Skip to main content
close
Font size options
Increase or decrease the font size for this website by clicking on the 'A's.
Contrast options
Choose a color combination to give the most comfortable contrast.

16th Annual Family Reading Festival

Celebrating the Week of the Young Child

2023-04-22 10:00:00 2023-04-22 15:00:00 America/New_York 16th Annual Family Reading Festival Fun for the entire family! Hands-on activities, free books, balloon twisting, Outback Ray, and of course, musician Jim Gill! Performers are sponsored by the Lucy & Emily Beasley Charitable Trust. Main Library -

Saturday, April 22
10:00am - 3:00pm

Add to Calendar 2023-04-22 10:00:00 2023-04-22 15:00:00 America/New_York 16th Annual Family Reading Festival Fun for the entire family! Hands-on activities, free books, balloon twisting, Outback Ray, and of course, musician Jim Gill! Performers are sponsored by the Lucy & Emily Beasley Charitable Trust. Main Library -

Fun for the entire family! Hands-on activities, free books, balloon twisting, Outback Ray, and of course, musician Jim Gill! Performers are sponsored by the Lucy & Emily Beasley Charitable Trust.

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" and "May There Always Be Sunshine."

Performers are sponsored by the Lucy & Emily Beasley Charitable Trust.

10:45 am - He's Back! Musician Jim Gill's Sing-a-thon of Celebrated Songs

11:45 am - Outback Ray and his amazing animal friends. See captive-born exotic animals up close and personal!

1:00 pm - Jim Gill - afternoon matinee performance

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

Each child in attendance will take home a free book sponsored in part by Children & Books.



Week of the Young Child: Join us for a fun-filled week, April 17-21, celebrating early learning, young children, their teachers, families, and communities. Visit our online calendar to discover more events and activities encouraging movement and healthy lifestyles through music, food, and art.

Main Library

Phone: 330.643.9000

Hours
Mon, Mar 20 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Tue, Mar 21 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Wed, Mar 22 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Thu, Mar 23 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Fri, Mar 24 10:00AM to 6:00PM
Sat, Mar 25 10:00AM to 5:00PM
Sun, Mar 26 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

Sat, Mar 25, 2:30pm - 5:00pm
Auditorium

Sun, Mar 26, 2:00pm - 5:00pm
Auditorium

Mon, Mar 27, 10:30am - 11:30am
Children's Library Programming Room
This event is full

Mon, Mar 27, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Computer Lab 1
This event is full

Mon, Mar 27, 3:00pm - 4:30pm
Teen Meeting Room

Tue, Mar 28, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Computer Lab 1
This event is full

Tue, Mar 28, 6:30pm - 7:30pm

Wed, Mar 29, 10:30am - 12:00pm
Meeting Room 2AB

Wed, Mar 29, 10:30am - 11:00am
Children's Library Programming Room
This event is full

Wed, Mar 29, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Computer Lab 1
This event is full

Thu, Mar 30, 10:30am - 11:00am
Children's Library Programming Room

Thu, Mar 30, 1:00pm - 7:00pm
Microbusiness Center

Thu, Mar 30, 2:00pm - 2:30pm
Children's Library Programming Room
This event is full

Thu, Mar 30, 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Teen Meeting Room

Thu, Mar 30, 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Auditorium

Sat, Apr 01, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Science & Technology

Canceled
Sun, Apr 02, 2:00pm - 5:00pm

Sun, Apr 02, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Auditorium

Mon, Apr 03, 10:30am - 11:00am
Children's Library Programming Room

Wed, Apr 05, 10:30am - 11:00am
Children's Library Programming Room
This event is full

Thu, Apr 06, 10:30am - 11:00am
Children's Library Programming Room

Thu, Apr 06, 1:00pm - 7:00pm
Microbusiness Center

Thu, Apr 06, 2:00pm - 2:30pm
Children's Library Programming Room

Thu, Apr 06, 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Teen Meeting Room

Thu, Apr 06, 5:00pm - 8:00pm
Meeting Room 1,Meeting Room 2AB,Meeting Room 3,Atrium

Thu, Apr 06, 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Auditorium

Sat, Apr 08, 10:30am - 4:00pm
TechZone

Sat, Apr 08, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Children's Library Programming Room

Mon, Apr 10, 10:30am - 11:00am
Children's Library Programming Room

Wed, Apr 12, 10:30am - 11:00am
Children's Library Programming Room
This event is full

Wed, Apr 12, 11:30am - 12:30pm

Wed, Apr 12, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Zoom

Wed, Apr 12, 5:30pm - 6:30pm

Wed, Apr 12, 6:00pm - 7:30pm
TechZone
This event is full

Thu, Apr 13, 10:30am - 11:00am
Children's Library Programming Room

Thu, Apr 13, 1:00pm - 7:00pm
Microbusiness Center

Thu, Apr 13, 2:00pm - 2:30pm
Children's Library Programming Room

Thu, Apr 13, 3:00pm - 4:30pm
Teen Meeting Room

Thu, Apr 13, 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Auditorium

Thu, Apr 13, 8:00pm - 9:00pm

Sat, Apr 15, 10:30am - 2:00pm
Auditorium,Atrium,Meeting Room 2AB

Sun, Apr 16, 2:00pm - 5:00pm
Auditorium

Mon, Apr 17, 10:30am - 12:00pm
Children's Library Programming Room,Children's Library RECE Lab

Mon, Apr 17, 3:30pm - 4:30pm
Teen Meeting Room

Tue, Apr 18, 10:30am - 11:30am
Children's Library Programming Room

Tue, Apr 18, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Computer Lab 1
Registration opens Tuesday, March 28 2023 at 9:00am

Tue, Apr 18, 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Library Park/Amphitheater

Wed, Apr 19, 10:30am - 11:30am
Children's Library Programming Room,Children's Library RECE Lab

Wed, Apr 19, 10:30am - 12:30pm
Meeting Room 2AB

Wed, Apr 19, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Computer Lab 1
Registration opens Tuesday, March 28 2023 at 9:00am

Thu, Apr 20, 10:30am - 11:30am
Children's Library Programming Room

Thu, Apr 20, 1:00pm - 7:00pm
Microbusiness Center

Thu, Apr 20, 2:00pm - 2:30pm
Children's Library Programming Room

Thu, Apr 20, 3:30pm - 6:30pm
Meeting Room 2AB

Thu, Apr 20, 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Auditorium

Sat, Apr 22, 10:30am - 1:00pm

Sun, Apr 23, 2:00pm - 5:00pm
Auditorium

Mon, Apr 24, 10:30am - 11:00am
Children's Library Programming Room

Mon, Apr 24, 3:00pm - 4:30pm
Teen Meeting Room