Traffic stopped. People stared. The entire Peaks Island Elementary School had taken to the streets with a banner in hand. No, not to protest budget cuts, but to celebrate books at an event organized by the Friends of the Peaks Island Branch Library.

Following an annual tradition, the Friends invited island children to attend a celebration of books, a celebration framed as a one-day birthday celebration for every child’s birthday.

Launch of the Book Birthday Party Parade

The gathering boasted the things one might expect from a birthday party – a cake large enough to feed eighty, a limbo game, a pin-the-hat-on-the-Dr. Seuss Cat game, and a craft-making table where children could fashion their own bookmarks. Given that the occasion celebrated books and reading, each child received a present – a gift-wrapped book of their own.

Scavenging for Hidden Clues Amongst the Books

Students also played charades, based upon book titles and characters, and dove into a scavenger hunt that left them scouring the shelves for the books that held the hidden clues.

Pin the Hat on the Cat