Imagination Friday with Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris

Join us on Friday, December 12, 1:00 to 1:45 to meet Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris to celebrate their newest First Cat in Space adventure, The First Cat in Space and the Baby Pirate’s Revenge. In this graphic novel, First Cat and the Moon Queen join forces with the pirate Captain Babybeard to recover a treasure map and rescue the moon from falling into the wrong hands. Mac and Shawn will introduce their new adventure and invite children to share their ideas for the next First Cat in Space adventure. They will also answer questions.
Register now!

Host: Kathy Short, Professor of Teaching, Learning and Sociocultural Studies and Director of WOW.
Panelist: Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris
Co-Sponsor: Tucson Festival of Books

Mac Barnett is the ninth U.S. National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, appointed by the Library of Congress and Every Child a Reader. He’s a New York Times-bestselling author of stories for children. Mac’s work has been translated into more than 30 languages and sold more than 5 million copies worldwide. Mac’s books have won many prizes, including two Caldecott Honors.

Shawn Harris is an award-winning author and illustrator of books for kids. Shawn lives in Half Moon Bay, California. When he’s not making books, he likes to sing, surf, and play racquetball.

Imagination Friday is co-sponsored by the Tucson Festival of Books and Worlds of Words, University of Arizona College of Education and occurs one Friday a month from 1 to 1:40 p.m. through December 2025 with a different author or illustrator each session. Add some excitement to Fridays with world-renowned children’s authors and illustrator to promote new books and encourage children as readers, writers and illustrators.

See upcoming authors/illustrators or catch up on old Imagination Fridays in our archive.

Tucson Festival of Books logo with sponsors listed

WOW Recommends: The Eyes and the Impossible

The Eyes and The Impossible by Dave Eggers is the story of Johannes, an independent stray dog that lives in the park eating the delicious food left by picnickers on the ground or in trash receptacles across his daily route of surveillance. He is, after all, the “eyes” of the park, informing the other nonhuman inhabitants who share the park with him of the changes he notes or of issues of which they should be informed. In many ways, Johannes is the caretaker of those with whom he shares his life.

For the most part, Johannes lives a wonderful life with all manner of possibilities. He runs fast, oh so fast, and sees, yes, sees so much, sees everything, of which he is the first to let the reader know. He reports his findings to the three buffalo who are the oldest and wisest of the inhabitants of the park. Johannes also accepts those around him. He appreciates them and councils with them, and only occasionally disparages the ducks, who seem to be not quite connected to, or concerned with, the rest of the world around them. Continue reading →

A Dozen Poetry Books

By Deanna Day-Wiff, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA

Poetry is all around us and is fun to read aloud and share with children of all ages. Poetry builds literacy skills with its figurative language, different forms and structures as well as its rhythm and rhyme. This past year I had the honor of serving on the NCTE Notable Poetry Books and Verse Novels Committee. I read over 300 titles—individual poems, anthologies, narrative poems, biographical poems and verse novels. The committee discussed the differences between poetry and prose and then chose 30 titles that reflected the Notable Poetry Books Criteria. This WOW Dozen focuses on some of the books that were considered but did not make the 2022 NCTE Notable Poetry Books and Verse Novels list. Nevertheless, children and adolescents will still enjoy hearing or reading them. Why not bring poetry to life in your classroom by sharing more of it in March, April for National Poetry Month and every day? Continue reading →

MTYT: Her Right Foot

This week, Prisca and Ray return to a familiar face with Her Right Foot by Dave Eggers and Shawn Harris, and discuss who the Statue of Liberty really is for so many Americans.

Continue reading →