This year’s Children’s Corner at the Literary Hill BookFest promises to be the best yet!
Capitol Hill schoolteacher Nicole Siegel is coordinating a day of activities guaranteed to delight youngsters of all ages—and their parents. Guided by volunteers, kids can contribute to a jumbo coloring sheet, add to a collective poem, and create origami books.
Also on the docket are programs by BookFest authors. Visitors are encouraged to lounge in a beanbag chair and listen to a reading, learn about civil rights and other cultures, or even lend their voices to a mock podcast about a pooping bird at the US Capitol.
Ginger Park will read from her new book, “The Hundred Choices Department Store,” a novel based on her mother’s escape from Japanese-occupied Korea in World War II, and lead a discussion about Korean culture. Ginger is the award-winning author of five children’s books, including “My Freedom Trip: A Child’s Escape from North Korea” and “Goodbye, 382 Shin Gang Dong,” which Newsweek magazine called “the perfect all-American story.” She is also co-owner of CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE in downtown DC. www.parksisters.com
Co-authors Terry Catasús Jennings and Rosita Stevens-Holsey will introduce young readers to a groundbreaking firebrand for justice with lessons from their book, “Pauli Murray: The Life of a Pioneering Feminist and Civil Rights Activist.” Terry is an award-winning children’s author who came to the US from Cuba in 1961 and writes the “Definitely Dominguita” series of books about a little girl whose adventures are based on stories from classic literature. www.terrycatasusjennings.com Rosita is the niece of Pauli Murray and the keeper of her illustrious ancestor’s legacy. www.paulimurraycenter.com
Kitty Felde is the originator of the “Fina Mendoza Mysteries” about a little girl whose father is a US Representative from California. In the series, which started with “Welcome to Washington, Fina Mendoza” and continued with “State of the Union,” Fina is called upon to solve mysteries involving the Capitol. At the BookFest, Kitty will invite visitors to act out a scene from her new “State of the Union” podcast, which involves her young sleuth tracking down the bird that pooped on the president’s head during the State of the Union address. Kitty is a journalist who covered Congress for public radio and is currently host of the award-winning “Book Club for Kids” podcast. She will be conducting interviews with kids about their favorite books throughout the BookFest and post them to her podcast. www.kittyfelde.com
Eva J. Pell, author of the ResQ series, about teens who founded the Emergency Service for the Rescue of Endangered Species, will lead activities relating to endangered animals. Her books include “ResQ and the Baby Orangutan,” “ResQ Takes on the Takhi,” about endangered horses in Mongolia, and “ResQ in Panama,” which will be released in June. Eva is the former Under Secretary for Science at the Smithsonian Institution. www.evapell.com
For younger kids, two authors from the Hill’s own Lola and Pear Publishing, will offer readings from their books. Lola and Pear founder Allison McGill is the author of “The Adventures of Duke the Therapy Dog: Duke Finds a Home” and co-author of “Mommy Didn’t Say That…” Angela Kissel wrote “Rosie to the Rescue” about an adopted dog who becomes a superhero to the little girl who rescued her. A portion of all sales of Lola and Pear books go to charities, including the Atlanta Boxer Rescue, Postpartum International, and the Stand Up for Pits Foundation. www.lolaandpear.com
So, bring the family and join us in the North Hall of Eastern Market on Sunday, May 1, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Find more details at www.literaryhillbookfest.org and follow us on social media @theliteraryhill.
