On Tuesday, March 2, award-winning author/illustrator Laura Vaccaro Seeger visited the Kent Island Library. Ms. Vaccaro Seeger described her work as an illustrator and read The Hidden Alphabet  and Lemons Are Not Red, two of her picture books. She also told stories from each of her three Dog and Bear collections and taught the 150 children in attendance to draw both Dog and Bear.

Her audience included seven kindergarten classes from Kent Island Elementary School and the Kent Island Christian School, as well as families from the community.

This visit from an illustrator was the kick-off to a statewide reading initiative, “30 Minutes in 30 Days,” which challenges readers of all ages to read, or be read to, for thirty minutes every day from March 2-31, 2010. The Queen Anne’s County Free Library is partnering with Governor Martin O’Malley, the Maryland State Education Agency, the Division of Library Development and Services, and the Maryland Library Association to implement the initiative throughout March in celebration of Read Across Maryland, an expansion of Read Across America.

Ms. Vaccaro Seeger’s visit was made possible by Eastern Shore Regional Library in Salisbury. ESRL serves a population of 319,900 in 8 counties, including Queen Anne’s County.

Laura Vaccaro Seeger is a New York Times best-selling author and illustrator and the recipient of a 2008 Caldecott Honor, Theodor Seuss Geisel Honors for both 2009 and 2008, a 2007 New York Times Best Illustrated Book Award, and the 2007 Boston Globe/Horn Book Award for Best Picture Book.

A calendar of “30 Minutes in 30 Days” reading events is available at the Kent Island Library, 200 Library Circle, Stevensville. Reading calendars and further information about Read Across Maryland, including contest rules for a statewide Kindle electronic reader drawing, can be found at www.readacrossmaryland.org