At the 2006 National Book Festival, more than 70 well-known authors, illustrators and poets will discuss their work in various pavilions, including "Children," "Teens & Children," "Fiction & Fantasy," "Mysteries & Thrillers," "History & Biography," "Home & Family" and "Poetry." Festivalgoers can have books signed by their favorite authors, and children can meet ever-popular storybook and television characters, such as Arthur the Aardvark, Maya and Clifford the Big Red Dog, who will appear on the festival grounds throughout the day.
Participating authors include best-selling novelists Khaled Hosseini, author of the "Kite Runner" and Geraldine Brooks, winner of the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for her book "March"; political writer Bob Woodward; historians John Hope Franklin and Doris Kearns Goodwin; biographer Taylor Branch ("Martin Luther King"); Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin, winners of the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for their biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer; authors of books for children and teens, including Andrew Clements, Stephenie Meyer, Richard Peck, and Louis Sachar; award-winning illustrators Bryan Collier, Betsy Lewin and Mark Teague; Donald Hall, the recently named 14th Poet Laureate of the United States; and poet Dana Gioia, the director the National Endowment for the Arts; best-selling mystery and thriller authors, including Michael Connelly, Lisa Scottoline, Kathy Reichs and Alexander McCall Smith; science fiction award-winner Spider Robinson; and Elmer Kelton, author of more than 40 novels and voted "the best Western author of all time" by the Western Writers of America.
Beyond meeting their favorite authors, festival visitors will have the opportunity to learn about the reading programs and resources in libraries across the country. The "Pavilion of the States" will highlight the book, reading, literacy and library promotion activities of all 50 states, the District of Columbia and several American trusts and territories. Representatives from every state and territory will welcome families and children interested in that state's writers and reading programs. In addition, the "Let's Read America" pavilion will feature reading promotion activities developed by select festival sponsors.
The aim of the festival complements the Library's Lifelong Literacy program. In April 2006, the Library of Congress, the Advertising Council, the Walt Disney Co. and Walden Media launched a joint national public service advertising campaign designed to encourage children and families to become engaged in reading and all other forms of literacy. The campaign features scenes and characters from the movie "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and was launched to coincide with Literacy Awareness Week and the release of the film on DVD.