History of the Festival

The Children’s Literature Festival at the University of Central Missouri began in 1969 when Philip Sadler, professor of children’s literature, and Ophelia Gilbert, laboratory school librarian, invited five Missouri authors to speak to local students. The Festival has continued to grow throughout the years and is now the longest running children's literature festival in the United States that is geared toward children.

The CLF has featured many Missouri authors and others from across the country. Every festival includes both authors new to the event and those who have participated year after year. Madeline L'Engle, Clyde Robert Bulla, E.L. Konigsburg, Ed Emberley, Gary Paulsen, Tomie dePaola, Donold Sobol, Jean Craighead George, Zilpha Keatley Snyder, Avi, Lois Lowry, Garth Williams, David Harrison, Gyo Fujikawa, William Sleator, Jack Prelutsky, Louis Sachar, Elizabeth George Speare, and Eileen Christelow are just some of many many wonderful authors and illustrators who have joined us. Looking for a full list of the authors who've attended? Check out the wikipedia article on the Festival.

Students recalling their attendance at the Children’s Literature Festival, perhaps many years later, remember it as one of the first times they were on a university campus or had the opportunity to visit with a favorite author. One student recently wrote:

The Children’s Literature Festival was an opportunity of a lifetime. I didn’t ever dream that I would get to meet a real author— especially one whose books I love. I may never get another opportunity like this.