The 17th annual Orange County Children’s Book Festival will be going virtual this year, due to the pandemic. However, there will be plenty of entertainment for those in attendance.

Despite not being able to host the OC Children’s Book Festival in person, organizers have curated a list of notable authors, illustrators and celebrities that will participate in virtual readings and panels throughout the 12-day virtual festival.

The OC Children’s Book Festival is scheduled to run from September 14 – September 26. Attendees can expect appearances from New York Times bestselling authors Jason Reynolds, David Shannon, and Sarah Mlynowski, author of Whatever After Special Edition: Abby in Oz, to name a few.

Kristen Bell, actress and author of the children’s book, The World Needs More Purple People, will be performing a live reading of her book, with her co-author Benjamin Hart on Sept. 26 at 2:00 p.m.

While the pandemic has impacted everyone differently, Bell, who is the mother of two children, explained that reading became one of her and her kid’s go-to quarantine hobbies.

“Reading has gotten my kids through the pandemic! We use books as teaching tools and as escape tools,” she said. “The more they read, the more I see an expansion of their imagination. So reading has also encouraged them to have more independent play, which is necessary for both the kids and the parents.”

Aside from reading, the OC Children’s Book Festival will also include Blue-Ribbon Panels that will focus on two of societies biggest issues: Racism and COVID-19 in two separate panels.

The panels, sponsored by PBS SoCal, will take place on Sept. 19. Join hosts Jason Reynolds, Kwame Alexander, and Congresswoman Katie Porter as they cover topics like discussing race with children and how to approach racial differences in positive ways in the “Be the Change” panel.

For those interested in learning more about COVID-19 awareness, should join hosts Anastasia Higginbotham, Patrice Karst, Maggie Grinnell, and Melissa Fisher Goldman, LCSW in the “Good Grief!” panel.

More information about Orange County’s 17th Annual Virtual Children’s Book Festival can be found on www.kidsbookfestival.com.

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