Chesapeake Children’s Book Festival

On Saturday, June 17, from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., the Talbot County Free Library, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity Choptank, will host the Second Annual Chesapeake Children’s Book Festival at the library’s Easton branch (100 West Dover Street). Attendees will meet over 30 authors and illustrators of some of today’s finest children’s books. The Festival will feature live music, a blacksmith working his smithy, make-a-book, an exhibit of Easton High School student art, free food and drink, sign up for the Imagination Library, a plant and seed exchange, a “Build Your Own Home” activity, a photo prop house children can have their picture taken in, and more. Several of the authors will give readings from their work.

The Festival will also serve as the kick-off event for the Talbot County Free Library’s annual summer reading program. Each child who signs up for the summer reading program will receive a voucher good for a free book from one of the Festival’s authors (while supplies last). The child gets to pick the book of their choice and have the author sign it. Studies have shown that children who read during the summer avoid significant drops in their reading skills and return to school in the fall better prepared than those that haven’t been reading. In keeping with the theme of this year’s summer reading program—“Build a Better World”—the library is partnering with Habitat for Humanity Choptank on the project. Every time a child in the summer reading program reads a book, a donation will be made to Habitat for Humanity Choptank.

All library programs are free and open to the public. For more information, please visit www.chesapeakechildrensbookfestival.com , or call 410-822-1626.