Decatur Book Festival Creates Monster Prize Contest

A monstrous art contest is the newest way the AJC Decatur Book Festival will cater to young readers.

The sixth annual AJC Decatur Book Festival presented by DeKalb Medical will feature a contest for kids to draw Bookzilla, its monster mascot, two parades and a stellar lineup of children's programming featuring the likes of Pete the Cat, Skippyjon Jones and John Grisham’s “Theodore Boone & the Thrill of Rights” interactive theatrical bus tour. The Festival will be held Labor Day Weekend, Sept. 2-4, on and around the downtown Decatur Square.

Festival Program Director Terra Elan McVoy said the festival is "not just for adults."

"We are really proud that we are able to provide such a multitude of events that will be enjoyed by children as well as their parents,” McVoy said.

The Bookzilla contest is being sponsored by Lenz Marketing, in collaboration with and local artist Blue Delliquanti. Children can create their own version of the green, book-loving monster with an ink-pen tail. The top prize winner will receive a personalized illustration by one of the illustrators attending the 2011 festival. Second and third place winners will receive gift certificates to Little Shop of Stories, Greene’s Fine Foods and other Decatur businesses.

The will sponsor Draw a Monster storytime next Thursday, in which children can hear stories about art and monsters, enjoy milk and cookies, and grab paper and markers to create their  own Bookzilla creations.

Bookzilla's creator, illustrator Scott Sanders, will judge the competition and choose the winners.

“I am very flattered that one of my creations is being used as the inspiration for an art contest," said Sanders, who is Creative Director of Lenz, the festival's PR company. "I can't wait to see Bookzilla truly come alive thanks to the talented and creative participants.”

Delliquanti, an Atlanta native and recent graduate of the Franklin College in Switzerland, is the author of four comics and the graphic novel Subrosa.

“This contest will provide an opportunity for kids to show their enthusiasm for not only art, but also literature.” she said.

The festival will sponsor two children’s parades again this year. The Saturday morning parade will be led by Skippyjon Jones and followed by a presentation from author Judy Schachner (Skippyjon Jones Class Action). The Sunday morning parade will have a Pete the Cat theme, followed by James Dean and Eric Litwin, author and illustrator, respectively, sharing their new book (Pete the Cat: Rocking in my School Shoes).

Also on the Children's Stage will be John Grisham’s “Theodore Boone & the Thrill of Rights,” an interactive theatrical bus tour based on Grisham’s middle-grade thrillers. The Story Pirates, a nationally respected arts and creative writing organization, will perform the “legal comedy" that takes place in a court room setting.  This high-action, audience-participation drama features Theo acting as his own attorney when he’s put on trial for stealing the Bill of Rights.

Other featured presenters include Angela DiTerlizzi (Say What?), Lauren Myracle (The Winnie Years), Gordon Korman (The 39 Clues: Cahills vs. Vespers), Margaret Peterson Haddix (The Missing Book 4: Torn), Tony DiTerlizzi (The Search for Wondla), Charles Ghinga (Barn Storm), Tim Green (Best of the Best), and Adam Gidwitz (A Tale Dark and Grimm).

Singer/songwriter Caroline Herring will perform her songs inspired by children’s books — including the Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter, The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton and Chicken Soup with Rice by Maurice Sendak — on the Children’s Stage.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Decatur Book Festival Presented by DeKalb Medical is the largest independent book festival in the country, and the fourth largest overall. More than 300 authors and tens of thousands of festival goers are expected to  crowd the historic downtown Decatur Square for book signings, author readings, panel discussions, an interactive children’s area, live music, parades, cooking demonstrations, poetry slams and writing workshops.