Kids Welcome at 2022 Book Festival

This year the 11th annual Kansas Book Festival is hosting a range of child friendly presentations, events, and performances for children and teens. The festival, hosted by Mabee library at Washburn University, will occur on Saturday, September 24th from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and it is free and open to the public.

There are a number of presentations for younger children including Heart and Humor in Picture Books, where picture book creators, Tammi Sauer (No Bunnies Here) and Brad Sneed (Because I’m New), read from a wealth of their fun, beautifully illustrated books. Another presentation, Kansas Kids Who Publish Books, features Wichita’s Wyatt Shield (Wyatt’s Big Adventure with Shriners), Washington’s Kady Toole (Izzy the Cowgirl Corgi), and Topeka’s Anna Riphahn plus composer Paul Epp (The Timekeeper).  They will talk with Carol Settgast, coordinator of two books published by elementary students in Junction City.

Not only will there be exciting presentations, but also interactive events for kids. The Kansas Children’s Discovery Center and Paper June Bookstore will provide hands-on activities in an outdoor tent. A performance by storyteller Kyler Carpenter and puppeteer Priscilla Howe will take place at noon as well.

At 1:00 PM high school poets from Topeka High, Topeka West, and Highland Park will compete for top poet in the Topeka High School Poetry Slam. And another exciting event for young adults is the presentation at 2:00 PM titled Why Sci-fi + Fantasy = Young Adult Fascination. In this presentation YA authors Natalie Cammaratta and Kimberly Grymes discuss what makes Sci-Fi/Fantasy fiction so appealing to all readers. 

The Kansas Book Festival is targeted towards all ages and presents 60 authors with a wide range of topics including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and kids books. There will be an additional 30 exhibitors in tents with food trucks. For the full schedule go to the website www.kansasbookfestival.com