April 23, 2013 (REVISED May 23, 2013) Sports Author and Columnist Fred Bowen to Be Featured in Program for Young People

Fred Bowen, author of many books on sports for young people and a columnist for The Washington Post’s KidsPost, will tell stories, read from his books and talk with members of the audience in a program presented by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress that marks the Library’s celebration of Children’s Book Week.

The event, which is free and open to the public, will be on Friday, May 17, at 11 a.m. in the Montpelier Room, located on the sixth floor of the James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E. No tickets are required. However, please e-mail Lola Pyne at lpyn@loc.gov with the number of attendees if you plan to attend.

The Jonah S. Eskin Memorial Fund is supporting this event. The fund was established to honor the late son of Marcia and Barney Eskin.

The Children’s Book Council established Children’s Book Week in 1919 to bring national attention to the importance of young people’s literature. Each year, books for young people are feted with author and illustrator appearances, storytelling, celebrations and other book-related events at schools, libraries, bookstores, museums and homes nationwide. The council is a reading-promotion partner of the Center for the Book and, with the center, co-sponsors the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature program (www.read.gov/cfb/ambassador/).

During the May 17 event, representatives from the District of Columbia Public Library will introduce this year’s summer reading program, themed “Dig Into Reading!” The Library of Congress and D.C. Public Library have planned fun programs to keep kids engaged in reading all summer long. Kids can sign up for the summer reading program at any neighborhood library in the District of Columbia starting June 1 for a chance to win prizes.

Fred Bowen has loved sports all his life. He says that one of his earliest memories is watching the 1957 World Series on a black-and-white television with his father and brothers. Bowen worked as a lawyer for many years and retired from practicing so he could write for kids full-time. “I’m glad I did,” he says. “I get to spend a lot more time writing and I get more time to visit schools and talk with kids about my books. I also speak at a lot more conferences and meet more cool teachers and librarians.”

The Library of Congress – the world’s largest repository of knowledge and information – is presenting an ongoing “Celebration of the Book,” which includes exhibitions, book discussions, author presentations and other programs marking the many ways that books shape lives. The beloved and highly anticipated Library of Congress National Book Festival (www.loc.gov/bookfest/) will be held on Sept. 21-22 on the National Mall, with more than 100 authors, poets and illustrators discussing their work and meeting their fans. More than 70 authors have already been confirmed for this two-day event.

The Library is also planning the exhibition “Books That Shaped the World,” patterned after its popular “Books That Shaped America” exhibition last year. The public is invited to participate in a survey to name which books should be a part of this list. The survey can be accessed from the National Book Festival website.

Since its creation by Congress in 1977 to “stimulate public interest in books and reading,” the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress (www.Read.gov/cfb/) has become a major national force for reading and literacy promotion. A public-private partnership, it sponsors educational programs that reach readers of all ages, nationally and internationally. The center provides leadership for affiliated state centers for the book (including the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands) and nonprofit reading-promotion partners and plays a key role in the annual Library of Congress National Book Festival. It also oversees the Library’s Read.gov website and administers the Library’s Young Readers Center and Poetry and Literature Center.

The Children’s Book Council, established in 1945, is the nonprofit trade association of publishers of trade books for children and young adults in the United States. The CBC promotes the use and enjoyment of trade books for young people, most prominently as the official sponsor of Children’s Book Week, the longest-running literacy event in the country. The goal of the Children’s Book Council is to make the reading and enjoyment of books for young people an essential part of America’s educational and social goals, as well as to enhance the public perception of the importance of reading by disseminating information about books for young people and about children’s book publishing. The CBC’s foundation, Every Child a Reader, administers Children’s Book Week. For more information about the CBC, visit (www.cbcbooks.org External).