DAMARISCOTTA — This small Maine town will become a national center for children’s literature during late July and early August as more than 80 original artworks by famed children’s book illustrators will be on exhibit.

The climax will occur on Aug. 8, with the Barbara Cooney Festival and Benefit Auction, during which all exhibited works will be offered for sale to the public.

“The idea for these events began last year with an incredibly generous donation by our library patron and nationally renowned illustrator Barbara Cooney,” explains auction coordinator Barbara Burt. “We wanted to honor her generosity and carry on the tradition which we began last year.” Last year, the auction netted more than $100,000 for the library.

Cooney’s generosity has spurred many of her colleagues to join in this fund-raising event. Other Caldecott Medal winners participating this summer include this year’s winner Mary Azarian, Trina Schart Hyman, Ed Young, Emily Arnold McCully, and Ed Emberly. “The artists who are contributing work sound like a list of who’s who in the world of children’s book illustration,” Burt said.

The art will be on exhibit daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Aug. 7 at the Skidompha Public Library’s capital campaign office on Main Street adjacent to the library. Admission is free.

During the Barbara Cooney Festival from 2 to 5 p.m. Aug. 8, several of the featured artists will give presentations and sign boks. Daniel and Jill Pinkwater will speak, along with this year’s Caldecott Medal winner Mary Azarian, and a panel of wonderful Maine illustrators.

In addition to his many zany and beloved children’s books, Daniel Pinkwater is known as a favorite contributor to National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered.” Pinkwater is an illustrator in his own right and has donated some of his most prized drawings to the benefit auction. In addition, his wife, Jill, has collaborated with him as illustrator of many of his most recent books.

Printmaker Mary Azarian’s illustrations for the 1998 book “Snowflake Bentley” garnered her this year’s Caldecott Medal, an honor given to one illustrator per year by the American Library Association for that year’s best illustrated book. With this honor, Mary joins the ranks of such luminaries as Maurice Sendak, Robert McCloskey, and Barbara Cooney. A print from “Snowflake Bentley” will be offered at the auction.

While the Pinkwaters hail from New York and Mary Azarian comes from Vermont, Maine, too, is blessed with a wealth of artistic talent. To recognize the wonderful illustrators who live and work in Maine, a panel of local illustrators will share their views on “Maine Inspiration.” Mary Beth Owens, Robert Shetterly, Gus Moore, Debby Atwell, Charlotte Agell, and Anne Sibley O’Brien will inform and entertain us with their lively discussion.

This family event will take place at Round Top Center for the Arts, on Business Route 1 in Damariscotta. Tickets are required, and are available at the library’s capital campaign office. For information, call 563-2142.

Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children. Books will be available for purchase at the event or may be purchased in advance at Maine Coast Book Shop on Main Street in Damariscotta.

The Benefit Auction begins at 6 p.m. in the Darrows Barn at Round Top Center for the Arts with a preview and champagne reception for the artists. Many of the illustrators who have donated artwork are expected to attend. Auctioneer Kaja Veilleux will handle the bidding, which begins at 7 p.m. Advance tickets are required: $20 per person includes both refreshments and a bidding card. Tickets are limited and can be obtained at the library’s capital campaign office at 563-2142. Absentee bidding and long-distance bidding are both available; contact Pam Gormley at the capital campaign office for information.

Proceeds from all events will benefit the Skidompha Public Library’s capital campaign, which received its initial impetus from a $550,000 donation by Barbara Cooney.