The Children's BookFest April 30, 2011

Experience the World…One Book at a Time at the Children's BookFest on April 30

Children and families can experience a world of stories and fun at The Children's BookFest on Saturday, April 30 from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Northwest Regional Library, 3151 N. University Drive, Coral Springs. This internationally themed literary event is perfect for youngsters ages 3 to 10 and their families.

This free festival offers children the opportunity to meet several famous authors, hear professional storytellers, see top-notch children's shows and interact with storybook characters. Upon arrival, children are encouraged to pick up a passport to begin the adventure, and the first 1,000 young visitors will receive a free book to take home. Young at Art will also host a free hands-on arts and crafts studio with fun activities that will spark young imaginations and encourage creativity.

Featured events for the Children's BookFest include:

• A live presentation and book signing with New York Times best-selling children's pop-up book creator/artist and paper engineer Robert Sabuda. The author of popular and critically acclaimed children's books including America the Beautiful and pop-up versions of classics such as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Sabuda is the three-time winner of the Meggendorfer Prize by the Movable Book Society of America.

• An artistic demonstration by Floyd Cooper, a Coretta Scott King Award-winning children's author and illustrator. Cooper received the top Coretta Scott King award for illustration in 2009 for his work in The Blacker the Berry by Joyce Carole Thomas. His most recent work, Willie and the All-Stars, the inspiring story of a young African American boy growing up in the 1940s, has received starred reviews and critical acclaim.

• Bilingual children's author and internationally touring storyteller Antonio Sacre will bring fables and family lore to life onstage. Sacre is the author of well-known children's picture books The Barking Mouse, La Noche Buena: A Christmas Story and the soon-to-be-released A Mango in the Hand. His storytelling recordings have won numerous awards, including the American Library Association's Notable Recipient Award, the Parent's Choice Gold and Silver Awards and the National Association of Parenting Publications Gold Award.

• Travelin' Tales from the That Puppet Guy with Atlanta-based puppeteer Lee Bryan. A nationally recognized touring artist, Bryan combines live vocal characterizations and songs with innovative puppet designs for a delightful and wholesome family entertainment experience. He was recently honored with an Emmy nomination by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for his work on the Public Broadcasting Spanish-language series Salsa!

• A bilingual magic/comedy show by Tampa-based magician Cesar Domico featuring unforgettable illusions and lots of laughs. A native of Colombia, Domico has been amazing audiences of all ages for almost two decades with his light-hearted, fun magic shows that are filled with laughs and surprises.

• Performances by notable children's entertainers Safari Sue (aka Suzy Hammer), renowned author and songwriter Darrell House and others.

Children's BookFest is held in recognition of Día de los niños/ Día de los libros (Children's Day/Book Day), a national celebration of children and reading. It is funded by the Broward Public Library Foundation with support from Baptist Medical Plazas, Broward Family Life Magazine and Friends of Coral Springs Library. For more information on Children's BookFest, please call the festival hotline at 954-357-7846.

The award-winning Broward County Libraries Division, founded in 1974, provides essential quality-of-life community service as well as outstanding customer service. By population served, it is the ninth largest library system in the nation. It is also one of the busiest, with more than nine million walk-in customers visiting its thirty seven locations annually. The library provides more than 3.4 million items and 2,000 computers for public use as well as hundreds of events and programs that meet the changing needs of the Broward County's diverse community. The library continues its strong emphasis on literacy and after-school programs. The library's web site, http://www.broward.org/library continuously evolves to meet the needs of its thousands of electronic access customers. In addition to providing electronic visitors with information about its locations, services, and events, the web site has easy links to online catalogs, reference information and electronic databases.

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