Book time for the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature

Abilene offers an assortment of fun-filled activities that will keep both the young and the young at heart entertained. The National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature in historic downtown Abilene is a museum dedicated to housing the illustrations of children’s books’ authors and illustrators.

The NCCIL (pronounced ‘nickel’) continually collaborates with award-winning artists to produce quality exhibitions appealing to visitors of all ages.

Many well-known authors and illustrators have displayed their work at the NCCIL, such as William Steig, the creator of “Shrek”; Jan and Mike Berenstain, the author and illustrator of the famous “Berenstain Bears” series; and Leonard Marcus, author of “A Golden Legacy: Original Art from 65 Years of Golden Books”.

The NCCIL’s exhibits are always in circulation, making this museum new and exciting for all. Following the debut at the NCCIL gallery, each exhibition travels to museums, public libraries and galleries worldwide.

On the first Friday of every month, the NCCIL hosts “Art Adventure.” This is a free monthly event for children ages two to five and is generally held at 10 a.m. This parent-tot program combines the different aspects of visual and verbal literacy by exposing the children to books and art based on the featured artist in the gallery. Each Saturday, the NCCIL hosts “Family Fun Saturday” from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The NCCIL’s art educators help you and your children create a work of art by using the style and medium of the featured artist in the gallery. This event is always free and the children can take their work of art home with them.

The museum offers gallery talks that are always free to the public, as well as special events surrounding the opening of each exhibit. Here, you can meet the artist and find out what inspired them to create the works of art featured in the gallery.

For more information regarding the NCCIL and its current exhibits, visit www.nccil.org or call 325-673-4586. The NCCIL is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is always free to the public.