#A Celebration of Reading & Family
Join us Saturday, April 1 from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. at James Weldon Johnson Park (135 W. Monroe St.) for a Family Reading Day with free book giveaways, fun activities, special guests and more!
Show up dressed as your favorite book character and parade around the park with your favorite PBS Kids characters. Enjoy fun activities, face painting, balloon twisting, and so much more! A FREE boxed lunch from Firehouse Subs will also be provided!
Plus, start building your own home library that you can read anytime you want! READ USA will be giving out free books (until they run out)!
It's also a great time for you and everyone in the family to get your own library card!
#Schedule of events:
11 - 11:10 a.m. — Welcome - Tenikka Hughes - Action News Jax
11:10 -11:30 a.m. — Children's Book Character Parade led by Vincent Taylor, also known as "Cornbread."
11:30 -12:30 p.m. — Lunch and Activities in the park
12:30 - 12:50 p.m. — Presentation of Book Review Writing Contest Winners by Tenikka Hughes
12:50 - 1 p.m. — Closing remarks by Mike Weinstein, CEO of Kids Hope Alliance and Tim Rogers, Director of Jacksonville Public Library
#Special appearances by:
- B. Barkley with free children's books and fun reading incentives
- Balloon artists, face painters and other fun activity stations
- Clifford the Big Red Dog, Xavier Riddle, Buddy the Dinosaur, and Molly of Denali from PBS Kids!
#Looking for a traditional storytime experience?
Register for one of our regular Little Readers programs on the second floor of the Main Library (in the Children's Theatre). It's right across the street from the park! The first show starts at 10:15 with an encore at 11 a.m. Attendance is limited to the first 30 to register.
#Our Community Partners
Kids Hope Alliance (KHA) is a funding agent for the City of Jacksonville. KHA invests millions annually in children's and youth programs and services in Duval County.
The Jacksonville Public Education Fund works tirelessly to close the opportunity gap for low-income students and students of color in Duval County.
The mission of the Early Learning Coalition of Duval is to lead and support the early learning community in building the best foundation for children from birth to five.
READ USA truly believes in the power of book choice and book ownership to change the trajectory of a student and family’s future.
Duval County Public Schools is the 20th largest school district in the nation and the sixth largest school district in Florida.
Read Jax is a community effort to improve third grade reading scores of students in Duval County.
WJCT Public Media is the community-owned public media organization serving Jacksonville and the First Coast since 1958.
