In 2023 the theme is “My book, My House”. Every year a new theme is chosen to give the festival a different meaning. In the library we are preparing another edition to be able to continue stimulating children to read books. The Children’s Book Festival lasts for a week and is held in the first week of November.
It always opens with a big party that will be held on Saturday, November 4, 2023. In the week of November 6th to 10th many authors from both Aruba and Holland, Curacao, Bonaire and St. Eustatius do their best to tell stories in the classes and in the library and also the illustrators give presentations on how they illustrate stories for children. In this way, we try to encourage children to read more, read together and visit the library more. Library membership became free in 2023, which is a gift for all children.
A large group of children’s book writers visit more than sixty schools. From Aruba these are Vanessa Paulina (writer and illustrator), IrmgardnFrans (writer and illustrator), Olga Buckley (author and poet), Emerita Emerenciana (writer, teacher and actress), Ruty Vrieswijk (writer, poet and blogger), Esmeralda Tromp Jacobs (writer and storyteller), Sheila Werleman (Visual artist and illustrator) and Desiree Correa (author and teacher). From Bonaire, Denise de Jongh (writer and editor) and Boi Antion (Researcher and author) join the group, from Colombia the author, poet and actor Pedro Vargar. Uncle Ali (writer and storyteller) is always part of the festival and Uncle Ali comes along with Crisen Schorea. Crisen is an author and poet. Jeroen Hoogerwerf and Pieter Koolwijk come from the Netherlands to visit schoolchildren. Misha Spanner (Counting Beads) participates for the first time in the festival in Aruba and comes from St. Eustace. They visit the school to tell stories, talk about books with children and also to stimulate children to read more.
