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Schools

Story Festival Sparks Imaginations

Best-selling authors read and sign books at Jefferson Houston Elementary.

Underwater worlds and animal families came alive Saturday when popular children's authors read from their books at the second annual Alexandria Story Festival. 

The event at featured eight authors and included live music, face-painting and art activities. 

"You guys ready for a bedtime story?" joked Anna Dewdney, the author and illustrator of "Llama Llama Home with Mama," the No. 2 book on The New York Times best seller list for children's picture books.

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Dewdney captivated the crowd of families as she read from "Llama Llama Red Pajama," the original book in her llama series about a young llama frightened to go to sleep alone.

A mother of two grown girls, Dewdney told the youngsters in the crowd that parents can't be by their children's side constantly. They need to wash the dishes, take phone calls and get things done. But, reading from the book, she reminded them "Mama Llama's always near, even if she's not right here."

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Susan Stockdale, an author and illustrator who lives in Maryland, read from three of her books and explained the process her books take from the first idea to the final product. She showed how her original sketches change as she uncovers new facts; held up storyboards for the kids to see how the pages in the book are created; and showed off her paints and paintbrushes. 

For her book, "Fabulous Fishes," Stockdale told the crowd that she started with the rhyming words, then spent three days in the library researching underwater animals to find fish that matched her story. She consulted with experts from three aquariums or museums across the country and drew on her own experience snorkeling in Belize. 

She tried to share a bit of motivation too. 

"For all you kids who want to write a book, yes!" she said. "You just need a pencil and paper."

The story festival was hosted by Wright to Read, a tutoring and mentoring program for elementary school students, and , an independent children's bookstore in Old Town. 

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