Children’s author/illustrator Iza Trapani at SUNY New Paltz

NEW PALTZ — Iza Trapani, author and illustrator of books for children, will speak at the Sojourner Truth Library at the State University of New York at New Paltz on Monday, April 15, as part of the library’s National Library Week celebration.

Trapani, a New Paltz alumna, has written and illustrated 14 books and is currently working on another. She will share her experiences as a professional children’s writer and will describe the path that led to her successful career.

Her “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” was honored with “Pick of the Lists” from the American Booksellers Association and was featured on the PBS program, “200 for 2000: Literature for the Millennium.” “Shoo Fly” received the 2001 Children’s Choice Award from the International Reading Association. Her “I’m a Little Teapot” was read aloud at the 2001 annual Easter Egg Roll at the White House.

Trapani earned a bachelor’s degree in outdoor recreation from New Paltz in 1981, and still resides in the area. She credits two of her New Paltz instructors with inspiring her in her career – art professor Alex Martin for her watercolor illustrations and English professor Alfred Marx for her love of writing.

She will speak at 11:00 a.m., following a kick-off reception for National Library Week that begins at 10:00 a.m. in the main floor reading room at Sojourner Truth Library. After her talk, the author will sign her books. Books will also be available for sale.

This event is one of many National Library Week activities and exhibits sponsored by Sojourner Truth Library. For more information, visit the library online at http://lib.newpaltz.edu or contact Barbara Petruzzelli, assistant library director, at (845) 257-3677.