Last year, the Children’s Fairyland opened up the Turn the Page! children’s book festival. After a successful inaugural event in which 2,000 families and children attended, the festival returns to help children connect with their favorite children’s book and their local authors on Saturday. Twenty-six local authors and illustrators will be participating in the festival, six of which will be reading aloud their works. Some of the read-aloud authors include: Katrina Goldsaito who, in her latest book The Sound of Silence (pictured), writes about a boy living in Tokyo looking for peace and quiet; Laurin Mayeno who produced works inspired by her gender-expansive gay son and encourages children to be okay with their gender orientation; and illustrator Robert Liu-Trujillo who collaborated with Mayeno on their latest book One Of A Kind Like Me and has previously explored his Latino upbringing in Oakland. In addition, attendees can buy books from the Laurel Bookstore, have them signed by authors, and make their own books to keep or add to Oakland Public Library’s traveling bike library. The festival is free with park admission or a Fairyland family membership.
Saturday, May 6, 10 am to 4pm, 699 Bellevue Ave, Oakland, Fairyland.org.
