Taller Puertorriqueño Books And Crafts Fair

Sat., Oct. 3, 1-4 p.m., free, Julia de Burgos Books and Crafts Store, 2721 N. Fifth St., 215-426-3311, tallerpr.org.

by Catherine Grubb

[ kids, etc. ]

Julia de Burgos Books and Crafts Store is the last-standing independent Latino bookstore in Philadelphia. This small number, which is also reflected in non-Latino bookstores both in Philly and around the country, is due in part to young people's waning interest in print publications. In an attempt to reverse that trend, Julia's annual book fair is focusing on the kids this year. The highlight of the event will be a reading of There's a Coquí in My Shoe by local Puerto Rican children's author Marisa de Jess Paolicelli. There'll also be arts 'n' crafts, including a clay workshop presented by the Philadelphia Museum of Art and a class on making coquí (frog) puppets. "We want our children to be able to look up to authors who look like them," says marketing director Yolanda Jimenez-Colon, "so they know that they can achieve."

Sat., Oct. 3, 1-4 p.m., free, Julia de Burgos Books and Crafts Store, 2721 N. Fifth St., 215-426-3311, tallerpr.org.