Bay Area Book Festival Family Day
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Our free showcase of authors, activities, performances, and book giveaways for families has always been one of the most popular and beloved parts of the festival, attracting thousands of Bay Area kids and parents. For our tenth anniversary fest, our family-focused programming is extra special and unique. It even gets its very own day!
On Saturday May 4, Family Day programming will fill community spaces on four floors of the Berkeley Public Library downtown. In addition to our Young Readers and Writers Showcase, author talks, panels, and book signings, get ready for:
Family Reading Activities and Storytimes
A Flash Fiction Event for aspiring young writers, with Grant Faulkner from NaNoWriMo
A free comic book giveaway for National Free Comic Book Day
A cosplay (costume) contest for kids, in celebration of the Star Warsfandom’s annual Star Wars Day, “May the 4th Be With You”
….and much more, including:
A Showcase of Young Native Voices
We’re thrilled that brilliant young Indigenous writers will once again have a robust presence at the festival this year.
Every spring since 2018, in partnership with Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, dozens of high school students from the California Indian Nations participate in the Graton Writing Project: a weeklong creative writing workshop guided by professional instructors.
For each student, the capstone of the course is the creation of an original essay, short story, or sequence of poems in response to a topical prompt. The experience culminates in a public performance of the students’ work at the Festival, emceed by Tribal Chairman Greg Sarris, award-winning author of the acclaimed memoir Becoming Story and the forthcoming new work of fiction The Forgetters.
We’re always awed by the thoughtful and urgent work the Graton Writing Project students produce, and by the passion and skill with which they perform their art for an audience of hundreds at the festival. These are the voices we need to hear from, bringing a jolt of hope, inspiration, and energy to readers of all ages who need a reminder of how creative expression can heal, empower, and connect people.
FAMILY DAY AUTHORS AND SPEAKERS
Nikki Grimes
If you know a child who’s dealt with any kind of grief, loss, or difficulty, A Walk in the Woods—an exquisitely moving picture book by the New York Times bestselling author Grimes, illustrated by Caldecott winner Jerry Pinkey—is a godsend. Chronicling a young boy’s journey to come to grips with his father’s passing, it’s been named a best children’s book of the year by The New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine, Kirkus, Shelf Awareness, NPR, and many more. Don’t miss the chance to see one of the foremost children’s and young adult authors of the day at the fest, with one of her most profound and beautiful books yet.
Shawn Harris
Harris’ graphic novel The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza, illustrated by Mac Barnett, had its origins as 12 weekly installments posted to Instagram at the height of quarantine lockdown in 2020. What began as a way to spread comfort, magic, and whimsy during a difficult time turned into something entirely unexpected: a joyful combination of elements from picture books, puppetry, comics, animation, and filmmaking, recorded live over a Zoom call. Remembers Harris, “It’s the first time we ever wrote a book in front of an audience. It was also the first time we made a book with a full length soundtrack.” The result: a huge treat for the eyes, ears, and soul.
Darcie Little Badger
Badger’s Sheine Lende, one of Bookpage’s most anticipated YA books of 2024, is the prequel to her critically acclaimed debut novel, Elatsoe, featured in TIME as one of the best 100 fantasy books of all time. She’s also a Newbery award winner, a Locus Award winner, a Los Angeles Times Book Award finalist, and a longlistee for the National Book Award. A riveting book full of ghost dogs, fairy rings, floods, missing people, and the power of familial love, Sheine Lende is an enchanting fantasy with a beating heart.
Michael Genhart
Based on stories his mother told him as a boy, Genhart’s empowering picture book Spanish is the Language of My Family is about the joy of sharing cultural heritage with our families, inspired by the generations of Latino people punished for speaking Spanish, and the many ways new generations are rejuvenating the language. A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of the Year and Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, this book is a treasure for Spanish speaking families, as well as kids of all backgrounds who are learning the language.
