![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.kidsburgh.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/053026-CLP-Bookfest-na-44442-sm.jpg\")
<\/a>The O\u2019Connor family joined in the celebration at this year\u2019s Pittsburgh Bookfest. Photo by Nancy Andrews.<\/p>\nThis beloved \u201cbookend\u201d to summer will offer crafts, activities, storytimes, free books and more. The fun will include a visit from Pittsburgh\u2019s First Lady Katie O\u2019Connor, CLP\u2019s 2026 Summer Reading Ambassador, and her family, who will reveal whether Pittsburghers rose to this year\u2019s ambitious challenge of collectively reading 160,000 books this year \u2014 double the goal set for last year.<\/p>\n
Adding to the fun, this year\u2019s summer reading program was built around the theme of \u201cGROW.\u201d So the Extravaganza will feature local partners such as Burghblooms, PSU Extension Master Gardener Program of Allegheny County, Phipps Conservatory, The Black Urban Gardeners and Farmers of Pittsburgh, and The Hood Garden.<\/p>\n
Some scheduled events you won\u2019t want to miss:<\/p>\n 12:30 p.m.: The grand total announcement by the O\u2019Connor family (outside the main Library entrance). 2 p.m. and\u00a0\u00a04 p.m.: a Pittsburgh Puppet Works show called \u201cInky\u2019s Library Mystery.\u201d Join Inky the Cat and Albert the Dog on their thrilling adventure as they attempt to solve the Mystery of the Purrrsburgh (in the Lecture Hall).<\/p>\n All day: A collaborative mural with The Frick Pittsburgh<\/a>, where attendees can showcase their creativity while bringing this year\u2019s Summer Reading theme \u201cGROW\u201d vividly to\u00a0life together (outdoors).<\/p>\n Check out the full list of partners presenting activities and experiences, including Animal Friends, the Center for Creative Reuse, the Pittsburgh Toy Lending Library and many, many more, along with the list of food and treat trucks that will be on hand, right here<\/a>.<\/p>\n And the summer reading fun continues: The Jerome Bettis Summer Reading Challenge<\/a>, part of the year-long \u201cWon\u2019t You Be a Reader?\u201d literacy campaign, runs through Aug. 31. Click here<\/a> to get a downloadable form to keep track of the books your child has read (or the hours the child has spent reading or being read to, if they\u2019re a younger child) and click here<\/a> to upload your completed Reading Challenge submission. One lucky reader will be chosen at random to receive four tickets to a Steelers home game this fall!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"How many books did Pittsburgh families read during this year\u2019s Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh (CLP) Summer Reading Challenge?…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":255300,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[20510,73,75,74,83848],"class_list":["post-255299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pittsburgh","tag-carnegie-library-of-pittsbugrh","tag-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh-headlines","tag-pittsburgh-news","tag-wont-you-be-a-reader"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255299","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=255299"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255299\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/255300"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=255299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=255299"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=255299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/a>Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Extravaganza 2025 photo by Annie O\u2019Neill\/ Annie O\u2019Neill Photography.<\/p>\n
\n1 p.m. and 3 p.m.:\u00a0Interactive storytimes with award-winning author and illustrator Melissa Iwai<\/a>, who will read her latest book \u201cA Garden for Lili\u201d \u2014 a celebration of urban gardening and how food connects our communities. Each family who attends storytime will receive a free signed copy of the book while supplies last (at the South Wing Reading Room, second floor).
\n3 p.m.:\u00a0A larger-than-life musical spectacle with SQUONK<\/a>, with a performance of their new show, Joy Machine (outdoors).
\n1 p.m., 2:30 p.m. & 4 p.m.:\u00a0A Bouquet Bar hosted by Burghblooms<\/a>, where patrons can create their own mini arrangements while learning facts about local flowers (North Wing Reading Room, second floor).<\/p>\n<\/a>CLP Extravganza 2025 photo by Annie O\u2019Neill\/ Annie O\u2019Neill Photography.<\/p>\n