Mid-November proved excellent timing for the first-ever Poulsbo Kids’ Book Festival in Poulsbo, Wash., organized by Liberty Bay Books co-owners Suzanne Selfors and her son Walker Ranson, co-authors of Braver: A Wombat’s Tale.
Sponsorship from Dog Man creator Dav Pilkey and his spouse Sayuri Pilkey supported author and illustrator events at 14 regional schools on November 15, the day before the public festival. “Thanks to the Pilkeys’ generosity, we were able to deliver books for the kids” at Title 1 schools, Selfors said. In addition, the S'klallam Tribal Foundation sponsored Indigenous author Andrea Fritz (Otter Doesn’t Know), who came south from Victoria, B.C.
The next day, November 16, more than 25 kids’ creators convened at the local Sons of Norway Hall, so named for the town’s Scandinavian founders.
Proof that the Pacific Northwest boasts a thriving literary scene, the lineup included Newbery Medalist Donna Barba Higuera (Alebrijes), Jessixa Bagley (Duel), Ploof series creators Ben Clanton and Andy Chou Musser, Rosanne Parry (A Horse Named Sky), Suma Subramaniam (Namaste Is a Greeting), and Explorer Academy author Trudy Trueit. Numerous STEM and STEAM creators attended too, among them Amanda Abler, Mary Boone, Lynn Brunelle, and Thomas Crestodina. Students from Richard Gordon Elementary School in nearby Kingston, Wash., promoted their own picture book, Richard Gordon’s Big Adventures, chronicling their school’s namesake, a NASA astronaut who co-piloted Gemini 11 in 1966 and crewed the Apollo 12 mission in 1969.
Selfors, who also writes the Wedgie and Gizmo middle grade series, planned the event in six months. “I've never done anything like this before,” she said, “so we relied on some wonderful mentors,” including Dan Ullom, owner of Brick and Mortar Books in Redmond, Wash., who hosts the annual Bigfoot Kids’ Book Festival. Liberty Bay staffers, volunteers, and local librarians provided support, and Selfors said the debut exceeded expectations: “We counted 1,240 attendees, not including babies and toddlers.”
