Children's authors Fred Small and Shannon Hitchcock will read—or sing!—their books for kids ages three and up, with special guest Deborah Silverstein.

Fred's Everything Possible is a joyfully illustrated lullaby about love, acceptance, and following your heart. Shannon's She Sang for the Mountains is a lyrical picture book biography of songwriter and activist Jean Ritchie-Singer.

Fred Small is a singer-songwriter, activist, and Unitarian Universalist minister. He originally trained as a lawyer but left his job to pursue a career in music. In 1983, Fred wrote his classic song "Everything Possible.” Recorded and made famous by the iconic gay male a cappella group the Flirtations, the song has traveled around the world. Fred is a passionate advocate for equality, inclusion, and environmental justice. He and his family live near Boston, Massachusetts.

Shannon Hitchcock was born in North Carolina and grew up in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. She is the author of five middle-grade novels: Flying Over Water, One True Way, Ruby Lee & Me, The Ballad of Jessie Pearl, and Dancing In The Storm. Her books have been featured on many state award lists and have received acclaimed reviews. Of Words and Water will be the fourth book in her storyteller series, along with Saving Granddaddy’s Stories, She Sang for the Mountains, and Story Quilts. Shannon currently lives in North Carolina, where she can see the mountains every day.

Deborah Silverstein is a lifelong singer-songwriter, recording artist, visual artist and newly minted musical playwright. She was a founding member of the Boston-based New Harmony Sisterhood Band, whose album, And Ain’t I a Woman, now resides in the Smithsonian Folk Life Collection.

The organizer of this event marked it kid-friendly. 😛