FINDLAY, Ohio — Educators and librarians from across the country are gathering in Findlay this week to meet and learn from professional children's book authors and illustrators.
It's the 27th year for the Mazza Museum's Summer Conference, which brings together hundreds of educators with authors and illustrators of children's books.
Between keynote presentations, break out sessions and autographs, the educators get a chance to meet people and learn behind the stories they help share with children.
"The teachers and librarians, they are partners in this sort of crusade to help children see themselves and to give the children permission to express themselves and be who they are, and inspire them in being who they're going to be," author and illustrator, Jessixa Bagley, said.
With the conference, authors also help educators learn how to better present or explain the stories to the students. Additionally, they enforce the importance that the artwork in these books serve as well.
"There's a synergy that works between the pictures and the words, so some of the story is told through the pictures so they work together. So, you don't need a lot of words in picture books, because the pictures are sort of working with the text," Matthew Cordell, the winner of the 2018 Caldecott Medal, said.