Director, Livingston Manor-Roscoe Library

Hundreds of young book lovers are expected to turn out in Monticello for the fourth biannual Sullivan County Youth Book Festival hosted by the Ethelbert B. Crawford Public Library on Saturday, May 30. Why? “Because every child should love to read…” as stated on the festival’s home page! And because every child should associate reading with fun. In addition, when children learn that real people create books it enables them to see their potential to be an author or an illustrator someday.

Parents, grandparents, guardians, children, and teens are cordially welcome to visit the library grounds at 479 Broadway between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to meet authors and illustrators, enjoy free entertainment by children’s rock band Rolie Polie Guacamole, dance with aerial silks performers from the Chi Hive in Narrowsburg, and have their faces painted. Friendly costumed book characters will be out and about throughout the day greeting children. 

For adult visitors, the Bean Wandering food truck will be on site to help fuel families for their tour of the book tent where approximately 35 book creators will display their newest works for browsing and book signing. Sales will be coordinated by Oblong Books and proceeds will benefit the festival.

The day will also hold the Cross County Reading Challenge ceremony, a competition organized by Sullivan County BOCES School Library System to encourage students’ independent reading. Students and teachers log books they have read to earn prizes and recognition at the school year’s final ceremony.

According to Mary Paige Lang-Clouse, director of the Ethelbert B. Crawford Public Library and festival coordinator, “It is really exciting to see families get excited about children’s books and to be able to provide them with this opportunity in a lively festival atmosphere.”

For the full list of authors and illustrators and other festival information, go to https://scybookfest.org/. The festival is administered by the Sullivan Public Library Alliance with multiple financial sponsors to whom we are grateful. The full list of sponsors is available at https://scybookfest.org/our-2026-sponsors/.