The 12th annual ScholarShare Children’s Book Festival brought literature, laughter, and a love of learning to FairyTale Town in Land Park. The walkways were dotted with information tables, art & craft activities, and opportunities for children and the young at heart.

Humpty Dumpty greeted visitors to the ScholarShare Children's Book Fair (Image by: George H. Young) Kathy Fleming, Executive Director of Fairytale Town proudly welcomed the family event to the beloved children’s playland that will be 53 years old this year.  She revealed that FairyTale Town will be renovating Sherwood Forest this November adding more climbing apparatus and things for the kids to play on and hoping to install another train for the Little Engine that Could train set.

Fairytale Town's Maleficent invites everyone to their Grimm Halloween event, Oct. 26th, 27th, & 28th. (Image by: George H. Young)

The most exciting news she had to share, was their Halloween event, held the last weekend of October (Oct. 26, 27, and 28th). The theme is a Grimm Halloween, a takeoff on Grimm’s Fairytales. It will be three nights of trick or treating fun and the kids will get more than candy, as there will be arts and crafts activities, and thankfully, toothbrushes.

Author Melissa Paul gets an assist from her daughter Abigail during storytime. (Image by: George H. Young) Melissa Paul of News 10, opened the day by reading with her daughter from one of their favorite books, The Paperbag Princess.  The lawn area in front of the Mering Family Mother Goose Stage was soon covered with families enjoying the many presentations by authors and illustrators.

Francie Dillion, "The Voice of Fairytale Town", leads an enthusiastic troupe of young stars. (Image by: George H. Young) Francie Dillon, the Voice of FairyTale Town, brought her considerable energy and charm, kicking off the day with with music and movement. She was greeted warmly and returned the love tenfold.

Steve McCarthy shares his love of reading with his two sons, Tate (age 2) and Luke (age 3). (Image by: George H. Young) A book fair offered many choices for all ages, and several organizations had free books for early learners.  Children and parents found comfort beneath shade trees sharing their love of reading.

Kenneth Spengler challenged the children to create and contribute to the story. (Image by: George H. Young) Illustrator Kenneth Spengler shared Desert Night, Desert Day showing the rich images within. His interactive presentation invited young artists to challenge him by giving him a simple doodle which he would then draw on and incorporate into a story. 

5 year-old Dakota Sky couldn't hide her excitement at meeting Clifford, the Big Red Dog. (Image by: George H. Young) Humpty Dumpty and Clifford recieved more than their share of hugs from their many young fans.  To the young ones, these were true superstars.

Devices from a previous generation fascinated children who'd never seen such wonders before. (Image by: George H. Young) Author Dawn Wynne read from I Remember When…, a journey down memory lane, based on stories she’d heard from her parents and grandparents. Her multi-dimensional book reveals to young children the wonders of rotary dial phones, washboards, black & white TV’s, and typewriters as a grandmother connected her grandkids with her memories of another era.

Joanne Jeffers Veeck read from her book, "We Love You Just the Way You Are - A True Story" (Image by: George H. Young) Joanne Jeffers Veeck brought two books to share. Your Leaves are Pretty is set in Sacramento’s Capitol Park, and gave a colorful history of it’s growth and development. We Love You Just the Way You Are - A True Story is a touching book about a boy with special needs, and how the community came to support and understand him.

4 year-old Jayden enthusiastically flew the kite he'd just made. (Image by: George H. Young)

Besides books, there were countless art, craft, and other interactive activities to keep young hands busy and to fill young hearts with joy.  Hands cut, colored, and pasted while imaginations soared.

Hazuki Kataoka presented her Storycard Theater program. (Image by: George H. Young) Hazuki Kataoka used Storycard Theater cards to share multicultural legends, allowing readers to share the art on the front, while reading the story text on the back.  The Storycard program follows the traditional Japanese Kamishibai storytelling technique, adapted to modern Western literature.

Dorina Lazo Gilmore shared "Cora Cooks Pancit", evoking her own childhood. (Image by: George H. Young)

Dorina Lazo Gilmore’s book, Cora Cooks Pancit, is a reflection of her own childhood. In this book, a young girl and her mom share their love of cooking while exploring their rich Filipino culture. The recipe for Pancit, a Filipino noodle dish, is included in each book.

Fairytale Town was the perfect setting for this 3rd annual event. (Image by: George H. Young) The Mering Family Mother Goose Stage at FairyTale Town was the literary center of Sacramento for two days - at least in the eyes of the younger ones.