William Allen White Book Awards

The library is going to be very busy on Saturday. Why? Because it's time for the William Allen White Children's Book Awards.

From the WAW Award website:

Opportunities to meet a favorite author don’t happen every day. But for a group of Kansas third- through eighth-graders, that opportunity will happen Saturday, Oct. 4 in Emporia.

Authors of this year’s two William Allen White Children’s Book Award winners will be spending the day in Emporia, attending the celebration and ceremony that accompanies the long-running recognition program for literature aimed at young readers.

The winners of this year’s awards, Ann M. Martin, author of “A Dog’s Life,” and L. D. Harkrader, who wrote “Airball: My Life in Briefs,” will participate in autograph sessions, meet with students, and receive their awards during a ceremony Saturday afternoon in Emporia’s William Lindsay White Auditorium.

Activities for the 56th annual celebration begin Friday, Oct. 3, with read-ins and sleepovers for third through eighth-grade students at the Emporia Recreation Center, 313 W. Fourth. Students will have an opportunity to meet and talk with the visiting authors during the read-ins. Space for this event is limited to 100 students and adults.

Saturday’s activities move to the second floor of Emporia State University’s Memorial Union. There, participants can purchase copies of the winning books and have them autographed by the authors from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m. Other souvenirs of the event will also be available for purchase.

At the same time, author Beverley Buller will also be autographing her new book, “From Emporia: The Story of William Allen White.”

Additional children’s activities will take place from 8:30 to 11:00 a.m., also on the second floor of the Union.

The authors and celebration participants will join a parade from ESU to the William Lindsay White Auditorium at 12:15 p.m., preceding the awards ceremony at the auditorium at 1 p.m. There, Martin and Harkrader will be presented with their White Award medals, and will answer questions from the audience.

Tickets for the awards ceremony are $5 per person, and will be available at the door at White Arena or they may be purchased in advance, registration forms are available on the William Allen White Children’s Book Awards website www.emporia.edu/libsv/wawbookaward/ . For more information, call 620-341-5208.

The White Awards Program is directed by ESU and is supported by the Trusler Foundation. The program was founded by Ruth Carver Gagliardo, a children’s literature specialist, to honor the memory of one of the state’s most distinguished citizens by encouraging Kansas schoolchildren to read and enjoy good books.