LITapalooza 2024: July 25-26, 2024

Anderson’s Bookshop is bringing K-8 educators & #kidlit creators back together in the Chicago suburbs for a day-and-a half of community, learning, and celebration of all things literacy! Anderson’s Bookshops gives a 20% discount to items educators purchase for their classrooms or libraries, and this will be honored at LITapalooza. As an added bonus, educators will earn CPUDs.

Hope to see you there!

—Jenn

Who’s coming to LITapalooza 2024?

**Your ticket includes a free signed copy of Built to Last, written by Minh Lê and illustrated by Dan Santat.

Guest Authors:
Vera Ahiyya, John David Anderson, Cale Atkinson, Tracey Baptiste, Bethany Barton, Cece Bell, Ashley Belote, Tadgh Bentley, Terry J. Benton-Walker, Valerie Bolling, Jessica Burkhart, Nidhi Chanani, Johnnie Christmas, Ben Clanton, Abby Cooper, Lindsay Currie, Sayantani DasGupta, Cori Doerrfeld, Antwan Eady, Vicky Fang, Saadia Faruqi, Josh Funk, Alyson Gerber, Chris Grabenstein, Andrew Hacket, Nathan Hale, Kate Hannigan, Mary Winn Heider, Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm, Alan Katz, Lisa Katzenberger, Supriya Kelkar, Lily LaMotte, David LaRochelle, Kari Lavelle, Jarrett Lerner, Loren Long, Stephanie V.F. Lucianovic, Kekla Magoon, Laurie Morrison, Jamar Nicholas, Rex Ogle, Jarrett Pumphrey, Jerome Pumphrey, Rekha Rajan, Jean Reidy, Mae Respicio, Michael Rex, Barb Rosenstock, Katherine, Roy, Blythe Russo, Sarah Sax, John Schu, Stephen Shaskan, Sheetal Sheth, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Esme Symes-Smith, Ruth Spiro, Elly Swartz, Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, Jana Tropper, Refe & Susan Tuma, Colleen AF Venable, Jasmine Warga, & Kaz Windness!

Schedule

**Lunch – A variety of food trucks will be available to purchase lunch and snacks throughout day 1. You can also have lunch on your own.
Morning (located right outside the auditorium):


​Lunch Food Trucks

  • Tacomotora – delicious and fast tacos, bowls, and salads!
  • SpoonBurger – burgers, fries, and mac & cheese
  • ​​EJ Pierogi – dumplings and sandwiches​
  • Billy Bricks – pizza by the slice or full individual pies

Location

Where: Neuqua Valley High School, 2360 95th Street, Naperville, IL

Rare Unicorn Sighting

Tuesday, April 9, 2024 – National Unicorn Day

Breaking News…there was a rare unicorn sighting early this morning. If you were driving to work and witnessed this magical event, rest assured you were not alone. Thelma the Unicorn once again joined me in the carpool lane. We journeyed to the magical Land of Wonder & Academia. Truly the absolute best part of teaching is the unique holidays that make us giggle and take pause. Today, we explored these mystical creatures. How could I not share my Scottish heritage with my scholars?

Fun Fact: Scotland’s National Animal is the Unicorn.


Literature

May this curated list bring you joy, wonder and dreams of glittering unicorns.

  1. Thelma the Unicorn By Aaron Blabey
  2. The Return of Thelma the Unicorn By Aaron Blabey
  3. How to Catch a Unicorn By Adam Wallace, Andy Elkerton (Illustrator) 
  4. Fancy Nancy and the Quest for the Unicorn By Jane O’Connor, Robin Preiss Glasser (Illustrator)
  5. Unicorn Day By Diane Murray
  6. Legend of the First Unicorn: Traditional Scottish Tale By Lari Don
  7. An Illustrated Treasury of Scottish Folk and Fairy Tales By Theresa Breslin & Kate Leiper (Illustrator)
  8. Facts about Scotland for Kids: Discover Scotland Culture, Sports, History, Cuisine, Landmarks, People, Traditions and many more for Kids By Gina Holden
  9. Scottish Year: Twelve Months in the Life of Scotland’s Kids (A Kids’ Year) By Tania McCartney
  10. Good Night Scotland By Adam Gamble, Mark Jasper, Suwin Chan (Illustrator)
  11. The Scottish Kitchen By Gary Maclean – This one is for the grownups. I had the distinct pleasure of attending a cooking demonstration last summer. Bravo Chef!

**Please note: At this time, I am not affiliated with the bookshop links above (wink, wink I would love the opportunity). Direct links are included for your convenience.


The 38th Annual Scottish Festival & Highland Games

WHEN
June 14-15, 2024
Friday: 1:00pm-10:00pm
Saturday: 9:00am-10:00pm

WHERE (New location this year.)
DuPage County Fairgrounds
2015 Manchester Road
Wheaton, IL 60187

Open Books – West Loop, Chicago

Sunday, February 18, 2024

On the way to the theatre, we took a detour and stumbled across a charming independent bookshop. Opening the door was a magical experience. It was as though we fell down a rabbit hole with Alice. The aisles were narrow and the shelves were never ending. As I scanned the titles, there was a sense of familiarity. There were new and gently beloved copies of every genre imaginable. While strolling up and down the aisles, you could hear the rattling of the L. It was then that I realized I was home.

Open Books also had an amazing children’s literature section. There were nooks and crannies with comfortable seating and a reading stage. Sadly, our visit would be cut short. We had theatre tickets and needed to scurry. I look forward to returning to Open Books in the near future.

A heartfelt thank you to Open Books for providing a respite from technology and a peaceful safe haven from the noise of the world.

—Jenn


Open Books

651 W. Lake St.
Chicago, IL 60661

Hours:

10:30am-6pm Monday through Thursday
11:30am-7pm Friday through Sunday

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