By Daily Press staff
A festival dedicated to children’s literacy has been scheduled for next month. Connections For Children presents “Raising Readers,” a literacy festival celebrating early education and school readiness.
The family festival focuses on the importance of promoting children’s early literacy and language development as the foundation for all children’s learning.
The event will be held Saturday, April 5 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Clock Tower Quad at Santa Monica College, located at 1900 Pico Blvd. The festival is free and open to the public. Ample free parking will be available.
Entertainment emphasizes the joys of reading and storytelling, festival organizers said. Children’s singer and songwriter Dan Crow and his band lead the program with a performance at 12:15 p.m. An entertainer who captures the attention of audiences from age 2 to 92, Crow serves up a fast-paced non-stop show of inspired zaniness.
John and Pamela Wood of JP Nightingale turn a bare stage into an international show, blending classics, fairytales, folklore and myths with original and contemporary songs.
Theatre of the Puppets continues a multi-cultural tradition for young audiences begun by master puppeteer Bill Sousa more than 20 years ago. The company combines magic, mime, storytelling, and audience participation to create theater that is geared toward education and entertainment.
Storyteller Leslie Perry and children’s musical entertainers Molly Boyles and Michael Cladis round out the program.
“Clifford the Big Red Dog” and “Curious George” also will attend.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 24, 2003. Read the original PDF.