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, the award-winning author of "Esperanza Rising" and "When Marian Sang," will make two multimedia presentations to area schoolchildren, teachers and the general public on Wednesday, Feb. 1, at the University of California, Davis.

Her lectures with slideshows are offered as part of the second annual School of Education's Children's Literature Lecture Series, in which children's authors and illustrators discuss their art of crafting word and images.

The matinee presentation, "One Author's Journey," will begin at 11 a.m. in the Mondavi Center's Jackson Hall. More than 1,200 children from area elementary and middle schools are expected to attend.

The evening lecture, "Beginnings, Belongings and My Journey to Books," will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the center's smaller Studio Theatre. It will be followed by a book sale and signing.

Joanne Galli-Banducci, a lecturer in the School of Education, said Ryan writes about the famous -- including Eleanor Roosevelt and Amelia Earhart -- as well as common folk working out their lives. She has been struck by how the author develops her characters. "They simply capture your heart," she said. "They are inspiring."

Born and raised in the San Joaquin Valley, Ryan has written more than 25 children's books. One of her novels, "Esperanza Rising," tells the tale of a 14-year-old girl who loses her father and must leave behind a privileged life in Mexico for the grim reality of California's agricultural labor camps during the Great Depression.

The book has been honored by the Association for Library Service to Children and the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking; the Jane Addams Peace Association; and the American Library Association.

She has also authored picture books for various ages, including "Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride" and "When Marian Sang."

Tickets for both lectures are still available through the Mondavi Center Ticket Office at $10 for adults and $5 for students and children age 18 and under. The lectures are sponsored by the School of Education with support from the Children's Hospital at ºÙºÙÊÓƵ.