The National Book Festival September 21-22nd, 2013 (A Literary Playdate for the Family)

The National Book Festival has been a favorite event of mine for over 10 years! It was one of the first events I attended after relocating to Washington. This is an awesome two day book festival! The National Book Festival begins today at 10:30 AM to 5:30 PM

Ways to Enjoy The 2 Day Literary Playdate:

Download the Children’s Guide for the National Book Festival: The guide provides families with insider tips to navigate this fabulous annual event, and locate the children’s and teen’s authors appearing at the festival.

The PBS KIDS Pavilion The PBS KIDS pavilion will offer parents and children an opportunity to explore the world of literacy featuring live sing-alongs with SteveSongs, story readings, and skill-building activities and learn about the new PBS KIDS show “Peg + Cat” which airs Oct. 7. Young readers can pose for pictures with their favorite PBS KIDS characters, including Abby Cadabby from Sesame Street, Arthur, The Cat in the Hat, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Curious George, Daniel Tiger from Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Martha from Martha Speaks, the cast of SUPER WHY!, WordGirl and Peg and Cat from the new PBS series. Educators can also learn all about PBS KIDS teacher resources.

The Let's Read America Pavilion This area is all about kids! The Washington Post will host a bookmark-creation station and a festival-themed photo backdrop. The Post’s mascot, Ned the Newshound, will make a special appearance on Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. to pose for photos. Kids can enjoy the Scholastic’s Storia reading corner for e-read-alouds, and Scholastic will also offer a “Build-a-Book” station that lets visitors turn a blank book into a masterpiece. The Wells Fargo Stagecoach will be available for photographs inside and children can hear stories, participate in coloring activities and build replica stagecoach banks. They can also learn about Hands on Banking, an innovative and entertaining financial literacy program. There will be free giveaways, including Scholastic books, deputy pin stickers and more.

Author Readings and Meet and Greets! This year's festival will feature authors, poets and illustrators in several pavilions. Festival-goers can meet and hear firsthand from their favorite poets and authors, get books signed, hear special entertainment, have photos taken with storybook characters and participate in a variety of activities. Look up your favorite author by clicking here. 

Library of Congress Pavilion At the Library of Congress Pavilion you can explore the workings of the world’s largest library. This year’s Library of Congress Pavilion offers a behind-the-scenes look at the many ways the Library brings its extraordinary resources to people everywhere.

Pavilion of the States (Saturday only) The Pavilion of the States, sponsored by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, salutes the literary traditions of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories. A brochure available in this pavilion, called “Discover Great Places Through Reading,” offers a list of 52 great reads and a map for kids that encourages then to visit all 52 tables (plus the Library of Congress Center for the Book table) to get a unique sticker or stamp. Many of these books will be for sale in the Book Sales Pavilion.

Barnes & Noble is the official bookseller for the 2013 National Book Festival.  Visit the book sales pavilion conveniently located on the festival grounds if you’d like to purchase selected books by 2013 National Book Festival authors. Be sure to pick up books by your favorite authors before going to the book-signing areas.

The National Book Festival September 21-22, 2013, on the National Mall in Washington between 9th and 14th Streets.  The learning and fun happen on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on Sunday from noon to 5:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Rain or shine. 

Follow the news about the event on Twitter @librarycongress, and use the Festival hashtag, #NatBookFest. For more information about this festival and more events like this, please check out ClarendonMoms.com. Be sure to "Like Us" on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!