Children’s writer, illustrator to speak Thursday in Bellingham

Award-winning children’s writer and illustrator Melissa Sweet will discuss how she creates a book during a “50 Shades of Green” presentation in advance of her weekend appearance at a major literary event.

Sweet, whose books include “Balloons Over Broadway,” “The Right Word,” “A Splash of Red” and “River of Words,” has won a Caldecott Honor, an Orbis Pictus Honor and a Sibert Medal, in addition to earning ALA Notable listings and starred reviews from Kirkus. She is among the featured writers and artists at the noted Children’s Literature Conference on Saturday, Feb. 27, at Western Washington University.