Conference Brings Award-winning Children's Author, National Literacy Experts to ESU

by Terri Kaiser

Emporia, KS (10/22/2019) — The author of the 2019 Bill Martin Jr. Picture Book Award, Dan Santat, will speak at an upcoming literacy conference at Emporia State University. The 22nd Annual Kansas Regional Reading Recovery and Early Literacy Conference to be held Nov. 4 at Emporia State.

The event will feature literacy experts from across the nation and the state and will be attended by educators, counselors, and reading specialists who help children having difficulty with literacy skills.

"As chair of the Bill Martin, Jr. Picture Book Award, it is a pleasure to host the winner in Emporia each year," said Dr. Roger Caswell. "It is a great opportunity for conference participants, and I am looking forward to Dan Santat's presentation as the 2019 winner."

Santat is a No. 1 New York Times Best Selling Author and illustrator of over 100 titles, including the 2015 Caldecott Medal winning "The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend." He is also the creator of the animated hit, The Replacements, a TV series which aired on the Disney Channel. Santat is receiving the BMJ Picture Book Award for "After the Fall (How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again)." He will be recognized and give a talk at the conference's luncheon.

Featured speakers at the conference include:

• Dr. Adria Klein, Program Director and Reading Recovery Trainer at Saint Mary's College of California. Klein is renowned for her work with school districts across the United States and has taught reading on five continents. She has written or co-written many professional books and articles about guided reading and other literacy topics.
• Dr. Debra Rich, Reading Recovery Trainer, Saint Mary's College of California
• Dr. Michael Taylor, Reading Recovery Teacher Leader, South Lyon Community Schools (Michigan)
• Dr. Garreth Zalud, from the University of South Dakota, and Amanda Zalud, Doctoral Student/Creighton University Medical School

Speakers from Emporia State University include Dr. Heather Caswell, associate professor of elementary education; Dr. Roger Caswell, executive director of the Jones Institute for Educational Excellence; Dr. Annie Opat, director of ESU's regional Reading Recovery® university training center; and Dr. Kelly O'Neal-Hixson, associate professor of special education.

For more information about registration for the conference, directions to the conference, or about the Reading Recovery program at ESU, visit www.emporia.edu/teach/readingrecovery/ or contact the Jones Institute at 620-341-5372, or e-mail Kristan Dean at kdean@emporia.edu.

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