Young readers have so much to discover and explore at this year’s Texas Book Festival! We’re once again bringing together tons of authors and activities to Congress Avenue for Kids on Congress, a jam-packed thoroughfare of kids events and entertainment! Picture books, middle grade books, and YA—we have it all, including hands-on arts and crafts and live entertainment to enjoy all day long.
All of these events are FREE and open to the public!
Explore the Fest with a Kid’s Passport! Pick up a Kids Passport in the Children’s Activity Tent and explore the Festival by seeing authors and participating in activities. Turn your passport back in with at least 5 signatures for a free tiny scoop of Amy’s Ice Creams!
Jacqueline Woodson in Conversation
We are so excited and grateful to have Jacqueline Woodson, National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and National Book Award-winning author of Brown Girl Dreaming, at the Fest with her brand new books for young readers: the middle grade novel Harbor Me, which celebrates the healing that can occur when a group of students share their stories; and the picture book The Day You Begin, a poignant, heartening book about finding courage to connect, even when you feel scared and alone. Join us on Saturday, October 27 at 12:30pm for this special talk and book signing!
Read Me A Story Tent
We’re excited to bring your youngest readers some of the best illustrators and authors creating pictures books this year! Join us in the Read Me A Story Tent for a new story every half hour. Join us to hear award-winning authors and illustrators share stories about a little girl dreaming of being in space, construction trucks building presents on Christmas, a penguin and a shrimp escaping bedtime, and many more adventures! Check out all of our picture book sessions!
Children’s Authors in the Latinx Lit Tent!
This year, we have several sessions in our Latinx Tent for young readers who speak Spanish and English. A celebration of Pura Belpré and Tomás Rivera Award winners, storytimes, and a conversation about dreaming will feature Festival authors speaking in both Spanish and English. See our bilingual sessions for children!
Next Chapter Middle Grade Tent
Best friends, family, fantasy, adventure; the stellar middle grade authors in our Next Chapter Tent are talking about matters big, small, silly, and serious. Sharon Draper, Megan McDonald, Soman Chainani, Hena Khan, Meg Medina, and many more will share their new stories and talk about writing in a kid’s imagination, enduring hard experiences at a young age, the fun of reading, and more! Check out all of our Middle Grade sessions!
Kid’s Authors in the Kirkus Reviews Tent!
This year, we’re excited to launch a big, brand new tent right in the center of the Festival, in partnership with Kirkus Reviews. This tent will be home to a ton of great kid’s programming, including sessions with Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson, David Shannon, Dan Santat and Minh Lê, Nathan Hale, The Magic Tree House, and a talk about how to write and draw graphic novels with Kazu Kibuishi and Raul Gonzalez! Check our full schedule to see these kids authors at our Kirkus Reviews Tent on 11th Street between Brazos and Congress.
Girl Scouts at the Texas Book Festival!
Girls Scouts in Texas, wear your uniform and proudly display your patches at this year’s Fest, where you can earn a very special Texas Book Festival patch! Explore books, meet authors, and earn a patch specially designed for this year’s Festival that lets everyone know you are a top reader. Join us at 11:30am on Saturday, October 27 when Sylvia Acevedo, CEO of Girl Scouts of Central Texas, inspires us all with her new book, Path to the Stars, and the story of how she went from Brownie to rocket scientist!
Discover STEM at the Festival!
Calling all kids: the Texas Alliance for Minorities in Engineering is bringing their Trailblazer to the Texas Book Festival! TAME’s Trailblazer is a hands-on mobile science museum that travels all across Texas, encouraging students to explore and question the world they live in. Inside the trailer, volunteers share their enthusiasm about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) by leading children through hands-on exhibits. Thanks to Austin-based tech company Cirrus Logic for generously sponsoring the Trailblazer at the Festival!
H-E-B Kids’ Reading Retreat
Our presenting sponsor H-E-B is pleased to bring the H-E-B Kids’ Reading Retreat to the Festival this year. This tent, located at 9th and Congress, is here to offer young readers a quieter place to be in the middle of all the Festival hustle and bustle. So, whether you need a break from the action or you just can’t wait to get started reading of your new Festival books, head over to the H-E-B Kid’s Reading Retreat and take a seat!
Carmela Full of Wishes at Viva la Vida!
The 2018 Viva la Vida Parade and Festival is taking place on Saturday, October 27. To celebrate, we’re teaming up with Mexic-Arte to host a special afternoon event with Matt de la Pena and Christian Robinson. Join them as they share Carmela Full of Wishes!