Evie's Desk: Feria del Libro, June 7, 2008April 28, 2008 |
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 This past weekend the Los Angeles Times held its annual Festival of Books at UCLA — and it was exciting! Authors, books, panel discussions — it was an incredible celebration for book lovers. I admit, though, that the festival made me even more excited about an upcoming event that First 5 LA is co-sponsoring: The Feria del Libro, A Family Book Fair. The Feria is like the Festival of Books but its focus is on inspiring children to develop a love of books. And since I have a soft spot for children's books (especially pop-up books), it is also for readers like me. Last year, the event welcomed almost 30,000 children, parents, teachers, and booklovers young and old — all flooding the streets in front of Los Angeles City Hall. They came to buy books and to hear celebrities and children's authors read, as well as to learn more about the community resources that support reading. Eight of our School Readiness grantees held a story time activity at their booth, and connected with families about what they can do to prepare their children for kindergarten level reading. This year, 21 First 5 LA grantee sites are participating in the Million Word Challenge. Parents, caregivers or providers will try to read 75 board or picture books with each participating child before this year's Feria. The winning child or family will receive a $50 gift certificate to purchase books at the festival. For those of you nominating students, don't forget to turn in your nominations between May 1 and May 14. The Feria is still a little over a month away, but I would like to encourage all of our readers to join us at the event and also to promote the event with colleagues, friends and neighbors. Click here to download a flier or just stop by the First 5 LA office and we will give you a poster to put up at your site. You can also visit www.FeriadelLibro.net to learn more about this year's Feria and how you can get involved. Evelyn V. Martinez
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