Children's Book Festival this Saturday to feature American Sign Language storytime
WARWICK — The annual Warwick Children's Book Festival will be held this Saturday, Oct. 7, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Railroad Avenue in the Village of Warwick.
The free admission event presented by the Albert Wisner Public Library, the Village of Warwick and primary sponsors Glenn and Susan Dickes, will feature 60 authors and illustrators of children's books for grades Pre-K to 12. And there will be music by The Uncle Brothers especially geared for families and their children at noon.
Tom Roberts and the staff of his Ye Olde Warwick Book Shoppe will be on hand to help with sales.
In the event of rain, the Children's Book Festival will be held at the Warwick Valley Middle School at 225 West St.
This year everyone is invited to a special event.
Youngsters have been practicing and working together at the Albert Wisner Public Library since July with Young Adult Librarian Dianne Aimone on preparing activities for children at the festival.
One particular activity was learning the American Sign Language for two children's books by Ame Dyckman, who will be at the festival, under the tutelage of professional sign language interpreter and Warwick resident Ferne Lurie.
At 11 a.m. this Saturday, the teens will offer a special storytime where, using the American Sign Language they have practiced all summer, they will sign, speak and act out three picture books for children.
The books will be available for purchase and autographing by the authors during the Festival.
The Warwick Children's Book Festival, which is attended by families from all over the Hudson Valley, began in 2005 and except for an interruption during the building of the new library, has since been held every other year.
- Roger Gavan