History Meets High-Tech at the Southern Festival of Books: The 30-Day US President from Virginia Goes Electronic

The creator of the Young Patriots Series of children's books, Florrie Binford Kichler, will present a program on her book "William Henry Harrison, Young Tippecanoe" at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville, TN Oct. 10-12. She will also unveil the new electronic book of the same title.

Florrie Binford Kichler, publisher of Patria Press and creator of the Young Patriots Series, will bring the story of her award-winning childrens book series, now offered in electronic format, to the Southern Festival of Books to be held in Nashville, Tennessee October 11-13. During her program at 2:30 pm on October 12, Ms. Kichler will debut the never-before-seen electronic version of "William Henry Harrison, Young Tippecanoe," Volume 2 in the Series, and discuss the re-issue and redesign of a classic book series for children that is 70 years old.

Florrie Binford read her way through a serious illness as an 8-year-old girl in Indiana; the books she chose were the Childhood of Famous Americans series, published by local publisher Bobbs-Merrill. And when she joined the workforce in the early 1970s, Bobbs-Merrill became her employer. But during the last two decades, publishing consolidation orphaned her beloved "orange biography" series; the books started disappearing from the shelves of America's bookstores.

Kichler began a one-woman campaign to save some 100 of the Series from oblivion. Working up to three years to obtain rights, she started her own company, Patria Press, to republish her favorite titles, all of which tell the childhood stories of American heroes and heroines. Two of Ms. Kichlers books feature Americans from the South—Juliette Low, who grew up in Savannah, Georgia ("Juliette Low, Girl Scout Founder"); and William Henry Harrison, our ninth president and a native of Virginia ("William Henry Harrison, Young Tippecanoe")

Her books have received important awards, including ForeWord magazine's Book of the Year. Independent Publisher Magazines Award for Childrens Fiction and the Parent's Choice award. Kichler has been featured on C-Span2s BookTV, and has spoken at numerous festivals and conferences throughout the country. Other books in the Series include "Amelia Earhart, Young Air Pioneer," "Lew Wallace, Boy Writer," "James Whitcomb Riley, Young Poet," and the upcoming titles, "Eddie Rickenbacker, Boy Pilot and Racer" and "Mahalia Jackson, Gospel Singer and Civil Rights Champion."

In her presentation, Florrie will share her dramatic "search and rescue" story of the 70-year-old classic book line, show examples of the series over the years, and demonstrate the brand new electronic book, "William Henry Harrison, Young Tippecanoe."

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