By Glenn McGlothlin

glenn.mcglothlin@jessaminejournal.com

Marc Brown, executive producer of “Arthur,” along with other top-selling children’s authors will visit Asbury University on Saturday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. for the Children’s Literature Conference.

The conference will be in the Miller Center for Communication Arts and Jameson Recital Hall on Asbury’s campus. The event is open to the public but costs $100 for community members and $60 for students. Lunch is included.

The conference is being hosted by Asbury University’s School of Education and the Kinlaw Library in conjunction with Mazza Museum at Findlay University in Ohio.

Brown said he is looking forward to the conference and sharing his love for children’s literature.

“I am excited to participate in the Asbury Children’s Literature conference and celebrate this wonderful love we all share for children’s literature,” Brown said in a prepared statement. “It’s also a learning experience for me to hear what teachers need to help make their job in the classroom a little easier. I look forward to being back in Kentucky and sharing unrevealed parts of my life and work.”

Brown, who was instrumental in the production of “Arthur” also co-wrote several non-fiction children’s books with his wife, including “How to Be a Friend: A Guide to Making Friends and Keeping Them.”

Author, illustrator and professor Peter Catalanotto will also be in attendance. Catalanotto once illustrated a White House holiday booklet for First Lady Laura Bush.

Others who will be at the conference will include Marc Nobleman, author of “Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman” and “Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman,” along with New York Times Bestselling Author Aaron Reynolds who wrote the acclaimed and Caldecott Honor-winning children’s book “Creepy Carrots.”

Katrina Salley, coordinator of the conference and Education Librarian for Asbury University’s School of Education said the event will be particularly helpful for teachers, librarians, pre-service teachers and parents.

“Our conference will allow educators in our area to interact with distinguished children’s authors and illustrators,” Salley said in a prepared statement. “We firmly believe that contact with authors and illustrators who produce quality literature and participation in professional workshops will equip and inspire them to create literacy-rich environments for youth.”

For more information about the conference, contact Salley at katrina.salley@asbury.edu.