The Book Festival was a success! It was very moving to see the kids grab the megaphone and proudly read their stories to the audience of adults and kids that they didn't know. People-you-don't-know and reading-aloud should have synthesized into a paralyzing grip of fear as two generally difficult categories for kids but some magic happened and the kids weren't scared, they were proud. They ended up taking the stage and some other kids from the neighborhood joined with their stories. We learned a lot and would make some adjustments next time. It was also a very cold day. A local author read his children's book for the first time ever in public and there were books given away by Brooklyn Book Bodega. Also, Stories for a Colorful World sold books and Laurent Flechoux sold his amazing baked goods.
As an educator I felt proud to know these children. Their small bodies in bright parkas racing around steps that we had known on park days and they had known with their parents made me realize that for them their whole world was not disjointed in these moments but all of one piece. The material they were learning at school was not disembodied and meaningless but connected to their joy, their families, and their own identities.
More updates: after many COVID-related delays we have received our license and are starting to take applications for next Fall.
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