Folio Presents: Tell Me a Story: Fantastic Children’s Books from the Library of Congress

Folio: The Seattle Athenaeum is delighted to welcome visiting author Hannah Freece for a reading of her book, Tell Me a Story: Fantastic Children’s Books from the Library of Congress. This work reimagines the canon of American children’s literature, from Puritan primers to Percy Jackson, while tracing the evolution of literary, artistic, and publishing trends from the colonial era to the present.

Hannah Freece will guide us through the history of children’s books, sharing the stories behind beloved classics as well as lesser-known gems ready for rediscovery. Join us to uncover fascinating literary mysteries such as which iconic bedtime tale was banned from the New York Public Library until 1972, how Brown Bear, Brown Bear once featured a pink elephant, and how to write Mother Goose without words, and perhaps add a few new titles to your to-be-read list.

Hannah Freece is a writer-editor at the Library of Congress. She is the co-author of Shall Not Be Denied: Women Fight for the Vote (2019) and The Joy of Looking: Great Photographs from the Library of Congress (2023). Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Hannah lives in the other Washington (DC) with her family.

RSVP Here