Esme Raji Codell Really is Fabulous!

This post may seem dated since the event took place in October at the annual Missouri Library Association Conference, however, I feel that anyone as fabulous as Esme deserves to be recognized no matter the tardiness of my post.

Every year at the MLA Conference the Children's Services Roundtable special interest group (of which I am the vice-chair) hosts a meal event, at which an author is invited to speak. This year we had the great fortune to secure award-winning author Esme Raji Codell. She was famous first for Education Esme, her bestselling diary of her first year of teaching and has authored several awarding winning books for children and adults, including Sahara Special, Vive la Paris, Sing a Song of Tuna Fish, and the invaluable guide How to Get Your Child to Love Reading.

Before picking Esme up at the airport, Tracy (my friend and CSRT chair) and I discussed what we thought Esme's personality would be like. We assumed that since she writes fabulous books, that she herself must also be quite fabulous, but one often hears stories about demanding authors, so we were not sure what to expect. From the moment Esme entered the terminal, we knew we were in for a treat. Not only was she gracious, kind and super fun to talk with, she was self-sufficient and the farthest thing from demanding.

The following day was the luncheon and despite Esme having a severe case of nerves before addressing the luncheon attendees, her La Vie en Reading presentation was a smashing success. She had the audience laughing, crying, and singing along with Charlie Parker Played Be Bop by Chris Raschka. After signing numerous books and chit chatting with anyone who stopped by the autograph booth, it was time for Esme to depart for home. Tracy and I were sad to see her off, but felt great joy in knowing that we had gotten to meet such a special individual.

If you would like to read something by Esme stop by the Library and we can recommend something, or if you would like to read more about her visit http://planetesme.com.