Flor Bromley, a bilingual actress/singer/songwriter, storyteller and puppeteer, opens Children’s Day with her sing along fun, bringing books to life as songs – in Spanish and English!
Saturday, September 30 — 10am – 4pm — Brooklyn Commons at MetroTech
With three outdoor stages and a dedicated Makers & Creators corner, families enjoy a full day of readings, workshops, performances, book signings, and art projects with favorite authors and illustrators. Kids can get creative with their favorite authors at workshops and even get their books signed. Plus, the whole family can find new favorite books at the Children’s Marketplace of Books.
Flor Bromley, a bilingual actress/singer/songwriter, storyteller and puppeteer, opens Children’s Day with her sing along fun, bringing books to life as songs – in Spanish and English!
Print with Wood Type. Come print real antique wood type on a vintage Kelsey letterpress with Dikko Faust of Purgatory Pie Press. Travel back in time to make your own BKBF Children’s Day souvenir keepsake.
In the heartwarming KINDergarten, quiet and shy Leo is nervous for his first day of school. But when his class takes a kindness pledge and Leo’s caring actions are thoughtfully noticed by his peers, he realizes that kindergarten might not be so scary after all.
Join the NYCCT team for a unique read aloud experience with kids, combining physical and vocal warm-ups with an interactive read aloud of Honey & Leon, and connecting theater activities and recorded music from the show!
How to Make Books and Making Books with Kids author Esther K. Smith and Jane Sanders who illustrated Making Books with Kids will show you how to fold, cut and pop your own book. Then YOU can draw + write your story!
Calling all FanWings. Join beloved fantasy author Tui T. Sutherland as she reads from and discusses her new book, The Flames of Hope, in the Wings of Fire series! Sutherland is the author of the NYT bestselling Wings of Fire series, the Menagerie trilogy, and the Pet Trouble series, as well as a contributing author to the bestselling Spirit Animals and Seekers series. She is joined by educator Annie Thoms.
Elena loves to listen to the coquí frogs sing to her from her family’s beloved mango tree. But when a hurricane comes, the safe, familiar home Elena knew suddenly isn’t so safe and familiar anymore. The Coquíes Still Sing follows Elena and her family as they find the hope and resilience they need to rebuild after Hurricane Maria.
Join Brooklyn Bridge Parents for Lego and block building for children of all ages. Whether it is a bridge, skyscraper, ball track or school – come build, play and laugh with us! Peruse Lego books for inspiration or make your own.
Meet a special child with amazing abilities: elastic limbs, an ultrasonic voice, and super speed! Meet THE BLUR! But as she zooms through life, can her parents ever manage to keep up? Written by Minh Lê and illustrated by Caldecott-winner Dan Santat, The Blur is a heartwarming ode to childhood, and the way it all seems to go by so fast.
In this interactive program, you get to build the wildest, weirdest characters you can think of and decide who wins when they face off in some seriously epic battles! Can a wizard with laser eyes beat a time-traveler who toots poisonous gas? Will a three-headed kitten out-cute a pygmy unicorn? Master storyteller Ibi Zoboi (Star Child) will help you create your very own characters as amazing illustrators Kayla Miller (Crunch) and Johnnie Christmas (Swim Team) draw the ultimate face-offs.
Vital Theatre Company, Inc. presents selections from “Pinkalicious the Musical.” After eating one too many pink cupcakes, Pinkalicous wakes up with Pinkititis! Now pink from head to toe, this is a dream for pink-lover Pinkalicious. But when her hue goes too far, only Pinkalicious can figure out how to get out of this predicament. http://vitaltheatre.org
El Toro and his fellow wrestler friends are back! In the latest children’s book from Raúl The Third, the friend group learns the value of teamwork and sticking together. Written bilingually in Spanish and English, children are sure to delight in this action-packed adventure that’s full of laughs and positive lessons.
Anzu is different from the rest of his family. Instead of scaring people with his monstrous powers like the other great Kaiju, Anzu prefers to be kind and gentle. How can he make his parents proud while still staying true to himself?
Come help acclaimed author, Emma Otheguy (Sofia Acosta Makes a Scene) dream up a story and watch, amazed, as Caldecott-winning illustrator Dan Santat (The Blur) and rising star cartoonist Shauna J. Grant (Mimi: Cutie Catastrophe) draw it on the spot! You decide what fates these characters will meet!
Based on their YouTube live cartoon series, Mac and Shawn created The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza, an epic graphic novel about the first cat in space, a battle against moon-eating rats, and a harrowing journey to eating some pizza. Join them for a dramatic reading, Q&A, and more!
Due to the weather, this program has moved indoors to the Brooklyn Public Library Brooklyn Heights branch located at 286 Cadman Plaza West.
Come create your own costume and join the pantheon of Gods. Illustrator and writer George O’Connor will lead kids in making masks and transforming themselves into gods and goddesses.
Who ever heard of a book that offers drawings as presents?! In the humorous I Cannot Draw a Horse, a generous-spirited book gives a cat drawings—a squirrel, beaver, and a bunny—but never the drawing she really wants. Will the cat ever receive a picture of a horse?
The city is full of incredible art, so why does no one ever stop to look? Join C.G. Esperanza for a fun and lyrical tale of three children who take it upon themselves to make a busy city stop and appreciate the everyday beauty of urban graffiti.
Come join New York Times bestselling authors Dhonielle Clayton (The Marvellers) and Claribel Ortega (Witchlings), New York Times bestselling author and illustrator Ethan M. Aldridge (The Legend of Bright Blade) and critically acclaimed author Julie C. Dao (Team Chu and the Battle of Blackwood Arena) as they chat about all things high-stakes adventure, multicultural magic and the joys and challenges of building new worlds for middle-grade readers in this epic panel. Moderated by Amy Herrick (The Tiltersmith).
Come celebrate and reflect on info patterns in our everyday lives by making Personal Pie Panoramas, or a paper accordion of pie charts measuring our favorite things. Are you 10% pizza, 15% kittens, and 20% soccer? Find out your personal make up, or make one with a friend. Guided by Andrea Tsurumi, illustrator of Life Log, a hands-on tutorial about making personal infographics.
Follow along with Devi in My Diwali Light, as she celebrates Diwali traditions like designing rangoli, wearing a beautiful red bindi, and painting diyas with her family. Written by Raakhee Mirchandani and illustrated by Supriya Kelkar, this joyful tale about the holiday season is sure to enchant young hearts.
Join Mason Goes Mushrooming author Melany Kahn & illustrator Ellen Korbonski for interactive kid -friendly activities about mushrooms. Identify real mushrooms, grab provided paints and materials to make your own wooden, paper or model fungi to take home, or watch an illustrator at work making mushrooms appear from the tip of her watercolor brush.
Carrimebec, The Town That Walked is a stunning tale of magical realism that is truly the perfect merge between history, African American folk wisdom, and mystical elements. David Barclay Moore creates a captivating tale for children as a way to educate on the Reconstruction era in this modern classic illustrated by John Holyfield.
Join Newbery Honor and National Book Award finalist Kyle Lukoff (Different Kinds of Fruit), Stonewall Award winner Brandy Colbert (The Only Black Girls in Town), and Maulik Pancholy (The Best at It) on a panel about banned and challenged middle grade books, moderated by Kat Savage, managing librarian at Adams Street Library, Brooklyn Public Library’s newest branch, and Alyeah McAllister from the Intellectual Freedom Teen Council, who recently led BPL’s effort to provide library cards to teens across the country experiencing book bans in their area. They’ll discuss writing children’s books at a time when book bans targeting race, gender, and sexuality are at an unprecedented high, why kids should be able to read freely, and their own favorite middle grade titles that frequent banned book lists.
Watch, laugh, and cheer as artist Raúl The Third presides over the year’s most dynamic live action drawing competition featuring George O’Connor (Olympians series), Benson Shum (Anzu the Great Kaiju), Charise Mericle Harper (I Cannot Draw A Horse), Jay Davis (Girl Dad) and more.
Due to the weather, this program has moved indoors to the Brooklyn Public Library Brooklyn Heights branch located at 286 Cadman Plaza West.
In the latest bedtime story by author and illustrator Stephen Savage, children will be calmly and peacefully lulled to sleep by this whimsical journey. Readers follow along with the moon’s bright and constant light, as it touches every corner of the world.
The 2023 Festival will be in-person in Downtown Brooklyn. We look forward to seeing you! In the meantime, sign up for our newsletter and stay in the loop with our latest news.