Wednesday, October 14

Step inside a museum on wheels. The VMFA Artmobile brings an immersive art experience directly to the festival, giving small groups of students the opportunity to encounter works of art and museum interpretation in an intimate mobile-gallery setting. Capacity is approximately 20 students at a time. The Artmobile will be available during each regular session window and during lunch/bookstore time.

Chris Harris and Malik-16 turn poetry into a playground where rhythm, rhyme, wordplay, and wonderfully ridiculous ideas collide. Students discover that poems do not have to sit quietly on a page. They can bounce, twist, surprise, make noise, and sometimes make absolutely no sense at all, at least until they suddenly do. Chris shares how poets play with language, unexpected combinations, and the sounds of words, while Malik brings those words to life through rhythm and performance.

Inspired by: Madeline and the Old House in Paris, The No-Good Nine, and Johnny Marciano's storytelling Every object has a story. A rusty key, a worn suitcase, a cracked teacup, or an old baseball glove may look ordinary, but what if each one held the secret to an incredible adventure? Join Johnny Marciano as students discover how writers use everyday objects to unlock extraordinary stories.

Featuring Philip and Erin Stead Inspired by: A Sick Day for Amos McGee, Bear Has a Story to Tell, The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine, The Curious Word of Margaret Wise Brown, The Velveteen Rabbit, and other works Some of the most important moments in a story aren't the loud ones. Sometimes they're found in silence, in waiting, in noticing, and in the space between one page and the next. Join Philip and Erin Stead for a gentle exploration of how quiet moments can become the heart of a story.

Inspired by: The World of ¡Vamos!, Stuntboy, and the vibrant traditions of lucha libre Every great hero needs a memorable look, an unforgettable name, and a mission worth fighting for. Join Raúl the Third as students discover how artists create characters that leap off the page and into readers' imaginations.

Inspired by: What's On Your Mind? A Calming Book for Busy Brains Sometimes our minds feel quiet. Sometimes they're full of worries, excitement, questions, or a hundred thoughts all at once. In this joyful, reassuring program, Todd Parr celebrates every kind of mind and reminds children that every feeling is welcome. Todd shares his newest book while talking with students about the many thoughts and feelings they experience every day.

There is no single right answer in art. Ruth projects incomplete drawings. Maybe it's just: half a dragon one shoe a mysterious door the top of a hat a tail disappearing off the page Students vote on what the missing part should be. Ruth quickly sketches several completely different possibilities, showing that every idea works. Each student receives a page with unfinished illustrations. Their challenge is to complete the drawings in their own unique way.

A good mystery can begin anywhere: in a museum, on a train, inside an ancient building, or halfway around the world. Russell Ginns invites students to become detectives as they follow clues, spot patterns, and solve fast-moving mysteries inspired by unusual places and surprising facts. Russell presents a series of mini-mysteries filled with visual clues, word puzzles, red herrings, and unexpected twists.

Inspired by My Friend Rabbit Recommended Audience: PreK-Grade 2 Pictures often tell stories long before we read the words. Eric introduces students to the art of visual storytelling and demonstrates how illustrators use expression, movement, color, and composition to help readers understand a story. Read My Friend Rabbit while drawing students' attention to the illustrations. Demonstrate how facial expressions and body language communicate emotion. Share sketches and explain his illustration process.

Inspired by: The Last Comics on Earth: Across the Doodleverse Where do ideas come from? Sometimes they begin with one tiny doodle. Join Jay Cooper as he explores how simple sketches, silly ideas, and unexpected combinations can grow into exciting graphic novels and comic adventures. Jay shares pages from Across the Doodleverse and explains how comics tell stories using pictures, page turns, facial expressions, and visual humor.

Inspired by: Otherwise Known as Judy The Great: A Poetic Ode to Judy Blume Long before she became one of the world's most beloved authors, Judy Blume was simply a kid with big feelings and lots of questions. Join Selina Alko as she introduces students to the remarkable woman who changed children's literature forever and invites them to discover the power of telling their own stories.

Step inside a museum on wheels. The VMFA Artmobile brings an immersive art experience directly to the festival, giving small groups of students the opportunity to encounter works of art and museum interpretation in an intimate mobile-gallery setting. Capacity is approximately 20 students at a time. The Artmobile will be available during each regular session window and during lunch/bookstore time.

The Department of Ridiculous Ideas (could be with another author) Inspired by: I'm Just No Good at Rhyming Inspired by: I'm Just No Good at Rhyming Chris welcomes students into the "Department of Ridiculous Ideas," where every strange thought is celebrated. Through readings, storytelling, and live demonstrations, he reveals how many of his funniest poems began with a single silly question.

Using age-appropriate examples, Malik breaks down how artists build meaning line by line and shows students how choices in sound and language shape a listener's response. He connects techniques found in hip hop to the same literary devices students encounter in poetry and fiction. Students listen for patterns, identify techniques, compare lines, and experiment with building short original bars of their own. Students leave understanding that literary analysis is not limited to traditional texts.

Where do stories come from? Sometimes they begin with something very small: an object on a shelf, an animal outside a window, an overheard sentence, a memory, or a picture that makes us wonder. Erin and Philip Stead share how writers and illustrators pay attention to ordinary things and allow curiosity to lead them toward a story. Through examples from their creative process, students see how words and pictures can grow from observation, questions, and imagination.

Inspired by: What's On Your Mind? A Calming Book for Busy Brains Sometimes our minds feel quiet. Sometimes they're full of worries, excitement, questions, or a hundred thoughts all at once. In this joyful, reassuring program, Todd Parr celebrates every kind of mind and reminds children that every feeling is welcome. Todd shares his newest book while talking with students about the many thoughts and feelings they experience every day.

Ering, or Todd Parr Two illustrators face off in a fast-paced drawing competition hosted by an emcee. Audience members provide surprise challenges such as: Draw a fairy-tale villain at the grocery store. Combine three random animals into one creature. Turn an everyday object into a superhero. Illustrate the world's funniest first day of school. Design a new festival mascot.

Inspired by: The Girl with the Magic Pen, B Is for Brooklyn, I Is for Immigrants, and Selina Alko's historical research Every old photograph tells a story, but not always the one we expect. Join author and illustrator Selina Alko as students become history detectives, using observation, imagination, and empathy to uncover the stories hidden inside vintage photographs. Selina begins by sharing how she researches the real people behind her books.

For generations, readers have followed twelve little girls walking through Paris in two straight lines. John Bemelmans Marciano invites students into the playful world of Madeline and explores how a few carefully chosen words and pictures can create a character readers never forget. John shares the rhythms, visual patterns, humor, and sense of place that make the Madeline books distinctive. He talks about continuing a beloved family storytelling tradition while still bringing his own imagination to the page.

Inspired by: Uprooted If you could only pack five things that tell your story, what would you choose? Ruth talks about leaving one country for another and how some of the most important things we carry aren't expensive, they're meaningful. Students investigate vintage suitcases and choose just five items to pack. For each item, they explain (on a notecard): Why did you choose it? Students share the stories behind one special item. Objects become powerful because of the memories attached to them.

Inspired by Honeybee and Giant Squid Recommended Audience: Grades 3-6 Nature is filled with remarkable stories waiting to be discovered. Eric shares how science, observation, and artistic curiosity come together to create nonfiction picture books that inspire wonder. Discuss collaborating with Biology Department at Longwood, garden clubs, etc. Share the research behind illustrating nonfiction. Explain how artists make scientific concepts engaging. Demonstrate drawing details from nature.

Step inside a museum on wheels. The VMFA Artmobile brings an immersive art experience directly to the festival, giving small groups of students the opportunity to encounter works of art and museum interpretation in an intimate mobile-gallery setting. Capacity is approximately 20 students at a time. The Artmobile will be available during each regular session window and during lunch/bookstore time.

Inspired by: What's On Your Mind? A Calming Book for Busy Brains Sometimes our minds feel quiet. Sometimes they're full of worries, excitement, questions, or a hundred thoughts all at once. In this joyful, reassuring program, Todd Parr celebrates every kind of mind and reminds children that every feeling is welcome. Todd shares his newest book while talking with students about the many thoughts and feelings they experience every day.

Chris Harris creates ridiculous poetry prompts while Mike has only sixty seconds to illustrate them. Examples include: A pirate afraid of water A chicken running for president A dragon that sneezes glitter A pencil that wants to be famous Then Mike turns the tables and quickly sketches bizarre characters that Chris must instantly build into funny poems. Students work in pairs. One student writes an outrageous prompt while the other has two minutes to sketch it. Then they switch roles.

Inspired by: The World of ¡Vamos!, Lowriders in Space, and Raúl the Third's illustration style Some books reveal their secrets the first time you read them. Raúl the Third's books reward readers who slow down and look closely. Every page is packed with hidden jokes, visual clues, side stories, and colorful details. Join Raúl as students become Story Detectives and discover how illustrators can tell multiple stories at the same time.

Inspired by: Uprooted If you could only pack five things that tell your story, what would you choose? Ruth talks about leaving one country for another and how some of the most important things we carry aren't expensive, they're meaningful. Students investigate vintage suitcases and choose just five items to pack. For each item, they explain (on a notecard): Why did you choose it? Students share the stories behind one special item. Objects become powerful because of the memories attached to them.

Russell Ginns invites students into a fast-moving game of curiosity, language, logic, and wonderfully strange thinking. Students encounter questions that seem easy until they are not, statements pretending to be questions, questions with surprising answers, and prompts that require them to think in entirely new ways. As the challenges become increasingly ridiculous, students have to listen carefully, notice how words are being used, and decide whether they have actually been given a question at all.

Inspired by: Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat Johnny Marciano as he reveals how writers create characters that make readers laugh and keep them turning pages. Johnny introduces students to Klawde, the self proclaimed evil alien warlord who just happens to be trapped in the body of a house cat. He shares how the funniest characters are not funny because of how they look. They are funny because of the way they think, speak, and react to the world around them.

Grades K-3 A lively rhythm-and-rhyme session for younger children. Malik-16 introduces a steady beat and leads call-and-response rhyming. Volunteers help distribute and manage basic percussion instruments such as shakers, rhythm sticks, and hand drums. Students build simple rhymes over the beat.

Inspired by Honeybee and Giant Squid Recommended Audience: Grades 3-6 Nature is filled with remarkable stories waiting to be discovered. Eric shares how science, observation, and artistic curiosity come together to create nonfiction picture books that inspire wonder. Discuss collaborating with Biology Department at Longwood, garden clubs, etc. Share the research behind illustrating nonfiction. Explain how artists make scientific concepts engaging. Demonstrate drawing details from nature.

Join the Longwood Center for the Visual Arts for a fun filled hands-on drawing workshop. Guests will work alongside their favorite children’s book illustrators to help create a collaborative drawing that stretches over 60 feet long!

Inspired by: Otherwise Known as Judy The Great: A Poetic Ode to Judy Blume Long before she became one of the world's most beloved authors, Judy Blume was simply a kid with big feelings and lots of questions. Join Selina Alko as she introduces students to the remarkable woman who changed children's literature forever and invites them to discover the power of telling their own stories.

Inspired by: You Are the Detective: The Creeping Hand Murder Every great detective notices details that everyone else misses. In this interactive mystery, Jay Cooper challenges students to sharpen their observation skills and discover how authors and illustrators plant clues in both words and pictures. Jay introduces students to You Are the Detective and explains how mystery writers create puzzles that readers can actually solve.