Ten-year-old Fallynne Moores woke up Saturday morning and went with her mother to hear author Robert San Souci recall tales of hidden monsters and killer ants, featured in his “Short & Shivery” series. Those tales echoed Moores’ literary tastes, as “scary stories are my favorite,” said the bespectacled 5th-grader.

San Souci was one of more than 20 authors and illustrators who journeyed to East Central Illinois Oct. 2- 4 to participate in the area’s first Youth Literature Festival.

Organized by the University of Illinois College of Education, the event brought authors and illustrators, many with national followings, into 44 local schools on Thursday and Friday. Those in-school readings and activities included more than 2,000 participants. On Saturday, the event culminated in an all-day celebration with activities such as puppetry, storytelling, musical performances, poetry readings and book signings, which spanned various venues across town.

After San Souci’s folktales talk at the Douglass Branch Library, the pony-tailed Moores accompanied her mother to the festival’s central location on the U of I South Quad. Under the activities tent, children could craft bookmarks, design word searches or race each other at the word synonym game. Moores’ big brother challenged her to a synonym game duel; she agreed, scribbling “tiny,” “little,” and “miniature” on the giant easel after the moderator read the word “small.”

The Moores siblings comprised part of the 1,200 who attended the free event, according to co-organizer Violet Harris, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the College of Education. In addition, the event garnered more than 400 volunteers.

Nearly two years ago, Mary Kalantzis, Dean of the College of Education, proposed the literature festival in hopes of uniting the campus and local communities. She noted the Children’s Literature Festival at Keene State College in New Hampshire and sought to incite similar excitement in the Champaign-Urbana community. Thus far, the response has been positive.

“The Dean is excited about the initial feedback and results,” Harris said. “(She) is anxious to bring people together to discuss when the next festival will be held and how it will be configured. The school visits were an enormous hit.”

Ann Bender, College donor and festival volunteer, escorted San Souci to Thomas Paine and Leal elementary schools. She agrees that those visits not only energized the students but also the visitors.

“Following (San Souci’s) presentation, he visited several classrooms,” Bender said. “As we were leaving both schools we heard children in the hallways and on the playground saying, ‘that’s our author!’ While driving back to the hotel, he commented several times about how well-behaved the children were at both schools and how well-prepared they were.”

To continue the spirit of the festival, a children’s writing contest will soon be announced in cooperation with WILL AM/FM/TV. In addition to WILL, several community businesses partnered with the College of Education on everything from offering performance space to donating publicity flyers.

“Your community is very lucky to have this,” commented author Jennifer Holm after her presentation at Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School in Urbana.

With two years of planning behind them, the committee is already looking to future festivals, learning from this inaugural event. Next time around, planners look to have more visiting authors’ books on hand and hope to bring authors together for roundtable discussion.

“There is nothing more important than funding programs of authors and illustrators meeting with inspiring young people,” said award-winning author Ashley Bryan.

After watching the ventriloquist, Moores ventured over to Janet Wong’s tent, as the author recited poetry. Moores and her brother later wrote letters to co-organizer, Harris, detailing their favorite events—notably the activities tent. Participants and organizers alike say they hope the event’s success paves the way for future festivals.

“I think this Youth Literature Festival appeals to the minds and promises of the young students,” said Joyce Carol Thomas, author of more than 50 books. “They will become readers and teachers. You have given them paths of opportunity.”

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The Youth Literature Festival will take place October 2-4, 2008 encompassing the greater Champaign-Urbana area. The first two days (Thursday, October 2 and Friday, October 3) will be comprised of author visits to school districts in east Central Illinois (Urbana, Champaign, Rantoul, Paxton-Buckley-Loda, among others), culminating in a day of celebration and activities for the community at large on Saturday, October 4.

The events on Saturday, October 4 will feature entertainment for children and adults of all ages, from storytelling, puppetry, readings, lectures, book signings, and discussions featuring the Festival authors and illustrators, to a poetry cafe for middle and high school students, from museum and library exhibits at Krannert Art Museum and Orpheum Children's Museum, to student musical performances. These events are designed to bring together families from throughout the area, those involved with the public sector, and a variety of community groups for one main goal: putting literature at the heart of our lives.