On Sunday, December 3 at 2:30pm, Pittsburgh Arts and Lectures will present the award-winning children’s author Katherine Paterson as part of the 2017 Words & Pictures series. Author of 16 books, she has won the Newbery Medal for Bridge to Terabithia and Jacob Have I Loved. In addition, she has won the National Book Award for The Master Puppeteer and The Great Gilly Hopkins, which was adapted into a movie in 2016. Her new book, My Brigadista Year, details a Cuban teen’s coming of age as she volunteers in Castro’s literacy campaign.

Paterson will speak in the Main Library Lecture Hall, and books will be available for purchase. A book signing will follow in the Children’s Department. In anticipation of her presentation, check out some of her best loved books–and maybe find a lesser-known favorite too!

Bridge to Terabithia: A vivid portrayal of childhood friendship, family, and the power of imagination. Paterson explores the grief of a friend’s death with exquisite care and compassion.

The Great Gilly Hopkins: Paterson captures both the resilience and vulnerability of a child struggling in the unstable foster care system, and the firm but gentle Trotter shows the heart (and heartbreak) of a compassionate foster parent. Gilly learns a harsh lesson, but it’s balanced by the realization that family comes in many forms.

Jacob Have I Loved: An examination of bitter sibling rivalry and the constraints of being a girl in a small town, flavored with atmospheric descriptions of the Chesapeake Bay.