Upcoming: 28th Annual Charlotte S. Huck Children’s Literature Festival

Up to 200 attendees are expected at the 28th annual Charlotte S. Huck Children’s Literature Festival, hosted at the University of Redlands on March 7-8, 2025.

The festival is named after the late professor Charlotte S. Huck, author of Children’s Literature in Elementary School, a book and its new editions still used by educators and librarians nationwide.

As part of Huck’s career, she built a nationally respected master’s and doctoral program in children’s literature at Ohio State University. When she retired, she moved to Redlands, California, to be closer to her nieces. One of them, Char Burgess, has been on the festival committee since its beginning.

Huck took an active part in the festival in Redlands until her death in 2005.

Notable Speakers and Sessions

For the past two years, the current Charlotte S. Huck Endowed Professor of Children’s Literature at Ohio State, Dr. Jonda McNair, has enjoyed coming to Redlands not only as a speaker but also as an avid supporter of the event.

"I'm most looking forward to hearing Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey talk about their work, especially how they make art," McNair said. "The reception and autographing session on Friday evening is probably my favorite part of the festival."

This year, main stage authors and illustrators include Candace Fleming and Eric Rohmann, Mitali Perkins, Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey, and Dianne White.

"Each year, each of the plenary speakers builds upon the others," said Marjorie Arnett, co-coordinator of the festival. "From Dianne’s opening with The Stories We Tell to Mitali Perkins’ closing with Tips for Compassionate Creatives, I think that will be true again this year."