Rochester Children's Book Festival

The Rochester Book Festival is a free event at MCC where kids and their families can hear and watch presentations by illustrators and authors of children's book, from pre-school to junior high. I've visited the festival in the past and attended workshops on fantasy writing (Tamora Pierce and Bruce Coville), writing in general (Susan Williams Beckhorn) and how an author and illustrator work on a project together without ever meeting (Jane Yolen and Mark Teague.) I've also bought books and had them signed. If they have enough time, the illustrators sometimes will not just sign a book for you, but add a little special illustration in it, too.

One of the illustrators visiting this year is London Ladd, a Syracuse illustrator who has worked on a children's picture book about Martin Luther King Jr. Here's a video where he talks about his decisions for the book, "March On."

The annual Rochester Children's Book Festival, will be Saturday, Nov. 5 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., on the campus of MCC. Enter from the side nearest I-390 and follow signs.

Meet Michelle Accorso

Michelle Accorso, a 1999 graduate of SOTA, is teaching seventh-grade visual arts rollover classes this year. She's one of several arts teachers working "out of certification" right now because of the budget cuts the school experienced. Though she's really a drama specialist, she has a background that includes digital media and writing.
Ms. Accorso earned a degree from Marymount Manhattan College with a concentration in writing for theater, film and television. After college, she worked in film and television production in New York City for nine years before returning home to become a teacher. She is working on a master's degree to obtain certification in drama, English and special education. This is her second year teaching at SOTA.
Ms. Accorso's other duties include teaching eighth-grade drama rollover classes, 11th grade costume design, and directing this winter's "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe."

Is it literature or art? Why choose?

I'm never quite sure what's better in a graphic novel, the art or the story. I guess it's impossible to tease them apart. Anyway, in honor of Teen Read Week, which takes place Oct. 16-22, the American Library Association has come up with a list of all-time great graphic novels, and a Teen Top Ten List you can visit here:

www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/greatgraphicnovelsforteens/ggnt11_topten.cfm:

You can also see the entire list through a link at that page.

Which would you pick for the top five?  Cast your votes in the comment space.