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Children’s Book Festival Returns for a Weekend of Literary Fun!

Posted on January 7, 2025

Johnstown, PA (Jan. 7, 2025) – Mark your calendars! The Learning Lamp proudly presents the return of the Children’s Book Festival, celebrating its 16th year the weekend of March 29 and 30, 2025, at the Bottle Works Ethnic Arts Center, 411 Third Avenue, Johnstown. The festival promises a fun-filled weekend packed with acclaimed children’s authors and illustrators, along with a variety of activities and entertainment designed to inspire and delight children and families of all ages and backgrounds.

 Join us in welcoming these award-winning authors and illustrators to the 2025 Children’s Book Festival:

  • Jarret J. Krosczka– JJK, as he’s been known since childhood, is the New York Times bestselling author/illustrator behind more than 40 books including his wildly popular Lunch Lady graphic novels, select volumes of Star Wars Jedi Academy series, and Hey, Kiddo – a National Book Award Finalist.
  • Karma Wilson – A New York Times bestselling children’s author, Karma is known for inspiring young readers with her picture books and sharing the basics of writing and rhyme. Some of her popular books include Bear Snores On, Hello Calico, and A Dog Named Doug.
  • John Patrick Green– John is the New York Times bestselling author of the smash hit book series the The full-color, laugh-out-loud graphic novels follow Mango and Brash, a super spy alligator duo that fight the forces of evil.
  • Pat Lewis – A Pittsburgh-based cartoonist and illustrator, Pat works alongside John as the genius behind the illustrations of the InvestiGATORS: Agents of S.U.I.T. book series, among other children’s, young adult, and adult novels. His artwork can also be seen in numerous issues of Highlights for Children. Pat’s live caricatures and unity illustrations are sure to be a festival favorite!

The Children’s Book Festival offers children in PreK through 6th grade and their families a FREE, interactive literary adventure designed to spark a love of reading. This engaging event encourages parents to share the joy of books with their little ones while providing families access to affordable new and used books to grow their own home libraries. Plus, every child who attends will receive a free book to take home and enjoy.

In addition to our headlining authors/illustrators, the New York City-based WonderSpark Puppets will take center stage, dedicated to spreading joy, igniting imaginations, and sharing laughter through their exceptional puppet performances. With a global reach, the company has toured internationally, bringing their captivating productions and puppetry workshops to festivals across the U.S. and Asia.

Attendees can also enjoy themed arts and crafts, participate in writing and illustration workshops, browse new and used book sales, and savor delicious treats from a variety of food trucks. The festival features a children’s bookmark contest, where visitors can vote for their favorites. Winners in each age group will be awarded a basket filled with age-appropriate books.

Local and regional authors are invited to reserve a table at the festival to engage with attendees and showcase their books throughout the weekend. Authors interested in participating can reach out to festival coordinator Kerri Belardi at kbelardi@thelearninglamp.org.

The festival receives support from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA), a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts. PCA funding through the PA Partners in the Arts Program was distributed by regional partner Community Foundation for the Alleghenies.

Community support is critical to making this event accessible to children and families of all incomes. The Learning Lamp is seeking sponsors for 2025. Businesses interested in supporting childhood literacy are encouraged to reach out to Kathy Morrell about sponsorships at kmorrell@thelearninglamp.org.

For more information about the 16th Annual Children’s Book Festival, visit our website, thelearninglamp.org, or follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/CBFJohnstown/. 

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The Learning Lamp is a nonprofit organization with a mission to engage all children in the support they need to succeed. We deliver high-quality programs that are affordable and accessible to families of all income levels. In 2023, The Learning Lamp and our school-based division Ignite Education Solutions directly served 37,524 children and adults. In addition to our own program locations, we worked with 87 public and private schools in 36 Pennsylvania counties. We also supported 473 child care and community-based youth organizations with free or nearly free shared resources, positively impacting another 44,190 children statewide.  

Our programs include: child care and preschool, after-school programs, tutoring, SAT prep, school staffing, alternative education programs for at-risk students, online learning, credit recovery, drug and alcohol prevention programs, and grant writing and project consulting for schools.