Families flocked to Monroe Community College over the weekend to celebrate a shared love of reading at the 27th annual Rochester Children's Book Festival.
The event featured nearly 50 authors and illustrators who engaged attendees through book signings, interactive presentations and a craft room with book-themed activities for kids.
One distinctive feature of the festival is its outreach program, which brings authors into Rochester City Schools.
Barbara Underhill, former director and long-time volunteer, stressed the importance of this initiative.
"The thing I'm very proud of is we have our authors every year before the festival go to Rochester City Schools and present to the children in several schools," she said. "We bring them books because we understand not everybody can come here. So, we bring the festival to them."
The festival aims to broaden children’s perspectives by exposing them to authors who write about diverse cultures and places.
“The importance of that is most children aren't going to go to Ethiopia or Iran or to a Native American reservation," said Underhill. "But they can meet authors who write about those places and learn about them through books."
Research from the National Literacy Trust indicates that children who meet authors and participate in reading-focused activities are more motivated to read, which can improve their literacy skills and academic performance.
