November 2004

Dear Friends,

November 15-21 is Children's Book Week and families across the country will be attending school book fairs, library activities, and bookstore readings. One of my favorite book fairs is, of course, the Kennedy Center's annual Multicultural Children's Book Festival (this year on November 6). It's special for me because each year I can feel the place become electric with the enthusiasm of young readers and I can see the hunger parents have for culturally diverse books. With over 500 books offered for sale on Latino, Asian, African, African-American, Native American, and Middle Eastern cultures, it is truly an incredible resource for parents and teachers. It is also one of the few occasions where I can talk with so many other authors and illustrators from culturally diverse backgrounds and trade stories on our quests to create the best in children's literature. I am especially thrilled to be involved this year since I will be presenting a multimedia presentation of my new book On This Beautiful Island. The reading will be accompanied by music and a video featuring actual footage of Puerto Rico's El Yunque rainforest along with illustrations from the book.

When my friend Toni Parker of Black Books Galore brought this festival to the Kennedy Center nine years ago, I could tell it was going to touch a deep need in the community. I have participated every year and I have seen firsthand the crowds grow and grow each year. Last year over 5,000 people came for this incredible afternoon of books, readings, and activities. I hope you can join us this year.

No matter where you are, I encourage you to make November your own personal celebration of books. It's easy in our busy lives to get wrapped up in the latest TV shows, music, or magazines but if you make time for yourself to read, it will bring you many rewards. In the past couple of years, I've delved back into the classics--from the heartbreaking prose and fierce poetry of Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea to the eloquence of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. I've even gotten hooked on Gabriel Garcia Marquez and vowed to read everything he has ever written! After a frantic day, I often fantasize of running off to a mountain hideaway where my only luxuries would be a pile of books and a couple of bottles of good wine. So, make the time and read for yourself but more importantly, read to your children so they will be sure to share your passion for books--it will give them a lifetime of enrichment.

Happy reading!

Edwin