Ben Clanton’s “Peanut Butter and Jelly” at the National Book Festival

Ben Clanton’s “Peanut Butter and Jelly” at the National Book Festival

Ben Clanton’s Peanut Butter and Jelly will represent Washington State at the National Book Festival as part of the Great Reads from Great Places program! Find a video message from Ben, activity sheets and a bookmark that you can download and print here! Ben Clanton is the bestselling author and illustrator of the Narwhal and Jelly series, whose picture books include…

‘All Are Welcome’ at the National Book Festival!

‘All Are Welcome’ at the National Book Festival!

We are delighted to share that the Washington Center for the Book has selected Seattle illustrator Suzanne Kaufman’s picture book All Are Welcome to represent Washington state at the 2019 National Book Festival sponsored by the Library of Congress. The book wil be featured at the Washington state booth and in Festival materials. All Are Welcome lets young children know that…

‘A Ticket to the Pennant’ selected for 2018 National Book Festival’s 52 Great Reads

‘A Ticket to the Pennant’ selected for 2018 National Book Festival’s 52 Great Reads

Each year a list of books representing the literary heritage of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands is distributed by the Library of Congress’s Center for the Book during the National Book Festival in Washington D.C. We are delighted to announce the Washington Center for the Book’s 2018 selection to represent Washington state: A…

The 2017 selection for the National Book Festival

The 2017 selection for the National Book Festival

In September of 2001 the first National Book Festival was held in Washington D.C.  Laura Bush, a retired librarian, then First Lady of the United States, worked with the Librarian of Congress to launch this new event to encourage a lifelong love of reading.  James Billington, then Librarian of Congress, said, “We must all try, in every way we can, to…