If your child is an avid reader, or you’d like them to become one, you won’t want to miss Brooklyn Book Festival’s 2026 Children’s Day.
At a Glance:
Meet favorite authors and illustrators, hear stories, and see books come to life.
Hands-on fun where kids can draw, make crafts, play games, and take part in interactive activities.
There’s programming for little ones, early readers, elementary school kids, and tweens.
It’s a full day of family fun, and it’s free!
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A Fun, Free Day of Books, Art, and Activities for Kids at Brooklyn Borough Hall
While the Brooklyn Book Festival celebrates books and reading, it’s far from a quiet day, and even non-readers will have a good time with plenty of activities to keep kids entertained.
The Brooklyn Book Festival returns for its 21st annual celebration this year, with more than 160 events and nearly 500 authors taking part in events across New York City and online. The full festival runs September 20–28, and Children’s Day is its big family-focused celebration on Saturday, September 26, from 10 am to 4 pm at Brooklyn Borough Hall and Plaza.
Meet the Authors
There will be read-alouds, live illustration sessions, hands-on workshops, games, and interactive performances. Kids will have the chance to meet some of their favorite authors and illustrators, along with fun activities inspired by their books.
For kids, meeting an author they love can be thrilling. I still clearly remember my kids meeting Marc Brown at 92NY years ago, after years of reading his Arthur series. It’s a story we all fondly recall now and then, and we still have our signed copies.
At the festival this year, kids can meet R.J. Palacio of Wonder fame, Bess Kalb of the Buffalo Fluffalo series, Vashti Harrison, Mahogany L. Browne, Adam Gidwitz, Jorge Aguirre, and John Patrick Green of the InvestiGATORS series.
If you’ve got an early reader, the Picture Book Stage is a must-see. Throughout the day, kids can listen to authors read their books, including Bess Kalb’s Buffalo Fluffalo & Puffalo, R.J. Palacio and Brett Helquist’s The Haunted Playground, and Rowboat Watkins’ Moustache, Moosestache.
For older elementary kids, the Young Readers Stage has an interactive trivia game, live storytelling, and a fantasy role-playing adventure with middle-grade authors.
Books That Make Kids Laugh and Think
While there are a lot of fun and funny books included in the mix, the festival is also introspective and focuses on deeper themes, which is so much of what good writing does. This year’s lineup includes books about individuality, family, finding your place, creativity, and seeing the world from a different perspective, which is so crucial in our world right now.
Some standout books include:
The Haunted Playground by R.J. Palacio, a spooky story about two kids who dare to enter a playground where ghosts come to play
Another Tongue by Yevgenia Nayberg, about the challenges and excitement of learning a new language
Black Girl, Bloom Bright and Black Boy, Take Flight by Mahogany L. Browne, two collections of poetry celebrating Black joy
Be the Acorn by Jason Douglas Griffin, an inspiring story about a young squirrel determined to prove he can help his family
There are also workshops where kids can create their own art and books, including origami, paper crafts, painting, self-portraits, and more.
For Active Kids
Events like “Are You Smarter than an Author?”, an interactive trivia game where kids can test their knowledge against middle-grade authors, let kids be part of the fun.
There’s also “Draw Me A Story,” where children can help authors and illustrators create a story live, as well as “Mad Libs Mix Up,” a silly game inspired by graphic novels.
For young artists, “Clash of the Creators: Illustrator Draw-Off” has illustrators battling it out with live drawings inspired by audience suggestions.
“The Monster and Puppet Show with Kate Micucci” combines storytime, puppets, ukulele sing-alongs, and plenty of laughs.
For Tweens and Older Kids
Older kids can head to the Young Readers Stage for programming geared toward middle-grade readers. One highlight is “Authors & Escapades,” an interactive fantasy role-playing adventure where kids can help three middle-grade authors complete a quest. Audience participation is encouraged, so this one is especially good for kids who like fantasy, games, and getting involved.
There’s also “Grab Your Tiaras!”, a conversation with bestselling author Meg Cabot and Corey Ann Haydu about princesses, new books, and 25 years of The Princess Diaries.
Children’s Day is Saturday, September 26, from 10 am to 4 pm at Brooklyn Borough Hall and Plaza, 209 Joralemon Street. All events are free. Find the full schedule and author lineup at brooklynbookfestival.org.
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