Philadelphia, PA - Celebrate spring and story time at Sister Cities Park, Saturday, May 12 and Sunday, May 13, 11am – 3pm during Storybook Weekend. The festival brings together visiting authors, cultural partners and lots of fun in the park. Families can enjoy story reading sessions by special guest readers and local authors every 15-minutes, along with musical entertainment, make-and-take crafts, face painting, and balloon art.
Both days will be hosted by children’s entertainer and author Silly Joe, as he plays live music and entertains with activities and jokes. Special appearances and meet-and-greets throughout the day from Dr. Seuss’ the Cat in the Hat on Saturday, May 12 courtesy of WHYY are also scheduled. Children can also meet local heroes and tour a real-life Philadelphia fire truck, as well as meet police canines and horses on Sunday, May 13.
Treat mom before the Storybook Weekend fun at Mother’s Day Brunch at the Logan Square Café beginning at 10am Saturday, May 12 and Sunday, May 13. Included in brunch is an exclusive meet-and-greet with everyone’s favorite super hero mom. Reservations are required. Menu, pricing and tickets can be found here, https:www.eventbrite.com/e/mothers-day-brunch-tickets-44372238560.
Special guest authors and illustrators include:
Saturday, May 12
10:00 - Mother’s Day Brunch at the Logan Square Cafe. Meet-and-greet with your favorite superhero mom. (Reservations required, eventbrite.com/e/mothers-day-brunch-tickets-44372238560)
11:00 - Sheila Hess, City of Philadelphia Office of the City Representative – Reading of The Tree Lady: the True Story of How One Tree-Loving Woman Changed the City Forever
11:15 - Marty the Moose from the The Academy of Natural Sciences
11:30 - Cynthia Kreilick – Reading of Lucha and Lola, followed by a fun craft
11:45 - Meet Cat in the Hat and enjoy hearing some of your favorite Dr. Seuss stories
12:00 - Reading and meet-and-greet with Mother Goose
12:15 - Reading from the Free Library of Philadelphia
12:30 - Marie Lamba – Reading of Green Green, followed by an activity
12:45 - Meet Cat in the Hat and enjoy hearing some of your favorite Dr. Seuss stories
1:00 - Cynthia Kreilick – Reading of Yellow Daffodil, followed by a fun craft
1:15 - Marty the Moose from the Academy of Natural Sciences
1:30 - Soccer Shots Philadelphia – Reading of a soccer-themed book, plus soccer activities
1:45 - Meet Cat in the Hat and enjoy hearing some of your favorite Dr. Seuss stories
2:00 - Reading from the Free Library of Philadelphia
2:15 - Jennifer Hansen Rolli reading of Claudia & Moth, plus an illustration demonstration and activity.
2:30 - Philadelphia Police Department – K-9 and Horse units making interactive appearance
Sunday, May 13
10:00 - Mother’s Day Brunch at the Logan Square Café. Meet-and-greet with your favorite superhero mom. (Reservations required, eventbrite.com/e/mothers-day-brunch-tickets-44372238560)
11:00 - Reading and meet-and-greet with Mother Goose
11:15 - Marty the Moose from the Academy of Natural Sciences
11:30 - Cynthia Kreilick – Reading of Lucha and Lola, followed by a fun craft
12:00 - Soccer Shots – Reading of a soccer-themed book, plus soccer activities
12:15 – Philadelphia's Office of Sustainability – Reading of The Tree Lady: the True Story of How One Tree-Loving Woman Changed the City Forever
12:30 - Marie Lamba – Reading of Green Green, followed by an activity
1:00 - Cynthia Kreilick – Reading of Yellow Daffodil, followed by a fun craft
1:00 - Philadelphia Fire Department – visit and tour a fire truck
1:15 - Marty the Moose from the Academy of Natural Sciences
1:30 - Office of Sustainability – Reading of The Tree Lady: the True Story of How One Tree-Loving Woman Changed the City Forever
2:00 - Donna Jo Napoli – Reading of Take Your Time
2:30 - Police Department – K-9 and Horse units making interactive appearance
*Schedule and activities are subject to change.
Throughout the event, guests can grab lunch or snacks at the Logan Square Café. In addition to the live musical entertainment, activities and more, the weekend will include:
The Free Library of Philadelphia, on-site with the Book Bike to help attendees sign up for library cards. Office of Sustainability will have nature-themed demonstrations. SplashLab Arts will bring fun arts and crafts for children to bring home. Soccer Shots will be on-site leading soccer activities. Head House Books is the official book seller throughout the weekend with all featured books made available to purchase.
Courtesy of corporate partner TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank® and supported by the Free Library of Philadelphia, the Library in the Park program continues with a larger, brighter cart, and it now includes more books for children to read. It is ongoing and available during park hours for children to select books to read while they are in the park. The program is geared toward toddlers and preschoolers with books specially selected for their age group. Every day, Sister Cities Park will have a reading area; complete with small, children-sized Adirondack chairs. During Storybook Weekend, guests are encouraged to bring new or gently used books to leave on the book cart.
