Welcome to the 2026 Tucson Festival of Books Children Teen event schedule! We are excited about this year's presenting authors and have placed the schedule into a compact, color-coded grid that you may use to organize your visit to the Festival. Click a button below and your events and then scroll down - your events will display below.
Events for Children Events for Teens
Click the title of an event to obtain detailed information about that event including a short description, the moderator and details on each panelist. The schedule is subject to change and will be updated as new information is made available. Remember that a printed version of this information will be available in the Arizona Daily Star on the Sunday before the festival. Don't forget to check out our other Entertainment and Author Activities to round out your schedule.
Each event on this grid has a star next to it. Click a star to bookmark an event. Click it again to remove the bookmark. When you are finished, you can view your bookmarked events in a printer-ready format here.
NEW THIS YEAR: TFOB will adhere to the University's Clear bag policy for entry to an author's event; find the details here.
Sat, Mar 14 | 10:00 am | 11:30 am | 1:00 pm | 2:30 pm | 4:00 pm |
Education Room 211 (Kiva) (Seats 200) | Books Kids Love: Read One, Get 'Em All HarperCollins Children's Books Worlds of Words | Magical Worlds of Mystery & Possibility HarperCollins Children's Books Worlds of Words | Back to the Future: Traveling through Time HarperCollins Children's Books Worlds of Words | Journey to the Lost Cities with Shannon Messenger HarperCollins Children's Books Worlds of Words | |
Education Room 349 (Seats 48) | Cartooning Rules! Workshop for Kids Ages 6 + Ellen Wheeler and David Nix Heather and Stephen Caine | What's Your Superpower? Workshop for Kids Ellen Wheeler and David Nix Heather and Stephen Caine In Memory of Rita Tanner | Let's Tell a Story: Workshop for Kids Ellen Wheeler and David Nix Heather and Stephen Caine In Memory of Stephen Tanner | Draw a World on Your Head: Workshop for Kids Ellen Wheeler and David Nix Heather and Stephen Caine | Draw an Itty Bitty Story: Workshop for Kids Ellen Wheeler and David Nix Heather and Stephen Caine |
Education Room 351 (Seats 46) | Writing Middle Grade Novels for Today's Readers Southside Community School | Researching & Writing Engaging Nonfiction Southside Community School | True to Self: Fit In or Stand Out? Southside Community School | Sell Your Book: How to Write Query Letters Southside Community School | Voices of Indigenous Representation & History Southside Community School |
Education Room 353 (Seats 92) | The Joy & Wonder of Our Natural World Helios Education Foundation | WARRIORS Fans Unite for Fun and Games Helios Education Foundation | Home Meets Heart: The Gifts of Family Helios Education Foundation In Memory of Patricia Porter | Animal Tales of Rescue, Courage & Connection Helios Education Foundation Joseph and Michelle Millstone | WWII: War and Resistance Helios Education Foundation Nancy and John Stubblefield |
Education Room 437 (Seats 65) | Illustrator Studio: Paintings to Pixels The William and Mary Ross Foundation | Illustrator Studio: Seeing Stories Around Us The William and Mary Ross Foundation | Illustrator Studio: Ink and Watercolor The William and Mary Ross Foundation | Illustrator Studio: Meaning in Materials The William and Mary Ross Foundation | Illustrator Studio: Oil Painting and Perspective The William and Mary Ross Foundation |
Sat, Mar 14 | 10:00 am | 11:30 am | 1:00 pm | 2:30 pm | 4:00 pm |
Education Room 333: Parent Educator (Seats 44) | Reading Globally to Build a Better World Southside Community School | Honor Disability Voices in Children's Books Southside Community School | Outstanding International Books for Children & Teens Southside Community School | Award-Winning Books for K-8 Readers Southside Community School | The Power of Story to Engage Readers Southside Community School |
Sun, Mar 15 | 10:00 am | 11:30 am | 1:00 pm | 2:30 pm | 4:00 pm |
Education Room 211 (Kiva) (Seats 200) | No event | Celebrating 100 Years of HarperCollins HarperCollins Children's Books Worlds of Words | Journey to the House of Shivers HarperCollins Children's Books Worlds of Words | Laugh-Out-Loud Fun in Graphic Novels HarperCollins Children's Books Worlds of Words | On Your Mark, Get Set, Draw: Illustrator Draw-Off with Adam Rex HarperCollins Children's Books Worlds of Words |
Education Room 349 (Seats 48) | Design a Dragon: Workshop for Kids Ellen Wheeler and David Nix Heather and Stephen Caine | Drawing with InvestiGators: Workshop for Kids Ellen Wheeler and David Nix Heather and Stephen Caine | Fun with Riddles: Workshop for Kids Ellen Wheeler and David Nix Heather and Stephen Caine | Create a Luchador with Raúl the Third Ellen Wheeler and David Nix Heather and Stephen Caine | SCBWI: Local Resources for Aspiring Authors and Illustrators Ellen Wheeler and David Nix Heather and Stephen Caine |
Education Room 351 (Seats 46) | So You Want to Write a Picture Book? Southside Community School | A Conversation with Ruchira Gupta Southside Community School Colleen Gavin | Creativity in Writing Middle Grade Novels Southside Community School | Tohono O'odham Culture and Life Southside Community School Lynn and Mark Thomas | Alternative Routes to Publication: Tips for Authors Southside Community School |
Education Room 353 (Seats 92) | High-Stake Action: Saving What Matters Helios Education Foundation Michael and Debra Lisull | Loss and Resistance: A Call to Action Helios Education Foundation Ruth Dickstein | Facing Adversity through Courage & Connection Helios Education Foundation | Flights of Imagination and Discovery Helios Education Foundation James Wezelman and Denise Grusin | No event |
Education Room 437 (Seats 65) | Illustrator Studio: Acrylic Techniques The William and Mary Ross Foundation | Illustrator Studio: Unusual Materials and Mold-making The William and Mary Ross Foundation | Illustrator Studio: Shapes, Forms & Colors The William and Mary Ross Foundation | Illustrator Studio: Drawing Humans + Nature The William and Mary Ross Foundation | No event |
Sun, Mar 15 | 10:00 am | 11:30 am | 1:00 pm | 2:30 pm | 4:00 pm |
Education Room 333: Parent Educator (Seats 44) | Award-Winning Poetry and Verse Novels Southside Community School | Outstanding Books about the Middle East Southside Community School | Teaching with Award-Winning Nonfiction Southside Community School | Fostering Hope and Persistence through Story Southside Community School | No event |
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