NEWPORT, R.I. – “Enchanted Garden of Books” is the theme for this year’s March Into Reading children’s book festival, to be held Saturday, March 5 at Salve Regina University.
Free and open to children of all ages and their families, the festival brings together several local authors and illustrators to host readings, workshops, book signings and other activities. Among the free family activities and hands-on exhibits this year will be a petting zoo and the Aquidneck Farms and Gardens Booklet, which contains information, suggested reading and websites about local farms for the family to enjoy.
No reservations are required to attend the event, which will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at O’Hare Academic Center on Ochre Point Avenue.
Presented by the Aquidneck Collaborative for Education and Salve Regina University, the annual reading festival brings families together to highlight the importance of reading. Local authors participating this year include:
Laura Backman, (Lemon the Duck); Jane Bregoli, (The Goat Lady); Loree Griffin Burns, (The Hive Detectives: Chronicle of a Honey Bee Catastrophe); Clara Silverstein, (A White House Gardening Cookbook: Healthy Ideas from the First Family for Your Family); Melissa Stewart, (A Place for Frogs and When Rain Falls); and Wendy Watson, (Bedtime Bunnies).
Each year, March Into Reading impacts thousands of K-5th grade students, their families, teachers and librarians by inspiring an increased interest in reading while reinforcing the importance of literacy skills.
The program is made possible this year with the support of the Hamilton Family Foundation, Newport Public Education Foundation, People’s Credit Union, Rotary Club of Newport, The Newport Daily News, Newport Hotel Group and Island Books.
The Aquidneck Collaborative for Education (ACE) is a unique partnership of educational institutions spearheaded and coordinated by Salve Regina’s department of education. It is a non-profit association of Aquidneck Island educational institutions that was incorporated in 1993 and includes early childhood centers, independent, parochial, private and public elementary and secondary schools, the James L. Maher Center, Salve Regina University, Newport Campus of the Community College of Rhode Island and the U.S. Naval War College.
The ACE mission is to strengthen existing relations among the educational institutions, to promote education as a community value, to provide opportunities for professional development and instructional advancement, to share facilities and resources and to foster communication among the educational institutions and within the community.
For more information, call Kathryn Rok at 401-341-3157.