Rosemary Wells, a New York Times
bestselling children’s author and
illustrator, will deliver the keynote
address on early childhood literacy at
the daylong symposium titled “A Daily
Dose of Reading: Growing Readers
Everywhere” on May 19 from 8:30 a.m.
to 4 p.m. at Kent State University.

Rosemary Wells, a New York Times bestselling children’s author and illustrator, believes that reading books should be an everyday occurrence – especially among younger readers.

Wells will deliver the keynote address on early childhood literacy at the daylong symposium titled “A Daily Dose of Reading: Growing Readers Everywhere” on Tuesday, May 19, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Kent State University. The symposium is sponsored by Kent State’s School of Library and Information Science along with the Northeast Ohio Regional Library System (NEO-RLS).

Wells' address will be followed by a panel discussion on “Reading to Children, Healthcare Connections and Reaching the Primary Caretaker.” In the afternoon, presentations will consider the topics of “Music and Movement,” “Sensory Storytime” and “Ready to Read.” Additionally, Wells will be available to autograph books, available for purchase at the Kent State Bookstore.

Raised on the New Jersey shore, Wells grew up in a home teeming with books.

“Reading stories aloud was as much a part of my childhood as the air I breathed,” Wells has said in recent interviews. Based on those early memories, Wells believes that the most important 20 minutes of a day are the ones spent reading to children. In her rhyming story, Read to Your Bunny, Wells invites parents and children to read together every day.

“Reading to your little one is just like putting gold coins in the bank,” she says. “It will pay you back tenfold.”

Wells’ career as an author and illustrator includes more than 120 books filled with beloved characters like Max and Ruby, Noisy Nora and Yoko. She has won numerous awards, including more than 20 American Library Association Notable Children's Book citations and a Boston Globe/Horn Book Award. Many of her books have been named among the Best Books of the Year in their respective years of publication by School Library Journal, including Max’s Chocolate Chicken, Noisy Nora, Shy Charles and When No One Was Looking.

Most importantly, though, Wells has helped shape the childhood of readers for more than 40 years.

The symposium will take place in the Kent Student Center. Teachers, librarians, artists, creators, graduate and undergraduate students, and book collectors will find something of interest in these sessions.

The cost of $75 includes program, materials, lunch, refreshments and parking; the cost is $35 for full-time graduate and undergraduate students. To register, visit https://commerce.cashnet.com/SLIS.

For more information about Kent State’s School of Library and Information Science, visit www.kent.edu/slis.