The Youth Literature Festival will take place October 2-4, 2008 encompassing the greater Champaign-Urbana area. The first two days (Thursday, October 2 and Friday, October 3) will be comprised of author visits to school districts in east Central Illinois (Urbana, Champaign, Rantoul, Paxton-Buckley-Loda, among others), culminating in a day of celebration and activities for the community at large on Saturday, October 4.

The events on Saturday, October 4 will feature entertainment for children and adults of all ages, from storytelling, puppetry, readings, lectures, book signings, and discussions featuring the Festival authors and illustrators, to a poetry cafe for middle and high school students, from museum and library exhibits at Krannert Art Museum and Orpheum Children's Museum, to student musical performances. These events are designed to bring together families from throughout the area, those involved with the public sector, and a variety of community groups for one main goal: putting literature at the heart of our lives.