Bookfest

Book Fest - Books, Kids, Volunteers!

FIRST HACKENSACK BOOKFEST IS A HUGE SUCCESS!

Read Now held its first Bookfest! in Hackensack in partnership with the Johnson Free Public Library. We welcomed almost 200 children and adults to the event on Saturday, November 21st. Read Now volunteers helped each attendee find the right books to take home. There were books for all ages and interests from which to choose.

The participation of Adele Taylor, 14 year old founder of Adele's Literacy Library, was the special feature of our first Hackensack Bookfest! She read several books to groups of delighted children. For more information on Adele's program, visit her website www.adelesliteracylibrary.org. The children were also delighted with the refreshments provided by a group of Fairleigh Dickinson University students. Thanks to the group and their organizer, Sharon Nicholson, before and during the event.

"This Bookfest! went so smoothly,” commented Read Now board member Norma Levy. "Part of the reason is our experiences in five previous Bookfests; but a large part of it was due to the encouragement and cooperation of Assistant Director Barb Schuit and the library staff" added Levy.

Watch for the next Bookfest! Saturday April 24th at the Paterson Free Public Library.

Bookfest Moves Outdoors Summer 2009

Under big shade trees and a cloudless sky, Read Now! held its first outdoor Bookfest in MacKay Park, Englewood on Saturday, July 11. Volunteers helped 112 children and adults select over 500 books to take home. "MacKay Park in Englewood was an excellent site.", stated Lolly Burgin Project Director. "Many families in the community who were enjoying the park stopped in to talk about books and reading with us" she added. 14 volunteers, adults and teenagers, helped the children find books to take home.

Each Bookfest has had special moments and this one was no exception! A mother stopped her car and ran in to get some books for her children to read on their car trip. A young boy who came over to the adult section seeking a birthday present for his mother. The toddler who came by Bookfest, picked up a board book and clutched it the entire time he was there.

Watch for our next Bookfest! in the fall.

BOOKFEST Spring 2009

Biggest and Best Bookfest Ever!

On Saturday, April 4, Read Now! held its third Bookfest at the Paterson Free Public Library.

“Every year this event gets bigger” remarked one of the volunteers, surveying the room full of children and adults browsing through and choosing books to take home. Twenty eight volunteers were on hand to give help and advice. Our regular teen volunteers were joined by a group of 8th graders from the Norman S. Weir School. The young people supervised the children's craft activities which included making bookmarks.

Special guests included Gabriela Billini, Miss Teenage Latina of the United States. Gabriela read to small groups of children and was a great addition to the event. We were honored by her presence. Dr. Joseph Atallo of the Paterson Board of Education stopped in to lend his support. In addition there were several teachers from day care centers and the public schools.

New this year were educational materials for children and adults. The parents corner had pamphlets with tips on reading to young children and encouraging the youngsters to read themselves. A particular favorite was a Thomas the Tank Engine math book.

When they were ready to leave, each child received a brightly colored mini book bag with two small books and a pencil. “All in all it was a good day” commented Lolly Burgin, Director. “Our volunteers did a fine job. We could not have run a successful event without the help and cooperation of the library staff headed by assistant director, Mary Wilson. We can’t wait for next year”.

BOOKFEST Fall 2008

Englewood Bookfest a Success!

Read Now! joined forces with the West Side Teen Parent/Infant program and the Junior League of Bergen County to stage its first Bookfest in Englewood on Saturday, October 4. Volunteers from all three organizations helped children choose just the right books to take home. Several volunteers also read stories to small groups of children. A popular added attraction was “2 Lips - the Clown”, provided by Bergen County United Way, who delighted young children with her face-painting skills. More than 80 children and some of the adults who accompanied them, are now proud owners of books of their own.

BOOKFEST Spring 2008

The Paterson Bookfest was an amazing success! We distributed 1400 books to about 225 children and adults and were out of books by a little after one o’clock. Last year, there were 75 children with an additional 50 adults.

Read Now! volunteers did a fabulous job and had very special help from a Mount Carmel (Ridgewood) confirmations class. The girls made posters and signs, and helped the children make bookmarks. Their leader, Diama Fischer, organized the effort which went off without a hitch. The library staff, especially assistant director Mary Wilson, was welcoming and supportive through setup Friday and the event on Saturday. Once again Starbuck’s provided refreshments and Barnes and Noble supplied book bags.

In addition to children’s books, we were able to include adult books thanks to the generosity of the friends of the Glen Rock library. We also held periodic drawings for some special books mostly donated by the Wells Mountain Foundation in Vermont.

For much of the morning, the room was too crowded to hold story time, but we read to small groups and eventually had a larger group when the crowd thinned slightly.

We did have one regret. Several kids arrived as we were cleaning up and found no books left. We will provide some books for the children that we know about.

All in all it was a spectacular success! Watch for our next event. We expect this to be in Englewood, October 4.

BOOKFEST 2007 - Read Now! celebrated a new first. The Paterson Free Public Library was the scene for a bookfest on Saturday July 21st. Children could choose from 1200 books to keep. With helpful advice from our volunteers, they eagerly filled their bags with books of interest to bring home. The children attending this event also listened to stories and participated in craft activities.
In addition to the many family groups present that afternoon, there were reporters from the Paterson Herald News and two members of the Paterson Board of Education. The Herald News printed two separate stories.
Our special thanks to the library staff, Starbucks and Barnes and Noble. The library staff made all of us feel welcome and contributed immensely to the success of the event. Starbuck’s provided refreshments through the Ridgewood store and Barnes and Noble donated bags to carry the books home.
Keep checking the website for the next event.