This Saturday, August 22, youngsters and their families are encouraged to walk to Children’s Beach for the Nantucket Book Foundation’s annual Children’s Book Day. In partnership with the Nantucket Cultural District, NBF has designed Children’s Book Day to be filled with joy, creativity, and discovery for children ages 2 to 9. The event aims to ignite a lifelong love of reading and learning in our island’s youngest residents.
Starting at 9:30 am and running till 12:30 pm, Children’s Book Day will offer a range of free experiences for children and their families designed to foster literacy and spark imagination, including craft activities, a magic show, seven author readings, music and movement with Cory Morgan, crafts, games, and a scavenger hunt. Special guests include G.Pa Rhymes, Mollie Elkman, Carrie Kruck, Jeff Verney, and Kate Mastellone. The featured author is Robin Newman, who describes herself as an attorney and legal editor who “now prefers to write about witches, mice, pigs, bears, and peacocks.” Among her books are The Case of the Bad Apples, Trial and Error, No Peacocks, and Don’t Call Me Fussybutt!
Several years ago, Shantaw Bloise-Murphy, director of Culture and Tourism on Nantucket, partnered with the Nantucket Book Foundation to bring the idea to fruition. She described Children’s Book Day as “something I’ve been toying with since attending the Brooklyn Children Museum Book Fest for Kids…I grew up in a household where reading was cruicial. I developed a love for books, falling in love with characters, and feeling a part of something else. My love of reading has transferred to my son, and watching his love of literature develop made me want to bring this to all children here on Nantucket.”
Realizing Children’s Book Day fits well with the mission of the Nantucket Book Foundation, Bloise-Murphy presented the idea to the people behind that vibrant organization, and they joined forces to create a lasting event.
Children’s Book Day is designed to be a community celebration of the joys of reading. By providing a platform for authors and offering engaging activities, this is a way to reinforce a commitment to nurturing young minds and fostering a love for literature.
-Suzanne Daub
