We arrived a few minutes before the festival was to begin and surprisingly, there were only two other people in line in front of us. When the doors opened at 10, I was starting to think that maybe this wasn't going to be a very big festival! We walked around the art center while we waited for the events we wanted to attend to begin. {It is a very pretty center and I'm definitely going to head back another time!} At 10:45 we went into the auditorium and listened to author Blue Balliett talk about her adventures in writing, how she got started, and how she keeps going today. She was very interesting to listen to and my daughter even took the time to ask her questions about her books. Afterwards, we went to the lobby where we purchased a couple of her books and had them autographed.
After a quick lunch, we were off to see my favorite children's author, Kevin Henkes! He started out by telling us that he prefers to stay home rather than getting out but he was happy to be at this particular festival. He shared with us that he grew up in Racine, Wisconsin and is currently living in Madison. It's so exciting to have such a great author from our state! Kevin shared with us his family (mom, dad, brothers and sister) and how his family helps to shape the characters in his books. He also shared with us some hilarious letters from fans and one that really stood out where the young fan kept complimenting him on the books he writes, "especially the ones with the mice!" After his talk we headed back out to the lobby to stand in a very long line to get Kevin's autograph, but it was well worth it as he took the time to have a picture taken with us as well. We felt very spoiled!
 |
| Kevin Henkes, my daughter - Emma, and me! |
I would highly recommend this book festival next year if you are looking for something fun (and free!) to do with your family. It is held at three locations in Sheboygan so there is plenty to check out! For more information on the festival or the authors mentioned above, click on these links:
