Festival celebrates books and more

The Word on The Street (Queen’s Park) — This has always been an event that literate types love to attend, and once kids come along, they keep going every year, whether the little ones like it or not. Well, they usually do like it, thanks to a growing list of venues and activities just for them. That list has grown again this year. Brand new are the Little Readers Tent, with storytelling and games for tots under three, and French-language programming tent for the French immersion crowd with readings and creative writing activities. “We’re putting real effort in our children’s area. It’s almost an event within an event right now,” says festival director Alexandra Moorshead. These new venues join the Children’s Activity Tent, Children’s Reading Tent, TVOKids Stage and IdeaSpace Young Adult Marquee. In these venues, you can hear from Canadian authors, storytellers and illustrators, including Francis Chalifour, Jeremy Tankard, Kathy Stinson, Shane Peacock and Tish Cohen, among many others. Expect visits from Polkaroo, Gisèle from Gisèle’s Big Backyard and Franklin. Elsewhere in the park, the rest of the festival is alive and well with 150 authors, 250 exhibitors and 75 musicians and performers in total for the whole event. Good, literate fun. Runs in Queen’s Park on Sunday, September 28 from 11-6, admission is free.