2020’s Hudson Children’s Book Festival set for Saturday, May 2nd in Hudson, NY from 10am – 3pm!

About the Hudson Childrens’ Book Festival

The Hudson Children’s Book Festival, established in 2009, is held each year in the historic city of Hudson, NY, and strives to create, sustain, and nurture a culture of literacy in partnership with our community and schools. This free, public event fosters a love of reading as families meet and greet world-class creators of books for children of all ages.

The 11th annual Hudson Children’s Book Festival was a roaring success!

The 2019 Hudson Children’s Book Festival was a wonderful event filled to the brim with authors, books, children and families. Eighty-two children’s and young adult authors came together to inspire the love of reading and writing for people of all ages. Seymour Simon, whom the New York Times called, “the dean of the children’s science field,” who has written over 300 highly acclaimed science books, was crowned this year’s “Literary Lion” by the Hudson Literacy Fund. In addition to Seymour, we had so many amazingly talented authors such as Salina Yoon, Jerry Craft, James Preller, Nikki Grimes, Veera Hiranandani, Tony Abbott, Jane Yolen, Matt Phelan, Heidi Stemple….the list goes on! Our community room was bustling with organizations representing various community resources for children and families. Assemblywoman, Didi Barrett, and and Congressman, Antonio Delgado, made an appearance at the festival as well! Science experiments from Camp Invention, moon photos provided by Molinski Photography, and music provided by DJ Maria Vavrina rounded out the experience for all festival attendees. The 11th annual Hudson Children’s Book Festival was a roaring success. Mark your calendars for our 12th annual event on Saturday, May 2, 2020.

Our Featured Author for the 2020 Book Festival – Jerry Craft!

Jerry was recently honored with the The John Newbery Medal. The John Newbery Medal is given to “the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children” by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC).

JERRY CRAFT is an author and illustrator. New Kid is his middle grade graphic novel that has earned five starred reviews, including one from Booklist magazine, which called it “possibly one of the most important graphic novels of the year.” Kirkus Reviews called it “an engrossing, humorous, and vitally important graphic novel that should be required reading in every middle school in America.”

He is the creator of Mama’s Boyz, a comic strip that was distributed by King Features Syndicate from 1995-2013, and won five African American Literary Awards. Jerry is a co-founder of the Schomburg’s Annual Black Comic Book Festival. He was born in Harlem and grew up in nearby Washington Heights. He is a graduate of The Fieldston School and received his B.F.A. from the School of Visual Arts. Visit him online at www.jerrycraft.net.

New Kid (HarperCollins) Starred reviews from School Library Journal, Kirkus, Booklist, and Publishers Weekly. Featured in Horn Books, NY Times Book Review. NAIBA’s Book of the Year Award. NEIBA Book Award. Junior Library Guild Selection. 2019 Harvey Award Nominee.

Authors & Illustrators — Would you like to participate in the 2020 Festival?

If you’d like to be a participating author at the 2020 Hudson Children’s Book Festival, please download and complete the application. Participating authors and illustrators are chosen at our discretion and each applicant will be notified of their status whether accepted or not. If you are not chosen as a participating author, you will be placed on a wait list. The deadline for applying is March 1, 2020. Please send your completed application to HCBF@hudsoncsd.org or via snail mail at the address on the form.

Download and complete the Application!

How to Contact the Book Festival

Email: HCBF@hudsoncsd.org

Latest from Facebook!

We are so incredibly thrilled to share our 2020 HCBF poster illustrated by the amazingly talented Brendan Wenzel! Please share!

Always a pleasure to host Laurie Calkhoven at the Hudson Children’s book Festival. Visit her table on May 2nd!

2019 Poster!

Our 2019 poster is now available — click to view/download.

Fundraisers!

Support the Festival
Through out the year, HCBF holds fundraisers to benefit the festival. You’ll find information about them posted here and our Facebook page!

Fun Facts

Did You Know?
The Hudson Children’s Book Festival is one of the biggest book festivals in New York State!

Listen to our Festival Song!

Junior High School music teacher, Marylou Knull and a group of talented Jr/Sr High students wrote the lyrics and music for the official Hudson Children’s Book Festival song, Inside a Book, and recorded it at Henry Hirsch’s Waterfront Recording Studio! Click the link to listen!

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