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Amy Cordova, children's book illustrator, will visit the Pioneer Library System in April as part of The Little Read. Cordova illustrated Ruldolfo Anaya's "The First Tortilla" which is the book featured in the children's component of the library system's Big Read this year.?

Cordova will visit classrooms in Noble, Purcell and Shawnee to conduct art workshops for the children. School assemblies will include an audiovisual presentation by Cordova of her illustrations for "The First Tortilla" and a discussion of her art and the experience of collaborating with an author. Cordova is a former elementary school teacher who takes time from her illustrating to teach art to elementary school children at the Yaxche Learning Center in Taos, N.M.

Cordova's schedule includes the Moore Public Library, 225 S. Howard, 1 p.m. April 16. She will visit the Norman Public Library, 225 N. Webster Ave., 3:45 p.m. April 17 for the Club 345 which includes third-, fourth- and fifth-graders. Attendance at these library events is limited to 30 children, aged 8 and older.

Call each library for details: Moore at 793-5100 and Norman at 701-2600.

On April 17, the Pioneer Library System will host a reception beginning 6 p.m. at the Santa Fe Depot in Norman. Following the reception will be a presentation during which Cordova and two prominent Oklahoma children's book illustrators will discuss their experiences with picture books.

Mike Wimmer of Norman and Chris Nick of Oklahoma City will share the stage. Wimmer is the illustrator of many picture books, including two with former Gov. Frank Keating: "Will Rogers" and "Theodore Roosevelt." Chris Nick has illustrated "When Grandma Was a Girl" and the forthcoming "When Grandpa Was a Boy," both by Bruce Lansky.

The event is free and open to the public. More information may be obtained by calling Jennie Stenis, librarian with the Pioneer Library System Readers Service Center, at 701-1835.

At 10:30 a.m. April 19, Cordova will conduct a children's workshop at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art. Cordova will speak about elements of the book, "The First Tortilla." Children will have the opportunity for a hands-on creative activity to illustrate her talk. Attendance to this workshop is limited to 30 children aged 8 and older.?

Amy Cordova is a self-taught artist who lives in the mountains of northern New Mexico. About her work she said, "My art and writing come from a place inside me; I want to see what feelings look like, not just images. When I draw, my pictures tell stories. Through my writing, I make pictures."

"The First Tortilla" is the third book she has illustrated for Rudolfo Anaya.?

The Big Read is a project of the library system and an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts, in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and in cooperation with Arts Midwest.

Visit the library system's Big Read Web site at www.bigreadok.com for more information and a complete listing of Big Read events.