ON-SITE: MN Children’s Book Festival

The Anderson Center is proud to present the 21st annual Minnesota Children’s Book Festival featuring high-quality online video readings and presentations of new books by eight of the state’s most acclaimed children’s & young adult authors and illustrators. This series of online children’s book videos is happening in conjunction with free, physically distanced family activities at Tower View on Saturday, September 19, 2020 from noon to 5 p.m.

A Children’s Book Festival family activity booklet presents several scavenger hunts, including one created by the Anderson Center that expands on themes and topics covered in the author presentations and encouraging outdoor exploration. Tower View’s namesake water tower will also be available kids and their adults to tour. All ages are welcome. Masks for ages 5 & up are encouraged. Participants who complete an event survey will have an opportunity to win a signed copy of one of this year’s featured books.

Erin Aadalen, the city of Red Wing’s park naturalist, has created a “Bio Blitz” scavenger hunt that connects to some of the book themes. Family groups will hike into the Sculpture Garden to find and photograph different species in the natural biodiversity – insects, plants and other wildlife.

Another scavenger hunt, which was created by Paul Hildebrandt, education and outreach coordinator at the Goodhue County Historical Society, will focus on historic structures at Tower View Estate.

Sales will not take place onsite this year, Rogers said, but books featured at the festival will be available online at bookshop.org/lists/2020-mn-childrens-book-festival. Purchases will be shipped directly to the buyer, and the Anderson Center will receive a portion of the proceeds if the books are ordered through bookshop.org.

Participating authors and illustrators are Daniel Bernstrom, V.T. Bidania, H.M. Bouwman, Cori Doerrfeld, Bao Phi, Caren Stelson, Lauren Stringer, and Kao Kalia Yang. Each of the picture books and chapter books showcased in this year’s festival present various narratives of resilience that families can enjoy together. Professionally recorded on-site at Tower View this summer, the engaging multi-camera videos bring children’s literature to life through original images and artifacts, as well as each author’s own words and stories. Each day at 12 p.m. noon September 12 – 19, 2020 a new video will be permanently published on the Anderson Center’s new website (andersoncenter.org/bookfest), YouTube channel, and Facebook page.

During these challenging times, the Minnesota Children’s Book Festival is an ideal opportunity for families to connect, learn, and play. Over the years, the festival has received national acclaim for its efforts to promote literacy among young people.

This event is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.