Fitchburg Public Library to host Children’s Literature Festival

Staff Writer
Leominster Champion
Lillian Gottschalk, 12, a seventh-grader in Fitchburg, has published her first book, “Hopefully.” [SUBMITTED PHOTO]

FITCHBURG — Fitchburg Public Library with Be PAWSitive Therapy Pets and Community Education presents a “Children’s Literature Festival” Saturday, Sept. 22 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Fitchburg Public Library.

The theme is “PAWS to Read.” Activities for children and families will include reading to therapy pets from Be PAWSitive, writing cartoons and stories, and then a public presentation of work.

Visiting authors include AJ Jarrett, Tom Crice, Ellen Rakatansky, Sally Cragin (Llewellyn Worldwide), student author Lillian Gottschalk and guest pets. Light refreshments will be served.

The schedule includes a visit with TheraPAWS Pet Teams at 10:30 a.m., a panel discussion at 11 a.m., and a writing workshop followed by sharing of work at 11:30.

“Birds of a Feather” is written by guest Tom Crice, and illustrated by Ellen Rakatansky, and is about how a boy finds a way to deal with his beloved grandfather’s death when he sees two birds separated.

Kirkus Reviews noted, “Crice captures the complexity of a child’s feelings with expert precision, taking a tough experience and exploring it with honesty, never flinching from the hard emotions. The soft-colored pencil and acrylic images by debut illustrator Rakatansky — which mostly show landscapes, cityscapes, and animals — match the story’s gentle tone perfectly.”

AJ Jerrett is a widely published illustrator who “lives in a small ninja-infested town just north of Boston.” He wrote and illustrated “Oshi Visits the Library” and “Otto and Jose Save the Library.”

Lillian Gottschalk is 12, and attends seventh grade in Fitchburg. She lives with her mom, dad, little brother, and her two cats. Her first book is “Hopefully.”

“We’re excited to have an event for children to learn from others, as well as create their own work,” said Youth Library Director Nicole Irvin. “Having Be PAWSitive pet teams involved is an added bonus. Children who may be shy or cautious about reading or writing will be inspired by visiting with the pets, and will feel more relaxed.”

Said author Sally Cragin, who is also the director of Be PAWSitive, “Our festival is designed for kids to do a deep dive back into the pleasure of writing and reading, after summer vacation.”
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