Salve Regina, ACE present “March Into Reading” children’s book festival

For the 13th consecutive year, local children and their families are invited to participate in “March Into Reading,” a festival that celebrates literacy by bringing together children’s book authors and elementary school students on Aquidneck Island.

This year’s event will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 5 in the O’Hare Academic Center. Presented by the Aquidneck Collaborative for Education and the Department of Education, March Into Reading each year attracts more than 600 participants.

To kick off the festival, local authors and illustrators will visit Aquidneck Island elementary schools Friday, March 4 to read books, demonstrate how books are illustrated and talk with children about their love of reading and writing. At Salve Regina on Saturday, they will return to participate in a variety of presentations, interactive activities, discovery rooms, performances, exhibits, book signings and more.

Featured authors participating in this year’s festival, themed “Building Readers Book by Book,” include Laura Backman, Shennen Bersani, Bill Harley, Michaela MacColl, Jeff Mack, Gregory Mone, Jean Taft and Sean Fay Wolfe.

March into Reading promotes reading as a community value. In supplying schools with quality children’s books, the program engages students in preschools, elementary and middle schools in common reading. In addition, teachers and librarians in classrooms and school libraries throughout Aquidneck Island guide students in author and book studies of March Into Reading’s featured authors and illustrators.

For more information, visit ace.salvereginablogs.com or call (401) 341-3157.