The second annual Whirlikids book festival is coming on Saturday, March 7th, 2020 from 10am – 4pm for readers at all levels, but especially for ages 3 and up. Featuring storytime, readings, book signings, panel discussions with authors and illustrators, crafts and more – it’s a day of book fun for all ages! Each week we are featuring a couple of the authors and illustrators that will be joining us for Whirlikids. This week: E.B. Goodale and Sue Soltis with two terrific picture book tales of independence and action.

We are thrilled to have Ezra Jack Keats Honor Winner E. B. Goodale return to Whirlikids! This time, she comes to share Under the Lilacs, a celebration of nature, family, and building our own hands-on adventures. Kate is feeling ignored and takes refuge in building a fort in a neighbor’s yard and enjoys feeling independent. But she soon starts making room for her friends and family. This is Emily’s first book that she’s both authored and illustrated and we are so excited that she is coming to share it with us!

Chapel Hill author Sue Soltis will present her latest, The Stars Just Up the Street.
Mabel loves stars. She counts five from her window and thirty-seven from her backyard. But her grandfather tells her that, as a child, he could see thousands. Could it be true? Mabel climbs a hill looking for more stars — only to discover that the glow from the nearby town makes them hard to see. What would it take for her neighbors to turn off their lights, just for one night, so that everyone could see the starlit sky? With gorgeous illustrations by Christine Davenier, you’ll be sure and look to stars after reading!