Bookmarked! children's reading festival starts this month

The annual festival features free events across Wake County and a visit from bestselling author Audrey Penn, who wrote The Kissing Hand.

Posted 12:41 a.m. Apr 3, 2012 — Updated 12:41 a.m. Apr 3, 2012

Sarah Lindenfeld Hall

Get ready for Bookmarked! 2012, Lucy Daniels Center's annual festival featuring children's book readings by local celebrities at venues across Wake County.

The event, which runs from April 27 to May 6, will feature bestselling children's author Audrey Penn, who wrote "The Kissing Hand," among other books. Penn will be in Raleigh for several events during the festival. Most of the festival's events are free.

The Lucy Daniels Center is the Triangle’s largest non-profit provider of mental health services for children. The center also runs several early childhood education programs tailored to promote children’s social and emotional health.

The center's Lucy's Book Club is designed for babies to six-year-olds and their parents. The goal is to encourage parents to read to their kids by recommending books that approach important developmental themes in a safe and reassuring way. Themes have included families and the current one, relationships with the Earth.

Penn's "picture books epitomize Lucy’s Book Club’s message that reading quality books with your children can help them navigate the social and emotional challenges of growing up,” said Deshelia Watson, Center board member and chair of the Bookmarked! 2012 planning committee, in a press release.

During Bookmarked!, special storytimes featuring local celebrities, such as police officers, fire fighters, ballerinas, TV personalities, chefs and elected officials, will take place at Marbles Kids Museum, Wake County libraries, the N.C. Museum of History and elsewhere. Quail Ridge Books & Music in Raleigh will hold a book fair. And a Family Fun Concert, featuring the Sandbox band, is scheduled for May 5 at Raleigh's North Hills.

Penn will be featured at several events during the festival. Click here for more about her appearances.

Click here for the full reading schedule.

To help build excitement and awareness of all of the events, the center will have some contests for families who like their Facebook page and join the free Lucy's Book Club this month.

I'll have more about this great event in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!

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