About Us

Our Mission

The mission of the CU Children’s Book Festival is to achieve three important goals:

• Connect children to authors and books to build reading motivation
• Support teachers' use of children's literature in their classrooms and family reading at home
• Engage School of Education's preservice and in-service teachers in creating educational resources and participating in a literacy outreach event.

2026 Children's Book Festival Planning Committee

• Sue Baer
• Paula Bernal (Graduate Assistant)
• Jacalyn Colt
• Adam Crawley (Faculty Chair)
• Bridget Dalton
• Lisa Graf
• Joey Graffagnino
• Jacquie Kilburn
• Rachelle Krumpeck
• Kelly Lichty
• Judy Minger
• Steve Ollanik
• Lillian Rothman
• Stephanie Schindhelm (Boulder Bookstore)
• Jeanette Scotti
• Lisa Taylor-Strauss (Community Chair)
• Natalia Umaña (CU Libraries Chair)

With support from SOE Communications, Hannah Fletcher, Ichigo Takikawa and Tyler Caldwell; Building Operations, Sara McDonald and Becky Cabral; and Advancement, Micah Abram.

Partners and Support

We gratefully acknowledge our partner, Boulder Bookstore, and Stephanie Schindhelm, Marketing and Promotions Manager.

The festival is supported by grants awarded by the CU Boulder Office for Public and Community Engaged Scholarship and Women Investing in the School of Education (W.I.S.E.)

Special thanks go to the following for their participation in and support of the festival:

• Boulder Public Library
• I Have a Dream Foundation, Boulder
• The publishers, authors, and illustrators of the festival's featured books
• Our 2026 school partners and their districts
  • Alicia Sanchez Elementary (BVSD)
  • Columbine Elementary (SVVSD)
  • Hillcrest Elementary (Adams12)
  • Northridge Elementary (SVVSD)
  • Escuela Valdez (DPS)
• University Libraries, CU Boulder
• Center for Humanities and the Arts, CU Boulder
• Women Investing in the School of Education (WISE) members Jacalyn Colt, Jacquie Kilburn, Paula Klein, and Judy Minger
• CU Boulder School of Education Development Advisory Board, Outreach Committee.
• Boulder Flatirons Rotary Club
• Past Festival Committee members: Laurie Brockway, Michelle Faye, Emily Johns-O'Leary, Clint Askins, Christine Chen, and Mary Claire Collins