If you live in the Tucson area, this is the weekend to check out the Tucson Festival of Books, especially if you have children. The Festival occurs once a year, and is held on the University of Arizona campus (and one of my alma maters). I love how the festival has grown over the years and here are some of the reasons why you should give it a try:

Children can choose a book to take home (for free!)

There is a tent specifically set up where kids can pick any book of their choosing. I like that the books are separated by age range. And not only is there quite a selection, but the books are high quality.

My son chose a Disney book 😉

Storytelling with classic characters

There are tents set up for story time with classic literature characters. My son loves Curious George so I was happy to see Curious George would be present for one of the story times, and would be available for pictures afterward. This was probably the highlight of my son’s day.

The giveaways

Not only did we receive a free tote bag, but my son also received a coloring book and stickers.

Admission is free!

Admission to the festival doesn’t cost anything. We paid $5 for parking, but there are options available for people who don’t want to pay for parking. We chose to pay the $5 fee for convenience, and it was well worth it.

With that being said, be prepared for the crowds. We arrived there pretty early, but it took a while to park. And while the people working the event were very friendly, I had to ask several people where the storytelling tent was because it was tucked away, rather hidden.

But on the plus side, we ran into several people we know, including some of our friends 😊