FLORENCE, Ky. — The city of Florence hosted its first-ever, two-day book and literacy festival this weekend. Children and adults enjoyed activities focused on reading and writing.
What You Need To Know
- The city of Florence hosted its first-ever book and literacy festival
- The event took place over two days
- There were activities geared at both children and adults
- Events included story time, a puppet show, a book fair and a panel discussion with local authors
Northern Kentucky mother Tia Wood brought 3-year-old Teddy to enjoy the new festival taking place at the government center.
Tia said Teddy loves books that feature all things trucks. As a longtime educator, she added she's always seeking activities to expose Teddy to new literature.
"We love reading," she said. "We just finished the Boone County Public Library's 'Thousand Book Challenge,' and we were like, 'We need some new books.'"
At the event, children enjoyed story time, a puppet show and a book fair while adults got to meet local authors and enjoy a panel discussion.
Reading helps children develop both mentally and socially, said Gianna Pretelini, Florence community services administrator.
"Reading to your child, especially from a young age, is a great, great learning tool ... we wanted to bring something that was not only geared toward children but also adults," Pretelini said.
Tia said she hopes constant reading will help Teddy see the world through other eyes.
"It's helping with engagement, social skills and empathy," she said. "Any time that we can read as many books as we can read, it's helping with so much of his development."