Great welcome to the Picnic of Books 2017 in Miami

Great welcome to the Picnic of Books 2017 in Miami

On May 20, 2017, the Cuatrogatos Foundation and Miami Book Fair presented the Spanish Picnic Books event, from 2:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., at the Koubek Center at Miami Dade College. Picnic de Libros is a free cultural event, aimed at children and families, in Miami, which seeks to promote reading and a taste for books and literature.

The program included performances by the oral narrators Leonardo van Schermbeek, Nitsy Grau and Leopoldo Morales, and actor Mandy Mora, who represented a classic puppet theater: Chí­mpete Chámpata, by the Argentinean Javier Villafañe. The cultural program also included the theatrical miniautura La margarita blanca, by the first actress Daisy Fontao; A performance by Michael Gil with ethnic musical instruments from different continents and a concert by singer Rita Rosa Ruesga, nominated four times for the Latin Grammy in the category of children's music. Eddy Diaz Souza told popular stories of the world with the kamishibai, Dotty Vásquez narrated stories with his puppets, and there was also a costume contest for children's literary characters, games, raffles and piñata.

The "main course" of the afternoon was the great Picnic of Books, when the gardens of the Koubek Center were filled with tablecloths filled with "appetizing" books in Spanish, so that these were read and enjoyed by children and their families. More than 500 people participated in this multicultural celebration of books and literature, which seeks to strengthen the bonds of the youngest with reading and the arts.

The image that identifies the Picnic of Books was created by the graphic designer Oscar Fernández-Chuyn. The illustration of the official poster was the work of the Spanish illustrator Núria Feijoó. The event was held with the support of Lectorum Publications, Santillana USA, Spanish Publishers, Random House, Cinco Books, Ekaré Editions and the radio stations Cadena Azul and La Poderosa, among others.