Joy of storytelling brings crowds to Orange County Children’s Book Festival

A few drops of rain Sunday morning didn’t discourage throngs of young readers and their parents from attending this year’s Orange County Children’s Book Festival on the campus of Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa.

An estimated 5,000 to 7,000 people took in the storytelling stage presentations, book selections, music performances, face painting and train rides, according to Doug Bennett, executive director of the OCC Foundation, who said the crowd grew after the sun emerged in the afternoon.

Diego Cervantes traveled with his family of four from Orange to experience the exhibits and activities at the festival.

Clotilde Delestre, of Clotilde Delestre French Bookstore, welcomes Diego and Claudia Cervantes, Luca, 4 and Beanca, 1, during the Orange County Children’s Book Festival held Sunday at Orange Coast College.

(Susan Hoffman)

“This is our first time at this book festival and it’s awesome for children and great to have it outdoors,” said Cervantes, who had just been conversing in French with Clotilde Delestre at her Clotilde French Bookstore booth. “There are all sorts of vendors and different languages and with all those cultures are represented.”

Among the 112 authors showcased was a diverse cultural selection of books including bilingual rhyming books, which according to author Sandra Gonzalez-Mora can be challenging to find.

Librarian Wendy Canfield buys “I Want to Dance Like a Koala” from Sandra Gonzalez-Mora at the Orange County Children’s Book Festival Sunday at OCC.

(Susan Hoffman)

“We are a family from Whittier, and this is our second time participating at the festival,” said Gonzalez-Mora. “It’s a privilege to be invited to read our bilingual picture books that our family wrote, illustrated and published on two of the [festival] stages, the World Stories Stage and Illustrator Stage.”

Wendy Canfield picked up a bilingual book from the Skillful Soulful booth for her Dual Language Academy School students. “I’m a librarian at a dual language elementary school, Glenview Elementary in Anaheim, which is part of the Placentia-Yorba-Linda Unified School District, and I’m buying for my students,” Canfield said.

Author Cynthia Kern OBrien talks about her book, “Marky the Magnificent Fairy,” during the O.C. Children’s Book Festival Sunday at OCC.

(Susan Hoffman)

Author Cynthia Kern OBrien’s booth stood out partially because of the giant image of the red-haired fairy named Marky mounted on the wall but also the message below the title, “A Disability Story of Courage, Kindness, and Acceptance.”

“Essentially the book is about being differently disabled, whether it’s invisible or visible,” explained Kern OBrien. “The big thing about the book is the resource guide with questions and answers that initiate discussions between parents, kids and teachers.”

She went on to illustrate the value of using the book, “Marky The Magnificent Fairy” as a vehicle for a child to open up about being bullied.

“It’s often more comfortable [for the child] talking about bullying through the [situations] in the book,” said Kern OBrien, adding. “This is something that affects the whole family.”

Former L.A. Clipper Craig Smith reads his book, “Craig and His Magical Basketball,” during the O.C. Children’s Book Festival Sunday at OCC.

(Susan Hoffman)

Among the celebrities who read the books they’d authored on the Main Entertainment Stage were former Los Angeles Clipper Craig Smith (“Craig and His Magical Basketball”), actress Leslie Stratton (“Let’s Share Panda Bear”) and actor-comedian Jesús Trejo (“Papá’s Magical Water Jug Clock”).

Contributing to the sweeping book assortment and a big hit with the kids was Derby the dog, also known as Derby California.

Jordan Jenkins gives Derby a pat on the head as owner and author Kentucky Gallahue, of “Derby Learns to Surf,” looks on during the O.C. Children’s Book Festival Sunday at OCC.

(Susan Hoffman)

“This is our first year [at the festival],” said author Kentucky Gallahue. I just wrote ‘The Adventures of Derby, California Derby Learns To Surf.’ Derby is part of the surf dog team, up and down the California coast and Hawaii.”