Gaithersburg Book Festival Brings Together Top Children’s Authors and Fun Activities to Inspire Love of Reading and Writing

Festival Also Features Free Interactive Workshops on May 20

Gaithersburg, Md. – April 13, 2023 – Literature will come to life for children of all ages on Saturday, May 20, 2023, as the Gaithersburg Book Festival brings together a variety of story times, interactive activities and games, and expert-led workshops to inspire creativity and foster a love a reading and writing. The Festival’s Children’s Village, brought to you by Washington Parent, will be the place where youngsters can meet their favorite authors – and discover new ones – during presentations, readings and book signings.

The Festival will take place at Bohrer Park at Summit Hall Farm (506 S. Frederick Ave.) in Gaithersburg, Md. When you arrive, stop by the Children’s Village Information Booth at the entrance to the Children’s Village and get a schedule of all activities. The Festival also will feature a sensory area, where children and families can find a quiet space outside the hustle and bustle of the festival.

Writing Workshops

The Children’s Village will offer free writing workshops for children and teens, led by authors, illustrators and local writing experts. Workshops will give participants the chance to learn about journaling, write poetry, participate in collaborative storytelling and start building their college essays. For details on workshops, times and leaders, visit the Children’s Workshop webpage of the Festival website.

More Non-Stop Activities

• Play, Draw and Write – Help Story Tapestries fill their Graffiti Wall with your poetry, stories and visual images. Take home an image you create with crayons, markers and shimmering with glitter. Explore Lunes, 11-word poems, easy to write and a gift for anyone you give it to.
• Pete the Cat, Rhyming Games, Stories and Bookmark-making with Montgomery College Early Childhood Education Student Success Hub. 
• Story Time – Sit and enjoy stories about varying cultures throughout the world, read by Montgomery County Public Library, National Federation of the Blind, Story Tapestriesand members of the Gaithersburg Multicultural Affairs Committee. 
• What’s Your Story? – Create your very own book with pre-printed templates and story prompts from An Open Book Foundation.
• Sensory Activities, Arts & Crafts and Musical Instruments to explore, compliments of Kiddie Academy of Gaithersburg.
• Interactive Literary Stations – Reading/stories, counting/grouping/comparing and movement/singing offered by Montgomery County Collaboration Council for Children, Youth and Families.
• Fish for Words and Swim in Knowledge with Goldfish Swim School Gaithersburg. Bubbles the guppy will be on hand for pictures and to share his books.   
• Make Interpretive Art using stories and poems with VisArts.
• Enjoy Games and Books in Brailleand try your ability at picture description with The National Federation of the Blind, Sligo Creek Chapter. 
• Rainbow Fish Story Activity – Color your own rainbow fish, using glitter glue for fish scales, and then write a short story about your fish with Kids First Swim School.
• Encourage Empathy through Crafts and Story Time – Magnet play and creation, shoe tying practice, feeling face mirror drawings, exploration of point of view through optical illusions. Coordinated by The Dwelling Place, Inc.
• Flower Fun – Tell us your favorite flower, write a short paragraph about why it is your favorite and then create it with the help of the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital.
• Print your own keepsake card on a vintage Kelsey Letterpress while learning the basics of letterpress printing with the expert staff at Frederick Book Arts Center. Then send your handmade art to someone special.
• Connect the dots by exploring the books of Peter Reynolds with BlackRock Center for the Arts. Take home free visual arts extension activities for kids of all ages. 
• Create your own bookmark using multiple pre-printed designs by Amazing Art Studio.

The award-winning and best-selling authors and illustrators coming to the Gaithersburg Book Festival this year include:

Children’s Authors

Full biographies and children’s book descriptions can be found here.

• John David Anderson, “The Greatest Kid in the World”
• T. Anderson, “Elf Dog and Owl Head”
• Tom Angleberger, “Two-Headed Chicken”
• Tracey Baptiste, “Mermaid and Pirate”
• Fred Bowen, “Off the Bench”
• Willie Mae Brown, “My Selma: True Stories of a Southern Childhood at the Height of the Civil Rights Movement”
• Nicole D. Collier, “The Many Fortunes of Maya”
• Sayantani DasGupta, “Crown of Flames”
• Marti Dumas, “Charmed Life (Wildseed Witch Book 2)”
• Beth Ferry, “The Umbrella”
• Alan Gratz, “Captain America: The Ghost Army”
• Tommy Greenwald, “The Ultimate Goal (Good Sports League #1)”
• C. Harrington, “Wildoak”
• Hena Khan, “Zara’s Rules for Living Your Best Life”
• Michelle Knudsen, “Library Lion”
• David LaRochelle, “100 Mighty Dragons All Named Broccoli”
• Jarrett Lerner, “A Work in Progress,” “The Hunger Heroes: Snack Cabinet Sabotage”
• Tom Lichtenheld, “The Umbrella”
• Carole Lindstrom, “My Powerful Hair”
• Rebekah Lowell, “The Road to After,” “Catching Flight: Soaring on the Wings of Birds”
• Amina Luqman-Dawson, “Freewater”
• Janae Marks, “On the Air with Zoe Washington”
• Katherine Marsh, “The Lost Year: A Survival Story of the Ukrainian Famine”
• Meg Medina, “Merci Suárez Plays It Cool”
• Jerdine Nolen, “On Her Wings: The Story of Toni Morrison”
• Jennifer O’Connell, “Elephants Remember: A True Story”
• Ellen Oh, “You Are Here: Connecting Flights”
• John Parra, “Growing an Artist: The Story of a Landscaper and His Son”
• Matt Phelan, “The Sheep, the Rooster, and the Duck: A Tale from the Age of Wonder”
• Jonathan Roth, “Rover and Speck: This Planet Rocks!”
• Isabel Roxas, “The Adventures of Team Pom: The Last Dodo: Team Pom Book 2”
• Wendy Shang, “The Secret Battle of Evan Pao”
• Mika Song, “Pizza My Heart: (A Graphic Novel)”
• Susan Stockdale, “Line Up!: Animals in Remarkable Rows”
• Jonathan Stutzman, “Tiny T. Rex and the Grand Ta-Da!”
• Sheila Turnage, “Island of Spies”
• Susan Verde, “Can You See It?,” “I am Me: A Book of Authenticity”
• Carole Boston Weatherford, “Sugar Pie Lullaby: The Soul of Motown in a Song of Love“
• Deborah Wiles, “Bobby: A Story of Robert F. Kennedy”

Teen/Young Adult (YA) Authors

Full biographies and descriptions of teen/YA books can be found here.

• Angeline Boulley, “Warrior Girl Unearthed”
• Nick Brooks, “Promise Boys”
• M. Elliott, “Walls”
• Robin Gow, “Dear Mothman”
• Francesca Padilla, “What’s Coming to Me”
• Natalie D. Richards, “Four Found Dead”
• Cynthia Leitich Smith, “Harvest House”
• Vincent Tirado, “We Don’t Swim Here”
• Brittany N. Williams, “That Self-Same Metal”
• Jeff Zentner, “In the Wild Light”
• Ibi Zoboi, “Nigeria Jones”

 About the Gaithersburg Book Festival

The Gaithersburg Book Festival is an annual all-day celebration of books, writers and literary excellence. One of the premier literary events in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, the 2023 Festival is scheduled for Saturday, May 20, at Bohrer Park at Summit Hall Farm (506 S. Frederick Ave.) in Gaithersburg, Md. Activities will include author appearances, discussions and book signings; writing workshops; a Children’s Village; onsite sales of new and used books; literary exhibitors, food, drink, ice cream and more. FREE admission and accessible shuttle will be available from Shady Grove Metro,  Lakeforest Mall, Quince Orchard Park and Ride, and Walnut Hill Shopping Center. The Gaithersburg Book Festival also hosts author events in Montgomery County throughout the year to encourage continued appreciation for all things literary. The Gaithersburg Book Festival is sponsored in part by its official bookseller, Politics & Prose, and title sponsor, The Carnegie at Washingtonian Center. For more information please visit www.gaithersburgbookfestival.org, follow us on Twitter @GburgBookFest or like us on Facebook and Instagram.