What is the National Book Festival?

Question: What is the National Book Festival?

Answer: The National Book Festival is an annual event sponsored and organized by the Library of Congress and traditionally held from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on a Saturday in late September. The National Book Festival is held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. According to the event's organizers, "This free event sparks readers’ imagination, creativity and passion for learning as they interact with the nation’s best-selling authors, illustrators and poets." Since the National Book Festival began in 2000, the President and First Lady of the United States have served as the Honorary Chairs.

Highlights of the Festival include appearances by about 70 award-winning authors, illustrators and poets. The pavilions include: Children, Teens & Children, History & Biography, Fiction & Fantasy, Mysteries & Thrillers, and Poetry & Prose. The Pavilion of the States represents reading and library promotion programs and literary events in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. trusts and territories. The Let’s Read America pavilion offers reading activities that are designed to be fun for the entire family.

If you attend, you and your kids and teens can buy books, get books signed by some of your favorite authors and illustrators and hear them discuss their works. Throughout the day, storybook and television characters will be on the festival grounds to greet young visitors.

For those who can't attend, several weeks before the event, the NBF Web site provides the annual National Book Festival Young Readers’ Online Toolkit. The Toolkit features information about the National Book Festival authors who write for children and teens, podcasts of their readings, teaching tools and activities for kids.