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Image for event: 18th Annual Family Reading Festival

18th Annual Family Reading Festival

2025-02-08 10:00:00 2025-02-08 14:00:00 America/New_York 18th Annual Family Reading Festival Sing, dance, and play with Jim Gill. See captive-born exotic animals up close and personal with Outback Ray. Visit with Daniel Tiger. Enjoy literacy-rich activities. Take home a new book. Main Library -

Saturday, February 08
10:00am - 2:00pm

Add to Calendar 2025-02-08 10:00:00 2025-02-08 14:00:00 America/New_York 18th Annual Family Reading Festival Sing, dance, and play with Jim Gill. See captive-born exotic animals up close and personal with Outback Ray. Visit with Daniel Tiger. Enjoy literacy-rich activities. Take home a new book. Main Library -

Sing, dance, and play with Jim Gill. See captive-born exotic animals up close and personal with Outback Ray. Visit with Daniel Tiger. Enjoy literacy-rich activities. Take home a new book.

Performances:

10:30 am - He's Back! Musician Jim Gill's Sing-a-thon of Celebrated Songs.

11:30 am - Outback Ray and his amazing animal friends. See captive-born exotic animals up close and personal! Sponsored by the Lucy & Emily Beasley Charitable Trust.

1 pm - Jim Gill, afternoon matinee performance.

Drop-In:

10 - 1 pm - Local community organizations will share hands-on activities and information about services for families.

Meet Daniel Tiger from Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood! Sponsored by Ideastream Public Media.

10 am - 2 pm - Each child in attendance will take home a free book. Sponsored in part by Children & Books.

11 am - 1 pm - Face Painting sponsored by the Friends of Main Library.

Jim Gill's Sing-a-thon of Celebrated Songs

Get ready to sing, clap, dance and spin along during this visit by award-winning musician and author Jim Gill. Jim Gill’s distinctive music play creates the spirit of a family room in the concert hall and is an invitation to children, parents and grandparents to sing and play together!

Jim Gill is a musician and author with unique credentials among children's artists. Jim is a child development specialist, completing his graduate studies in child development at the Erikson Institute of Chicago with a special emphasis on the study of play. For this reason, each of Jim's recordings and books is created as an opportunity for playful interactions between a child and a caring adult. Anyone who has experienced one of Jim's family concerts knows that rather than performing for the children and parents, Jim leads them to sing and play together.

Jim has released ten award-winning CDs of music play for young children that are favorites in family rooms, classrooms and playrooms. Jim is also the author of two children's books. A Soup Opera is a silly sing-along opera inspired by concerts that Jim performs with symphony orchestras. His first book, May There Always Be Sunshine, continues to inspire children from across the country to share their heartfelt wishes and extraordinary illustrations in community VIDEO book projects that Jim carries out with libraries, school districts and other community organizations.

AGE GROUP: | Preschool |

EVENT TYPE: | Special Events |

TAGS: | |

Main Library

Phone: 330.643.9000
Branch manager
Michael Bianchi

Hours
Mon, Jan 06 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Tue, Jan 07 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Wed, Jan 08 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Thu, Jan 09 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Fri, Jan 10 10:00AM to 6:00PM
Sat, Jan 11 10:00AM to 5:00PM
Sun, Jan 12 1:00PM to 5:00PM

About the branch

Main Library, located in the heart of downtown Akron, combines compelling public space with meaningful and relevant public library services for all members of our community. Since opening in 2004, the downtown library welcomes more than one million visitors each year.

Subject divisions include: Business, Government & Science, Culture & AV, Magazines & Newspapers, Special Collections (local history & genealogy), TechZone@Main, Teen, and a 12,000 square feet Children's Library.

Special services available at Main Library include: a Patent & Trademark Resource Center; U.S. Passport and Notary services; a Microbusiness Center; a Maker Space; a resource lab for early childhood educators; and regularly scheduled computer training classes. Also available at Main Library are more than 125 public access computers, color photocopiers/printers, laminating, scanning, faxing, and free Wi-Fi.

Specialized spaces include a 425-seat auditorium, public meeting rooms, and a used bookstore. An interior glass block walkway leads to a 600-space parking garage owned by the City of Akron. An outdoor amphitheater and landscaped park complete the complex.

Upcoming Events

Thu, Jan 09, 10:30am - 11:30am
Children's Library Programming Room

Thu, Jan 09, 3:00pm - 4:30pm
Registration is now closed

Thu, Jan 09, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
TechZone
Registration is now closed

Thu, Jan 09, 6:15pm - 8:00pm
Auditorium

Sat, Jan 11, 11:00am - 12:00pm

Mon, Jan 13, 4:00pm - 6:00pm
Teen Meeting Room

Tue, Jan 14, 5:30pm - 7:30pm
Auditorium

Tue, Jan 14, 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Business, Government & Science Patent Alcove

Wed, Jan 15, 10:30am - 11:30am
This event is full

Wed, Jan 15, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
This event is full

Thu, Jan 16, 10:30am - 11:30am

Thu, Jan 16, 6:15pm - 8:00pm
Auditorium

Sat, Jan 18, 10:15am - 12:00pm
Business, Government & Science Patent Alcove

Tue, Jan 21, 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Small Business & Nonprofit Resource Center

Tue, Jan 21, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Computer Lab 1

Wed, Jan 22, 10:30am - 11:30am
This event is full

Wed, Jan 22, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
This event is full

Thu, Jan 23, 10:30am - 11:30am

Thu, Jan 23, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Computer Lab 1

Thu, Jan 23, 3:30pm - 4:30pm
Teen Meeting Room

Thu, Jan 23, 6:15pm - 8:00pm
Auditorium

Sat, Jan 25, 10:15am - 3:00pm
Atrium,Auditorium,Meeting Room 1,Meeting Room 2AB,Meeting Room 3

Sat, Jan 25, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Children's Library Educator Lab,Children's Library Programming Room

Mon, Jan 27, 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Tue, Jan 28, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Computer Lab 1

Tue, Jan 28, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
TechZone

Wed, Jan 29, 10:30am - 11:30am
This event is full

Wed, Jan 29, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
This event is full

Thu, Jan 30, 10:30am - 11:30am

Thu, Jan 30, 12:00pm - 4:00pm
Quiet Study Room 1

Thu, Jan 30, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Computer Lab 1

Thu, Jan 30, 4:00pm - 6:00pm
This event is full

Thu, Jan 30, 6:15pm - 8:00pm
Auditorium

Sat, Feb 01, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Children's Library Programming Room

Tue, Feb 04, 12:15pm - 1:00pm
Business, Government & Science

Tue, Feb 04, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Computer Lab 1

Wed, Feb 05, 10:30am - 11:30am
This event is full

Wed, Feb 05, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
This event is full

Wed, Feb 05, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
TechZone
Registration opens Wednesday, January 22 2025 at 9:00am

Thu, Feb 06, 10:30am - 11:30am

Thu, Feb 06, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Computer Lab 1

Thu, Feb 06, 3:00pm - 4:30pm

Thu, Feb 06, 6:15pm - 8:00pm
Auditorium

Sat, Feb 08, 10:00am - 2:00pm