafor is an international award-winning author of Africa-based science fiction and fantasy. Born in the United States to two Nigerian immigrant parents, she is known for weaving African culture into evocative settings, memorable characters, and wonder-filled plots.…
  • Naomi C. Chase Lecture 2018: Meet Kevin Henkes (1/14/2018) - This event is free and open to the public. However, seats are limited and reservations are required. RSVP at https://chase2018.eventbrite.com.
  • Book Week 2017: An evening with Thanhha Lai (11/1/2017) - by Nick Kleese The trees held onto their leaves for one final week this year, all so that attendees’ journeys to the 2017 Book Week event with Thanhha Lai could be quintessentially autumn. In fact, Lai would go on to acknowledge this picturesque weather in her lecture. “It’s not cold enough,” she joked. The crowd…
  • BOOK WEEK: Meet Author Thanhha Lai (7/11/2017) - Award-winning author Thanhha Lai delivered the 2017 CEHD Book Week lecture on Tuesday , October 17,  2017.  Read about the event here.  Thanhha Lai’s debut novel Inside Out & Back Again won the 2011 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature and a Newbery Honor. Her second novel, Listen, Slowly is a New York Times bestseller, Publisher’s…
  • Naomi C. Chase Lecture 2017: Meet Author & Illustrator Melissa Sweet (1/2/2017) - Author and Illustrator Melissa Sweet delivered the 2017 Naomi C. Chase lecture on Wednesday, April 12,  2017. Melissa has illustrated many award-winning books, including two Caldecott Honor books: A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams and The Right Word: Peter Mark Roget and His Thesaurus, both by Jen Bryant. She wrote and illustrated…
  • Get Ready to Meet Peter Brown (2/10/2016) - Peter Brown, acclaimed author and illustrator, will be at the University on March 30, 2016 to speak at the Naomi C. Chase Lecture. His talk, entitled “Writing with Pictures,” will explore his process as both an author and illustrator. Don’t miss it! Get to know Peter Brown through his books. Here are a few of…
  • Book Week: October 19, 2015 featuring Pam Munoz Ryan (9/19/2015) - Are you ready to rediscover your sense of wonder? Curious to experience a world from before enchantment was eclipsed by doubt? Join us for an evening with a master storyteller to let your imagination soar. The author of over forty books for young readers, including Esperanza Rising, Becoming Naomi León, The Dreamer, and most recently…