Sometime last fall, I had the idea to host a picture book fair here at the library. From my planning document: “Big Idea: Invite lots of local picture book authors/illustrators to SHPL in spring 2026 for a picture book fair! Each author will have ~15 minutes to read from their book (or do a drawing demo or other activity); all will have the opportunity to chat with readers and sell copies of their book.” And earlier this month, that’s exactly what happened! It went well enough that I’m already thinking of next year’s event…

But first, here are some details, so that you, too, can host a picture book fair at your library or bookstore:

• Figure out a date and time. I chose the Saturday of Mass Kids Lit Fest so the event would have additional promotion from the Massachusetts Center for the Book; it appeared on their online calendar and promotional materials, and they shared editable graphics in Canva that I could customize. This also gave me half a year to…
• Identify local authors and illustrators to invite, and check in with the local bookstore. Western Massachusetts is rich in kidlit creators (so is Eastern Mass, actually), and I couldn’t invite everyone I wanted, because my library is only open from 9:30am-1pm on Saturdays. I invited ten, and got seven, which was perfect! And our local bookstore, Odyssey, is a fantastic partner; their children’s book buyer brainstormed with me, ordered extra copies of the authors’ books, and showed up on the day of the fair with books to sell.
• Author questionnaire: I asked for basic info: name, pronouns, short biography, headshot, which of their books they were planning to read, any other activities they wanted to do during their time, and any supplies they would need. Closer to the event, I asked about scheduling preferences. Fortunately, I was working with a delightful group, nearly all of whom stayed for the whole fair, which made scheduling fairly easy (but make sure your lead-off person is okay going first!).
• Advertise: The Mass Center for the Book promoted the event, and it was also on our library website, calendar, and social media. The bookshop posted flyers, and I shared a digital copy with all the public schools in town, as well as the youth librarian listserv so other nearby libraries could help spread the word. I mentioned it up at every other library program in the weeks leading up to the fair, and I talked to a reporter at one of the local papers.
• Incentives: I made a “collect ’em all” half-sheet with each author’s headshot so kids could collect their signatures (or a stamp or a sticker or a mini drawing); kids who met every author could enter a prize drawing to win a bookstore gift certificate or a copy of one of the author’s books. (These were generously donated by the bookstore and the author, respectively).
• Setup: We decided to use the storytime room for the read-alouds, and set up the bookstore table and meet-the-authors tables in the general children’s area, which involved moving the train table and flannel board easel, bringing in extra tables, and converting the coloring table to a “make your own bookmark” station. If you can, designate a quiet space people can go if the fair is overstimulating; I reserved one of the library’s other rooms.
• Week before the event stuff: Confirm final schedule with authors; collect or request library copies of the authors’ books to display; print and cut the “collect ’em all” autograph pages/raffle entries; make a raffle entry box; make table tents with the authors’ names to welcome them; cut lengths of ribbon to loop through the bookmark holes; gather clipboards, paper, and crayons for a draw-along; set up the easel and big paper for the author/illustrator’s drawing demo; print custom coloring sheets; schedule extra social media posts; print author bios and schedule.

On the day of the fair, the weather cooperated: it rained! (Indoor activity, anyone?) By the time the rooms were set up and the bookshop folks and authors were here, 26 visitors were ready for storytime. The whole event ran on time; 15 minutes is just about enough for an introduction, a story, and a couple of questions. Twenty minutes, or more generous breaks between readings, could certainly work, although longer breaks might disrupt the momentum. We had such a tight time frame (seven authors in two and a half hours) that we had to do it this way, and it worked out pretty well! Guests, authors, and booksellers all seemed happy.

• Follow up: Make sure to THANK THE AUTHORS and the booksellers, in person and by email! If I’d thought about it in time, I would have baked cookies the night before. (Obviously, if you have the budget to pay an honorarium, I’m sure that would be appreciated!) Post to social media and tag partner organizations. Ask the authors if they have any author/illustrator friends who might be interested in participating next time. Thank everyone again. Go home and change into pajamas and read on the couch with your dog for the rest of the day.