Making a Splash at the National Book Festival
By Staff of Nevada Humanities
2023 National Book Festival book selections from Nevada.
Two books that celebrate and educate about underwater creatures have been selected by Nevada Humanities, home of the Nevada Center for the Book, to represent the state at the annual Library of Congress National Book Festival, which will be held on Saturday, August 12, 2023, at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. This year’s book selections from Nevada celebrate the smallest creatures of the sea to the largest fish of our lakes and rivers: Nudi Gill: Poison Powerhouse of the Sea by author and illustrator Bonnie Kelso, and Chasing Giants: In Search of the World's Largest Freshwater Fish by Zeb Hogan and Stefan Lovgren.
Nudi Gill: Poison Powerhouse of the Sea by Bonnie Kelso
Meet Gill, a flashy nudibranch (noo-de-brank) living a fierce and fascinating life in the ocean without a shell and completely…NAKED! When a curious young snorkeler stumbles upon Gill, she learns there is more than meets the eye when it comes to her sassy new friend. This soft-bodied mollusk is anything but vulnerable, turning a diet of dangerous ocean creatures into a poisonous sting of its own. Found in unique shapes and colors in every ocean throughout the world, Gill and his diverse family of nudibranchs serve as a reminder that being small doesn’t mean you can’t have it all. With illustrations as striking and colorful as Gill himself, this is an underwater adventure like no other where young readers can see for themselves what makes Gill and his fabulous family of nudibranchs tiny, but mighty poison powerhouses of the sea.
Chasing Giants: In Search of the World's Largest Freshwater Fish by Zeb Hogan and Stefan Lovgren
Chasing Giants: In Search of the World’s Largest Freshwater Fish combines science, adventure, and wonder to provide insights into the key role the massive fish of our lakes and rivers play in our past, present, and future. Zeb Hogan and Stefan Lovgren take you for a journey around the world in search of the world's largest freshwater fish. This exciting read takes the reader to the Amazon, Mongolia, Southeast Asia, and beyond over their 20-year quest.
The National Book Festival includes representatives from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and Northern Marianas who will promote their book selections and other literary works reflective of their unique locations.
To learn more about these books and their authors, visit nevadahumanities.org/nevada-center-for-the-book. Click HERE for more information about the 2023 National Book Festival.
Nevada Humanities is also hosting a series of local events in Las Vegas for young people featuring author Bonnie Kelso who will read her book Nudi Gill. In these programs, Bonnie shares that there are over 3,000 species of nudibranchs and that additional species are still being discovered. She will read aloud her informational picture book Nudi Gill. She will identify and explain the different parts of nudibranch anatomy. Afterward, she will guide students step-by-step as they invent their own undiscovered species of nudibranch. Lastly, Bonnie will answer questions and challenge students to discover more about nudibranchs after the presentation. Programs are recommended for ages 5-10. Visit nevadahumanities.org for event information.
August 4, 2023. Clark County Library, 1401 East Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, Nevada 89119, 4:00 - 4:45 pm
August 9, 2023. North Las Vegas Library, 2250 Las Vegas Blvd. North, North Las Vegas, Nevada 89030, 2:30-3:15 pm
The National Book Festival is only held on one day a year, but Nevada Humanities is extending the celebration of our Nevada authors through online streams and on YouTube. Click HERE to watch our Humanities at Play livestream recording of Kathleen Kuo, program manager at Nevada Humanities, and author Bonnie Kelso in conversation and playing the game Abzu. Also watch our recent online conversation* with authors Bonnie Kelso, Zeb Hogan, and Stefan Lovgren on our YouTube channel. Nevada Humanities provides an opportunity to learn more about these authors and their fabulous books that are making a splash!