Programs

Activities, events, book clubs and other programs are the lifeblood of the library and help fulfill our mission to fuel the imagination and encourage reading in the community.

Programs

Activities, events, book clubs and other programs are the lifeblood of the library and help fulfill our mission to fuel the imagination and encourage reading in the community.

2025 Brazos Valley Children’s Literary Festival: Open a Book, Open a World

Brazos Valley Children's Literary Festival: Open a Book, Open a World

Save the Date

Join the Bryan + College Station Public Library System as we prepare to welcome a group of renowned children’s book authors from near and far on Saturday, April 5, to help us celebrate the joy of reading through imagination and creativity. The Brazos Valley Children’s Literary Festival: Open a Book, Open a World will feature author readings, presentations, book signings, storytelling, book sales, arts and crafts, games and much more! The festival will include literacy based community organizations that provide services to children, youth and families on school readiness and creative writing. Join us and be a part of the community that believes in the power of reading and the importance of making books accessible to all.

Don’t miss this stellar lineup!

  • When: Saturday, April 5, 2025 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
  • Where: Larry J. Ringer Library in College Station
  • Audience: Children and families of all ages
  • Admission: Free

Main Stage Authors & Performers

Chris Barton

Chris Barton

Chris Barton is the author of picture books including bestseller “Shark vs. Train”, Sibert Honor-winning “The Day-Glo Brothers”, and “Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions”, celebrated on 21 state lists. His newest nonfiction books include “Glitter Everywhere!” (one of NPR’s “Books We Love” for 2023), “Moving Forward” (an SLJ Best Book of 2022), and “How to Make a Book (About My Dog)”. Chris and wife Jennifer Ziegler, author of “Worser”, live in Austin and co-host the children’s literature video series “This One’s Dedicated to…” He also serves as vice president of the Texas Institute of Letters.

Don Tate

Don Tate

Don Tate is an award-winning illustrator of numerous critically acclaimed books for children, including “Swish! The Slam-Dunking, Alley-Ooping, High-Flying Harlem Globetrotters”, “No Small Potatoes: Junios G. Groves and His Kingdom in Kansas”, “Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions”, “Hope’s Gift”, and many others.

He is also an award-winning author. Some of his books for children include: “Jerry Changed The Game: How Engineer Jerry Lawson Revolutionized Video Games Forever”, “William Still and His Freedom Stories: Father of the Underground Railroad”, “Strong As Sandow: How Eugen Sandow Became The Strongest Man on Earth”, “Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton”, and “It Jes’ Happened: When Bill Traylor Started To Draw”.

Don is a founding host of The Brown Bookshelf –a blog dedicated to books for African American young readers; and a member of the #WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign, created to address the lack of diverse, non-majority narratives in children’s literature. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his family.

Mari Mancusi

Mari Mancusi

Mari Mancusi is an Emmy award winning former TV news producer and author of more than thirty books for kids, teens and adults. Her bestselling series have been awarded spots on major state reading lists (including the Texas Bluebonnet and Florida’s Sunshine State lists) and have been featured selections in the Scholastic Book Fairs and clubs. She also writes tie-in novels for Disney Press (“Frozen”, “Nightmare Before Christmas”) and Netflix (“Wednesday”). In addition to writing, Mari is a world traveler, horror fan, and gamer. She lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, daughter and two dogs. 

Bernadette Nason

Bernadette Nason

Award-winning English storyteller/author/actor, Bernadette Nason, has been a Texas Commission on the Arts’ touring artist since 2002. She visits schools, libraries, museums, camps, festivals, and conferences throughout the U.S. with multicultural tales, personal stories, and a variety of workshops. Bernadette appears often in regional theatre, and is a company member of Austin Playhouse. She’ll soon be seen as Miss Marple in “A Murder is Announced” at The Vortex Theatre. She’s written two critically-acclaimed memoirs, “Stealing Baby Jesus” and “Tea in Tripoli”, but she’s probably most famous for appearing in the movie, “Miss Congeniality”. Bernadette lives in Austin.

Local Authors

Alex G. Zarate

Alex G. Zarate

Gabriela Morales

Gabriela Morales

Gloria Amescua

Gloria Amescua

Katherine Briggs

Katherine Briggs

Sam Pitmann

Samuel E. Pittman II

Book Seller

Hyperbole Bookstore

Books by the authors will be available on-site for purchase at the event through our partner Hyperbole Bookstore in College Station, with 10% of the proceeds being donated to the Friends of the Library to help support the library system.

Sponsorship Opportunities

We are looking for sponsorship opportunities for our family-friendly festival with organizations that align with our mission “To engage, enlighten, empower, and inform life-long learners in the Brazos Valley.”

If you are such a business or organization and are interested in a sponsorship level, please complete sponsorship form or contact us for more information.

Why Sponsor?

  • Literacy Coalition
  • Make Connections/Build Relationships
  • Community Goodwill
  • Build Your Brand Awareness

Sponsorship Packages

Sponsorship levels are named after children’s book awards.

THE NEWBERY: $5000

Honors an author for the most distinguished contribution to American Literature for children.

  • Distinguished as Top Tier Sponsor with logo and name
  • Exclusive Sponsor of festival Authors
  • Significant brand visibility in all promotional materials
  • Web & social media spotlights
  • Pre and post festival media recognition

THE CALDECOTT: $2500

Honors an artist for the most distinguished American picture book for children.

  • Exclusive Sponsor of festival t-shirts, signage & craft supplies
  • Significant brand visibility in all promotional materials
  • Web & social media spotlights
  • Pre and post festival media recognition

THE BLUEBONNET: $1000

Honors an author for outstanding children’s book for grades 3-6.

  • Exclusive Sponsor of festival food for authors and workers
  • Significant brand visibility in all promotional materials
  • Web & social media spotlights
  • Pre and post festival media recognition

THE (GEISEL) SEUSS: $500

Honors an author and illustrator for the most distinguished book for beginning readers.

  • Exclusive Sponsor of festival marketing
  • Significant brand visibility in all promotional materials
  • Web & social media spotlights
  • Pre and post festival media recognition

Our Sponsors

The Newberry Sponsor

Amazon Prime Air

Amazon Prime Air

The Caldecott Sponsor

Atmos Energy

Atmos Energy

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Programs and activities