On a beautiful sun shiny morning Albert reached out his window to check the weather – just as he always did. But on this particular morning, something special happened. A pair of cardinals started building a nest in the palm of his hand. And from that moment on, Albert’s life was not the same.
So begins Albert, the featured book for the 4th annual One Book Habersham – Together We Read community reading campaign. Organizers announced this year’s selection during a kick-off event Monday at the Cornelia Library. Another One Book Habersham kick-off event is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 6, at the Clarkesville Library.
Albert was written by Golden Kite Award winner Donna Jo Napoli. It is beautifully illustrated by Jim LaMarche who won the American Bookseller Association Pick-of-the-List designation for Albert. Readers are sure to find the book, as one reviewer wrote, “a magical marriage of art and text.”
“We are excited that this year’s author, like all three previous authors, is an award winning and well-respected writer for children,” says Helen O’Brien OBH committee chair and media specialist at Level Grove Elementary. “However, Donna Jo Napoli is different from previous year’s authors in the breadth of her writing. We will be reading one of her pictures books, but she is especially known for her books for young adults.”
Napoli’s 80+ titles include early chapter books, middle grade books, and beautifully illustrated non-fiction books on mythology. One Book Habersham organizers have expanded this year’s event to include presentations for middle school students. O’Brien says “we are pleased to host an author that we think will have wisdom to share with all of us, adults and children alike.”
Napoli will visit Habersham County April 10 – 13, making presentations to elementary and middle schools. The public will be invited to meet her on the evening of April 12 at Piedmont College Commons at 7pm. In the meantime, the OBH committee hopes all Habersham County residents will take an opportunity to read and share the book.
“I am so excited that we are celebrating our 4th annual One Book Habersham this year,” says Habersham County Director of Elementary Schools Rhonda Andrews. “This has been a labor of love for the organizing team and we are so lucky to have the support of the community to continue this project.”
Andrews, like O’Brien, has served on the One Book Habersham organizing committee since the program began in 2015. “We are excited to be including a book that our middle and high school students can enjoy. To be able to have Donna Jo Napoli spend time with middle school students along with elementary is such a wonderful expansion of One Book Habersham.”
Community members are urged to look for copies of Albert at local libraries, medical offices, restaurants and businesses. To obtain a copy for your place of business or neighborhood contact VFL at [email protected].
One Book Habersham – Together We Read is sponsored by the Habersham County School System, Piedmont College School of Education, Volunteers For Literacy (VFL), Habersham Public Libraries, Tallulah Falls School and NowHabersham.com.
For more information, go to OneBookHabersham.org. For sponsorship information, contact Volunteers For Literacy at [email protected].
