The first annual Children’s Book Festival will take place this weekend, starting with storytelling and activities on Saturday 29th November at Books & Books in Camana Bay, followed by the Cystic Fibrosis Trust Bedtime Story Fun Day at Dart Family Park in South Sound on Sunday 30th November. Headlining the book festival are celebrated children’s authors Julia Donaldson from the UK and Kate Klimo from the US, together with a host of local writers and performers.
The schedule for the weeklong festival is as follows:
Saturday 29th November, Camana Bay
10:30 am Eme Paschalides, This is Paradise Dis is Cayman
11:00 am Julia Donaldson, The Gruffalo and other stories
12 noon Gimistory performers Nasaria Suckoo-Chollette & Rita Estevanovich
1:00 pm Kate Klimo, The Dragon in the Sock Drawer
2:00 pm Annarie Boor, Bapsie in Bushveld
2:30 pm Jane Scaletta, Kimbo’s First Horse Show
Author readings will take place in the main Fiction Room at Books & Books. Throughout the day, there will also be activities, crafts and games outside on the Paseo with a complementary schedule that provides an alternative for kids older or younger than the age group at which the readings are aimed. (Please note the ages recommended above are suggestions only; children of all ages are welcome at all the events.)
Activities on the Paseo:
The activities kick off at 10:30am with drumming led by local musician Randy Cholette and chalk art with John Doak on the Paseo, followed by a giant water balloon toss at 11:30am. From 12 noon, Bona Fide will sing songs and lead traditional children’s games such as Simon Says in Gardenia Court, while throughout the day kids can make bracelets, play hopscotch or build castles in the sandpit. At the colouring station, young artists can add their own splashes of colour to character outlines from books and will also have the opportunity to decorate a Whistling Duck tote bag to take away with them.
In addition to the authors in the Fiction Room, volunteers from Maples and Calder, sponsors of the newly-launched Cayman Whistling Duck Book Award, will read from books nominated for the Whistling Duck awards in the Kids Room at Books & Books, which will also act as a Quiet Zone for kids who want to sit and read. A children’s book group, whose members range from age 7 to 11, has also volunteered to read stories to the younger age groups, demonstrating their passion for books and reading.
Outside on the Paseo, there will be a swanky stand and complimentary water stations, while refreshments are also available from Café del Sol, Haagen-Dazs and Abacus.
The Children’s Book Festival at Camana Bay is free and open to the public, and is generously sponsored by the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism and Sunshine Suites Resort.
Bedtime Story Fun Day on Sunday 30th November, 2-5pm at Dart Park
The action moves to the Dart Park in South Sound on Sunday for the Bedtime Story Fun Day in aid of the Cayman Islands Cystic Fibrosis Trust. Julia Donaldson and Kate Klimo will be back with more stories, while other entertainment includes puppet shows, costume characters from Wild Thing, Curious George, Stellaluna and Barney, plus there will be a large number of stalls and games for all the family to enjoy.
Readings and entertainment:
2.30 pm First Baptist Church Childrens Choir singing excerpts from their Christmas programme The Mystery of the Manger
3.00 pm Puppet Show: Roald Dahl’s Little Red Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs
3.15 pm Kate Klimo, author of The Dragon in the Sock Drawer
3.30 pm Aunty V: Caymanian storyteller and puppeteer
3.45 pm Carrie and Stellaluna retelling Stellaluna
4.00 pm Julia Donaldson, author of The Gruffalo and other stories
4.30 pm Evelyn and Wild Thing retelling Where the Wild Things Are
4.45 pm Character Singalong with Lia from Kindermusik aided by Barney and Curious George
Children are encouraged to bring their old books to the great Book Sale and there are hundreds of dollars worth of books to be won at the games stalls. Games include Splat Attack, Bash the Rat, Wheel of Fortune, Guess the Peg, a Coconut Shy and Tic Tac Toe, while other entertainment for kids includes face painting, colour hair spraying and a bouncy castle. Snow cones, cotton candy, popcorn and a barbeque will be on offer, Santa will make an appearance, and perhaps best of all, kids are invited to wear their pyjamas to the event!
All proceeds from the games stalls will go to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust which aims to raise awareness of the disease and aid sufferers in the Cayman Islands, provide testing for future parents and training for local doctors, and promote research for a cure.
The Bedtime Story Fun Day event is free and open to the public and is sponsored by Camana Bay, Maples and Calder, Cayman National Bank, RBS Coutts, First Caribbean, Hollywood Theaters, National Concrete, Z99 and Rooster, BCQS, Grant Thornton, HSBC, Noahs Ark, Seaboard Marine, Cayman Insurance Centre and Fosters.
As part of the Children’s Book Festival, the Bedtime Story Fun Day then will then go on a roadshow the following week around the schools of the Cayman Islands. Guest authors Julia Donaldson and Kate Klimo will hold a series of book readings for primary school students every morning from Monday 1 December through Friday 5 December at Hollywood Theaters, with workshops held in the class room each afternoon. On Saturday 6 December, Julia Donaldson will hold a final public reading at First Baptist for anyone unable to attend previous events. Tickets are $10 and are available through Books & Books or by calling 916-4312.
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