Children, parents, caregivers, teachers, classrooms, and the entire community came together on April 24 to celebrate a single book, Number One Sam, The Pennsylvania One Book, Every Young Child 2015 selection written and illustrated by Greg Pizzoli. Our library was chosen as only one of two sites in Allegheny County where Mr. Pizzoli would host a visit. Preparations for this event were six months in the making, and 235 people filled the gym to hear the story of Sam and his #1 race car in addition to other stories and celebrate the joy of reading. After Mr. Pizzoli’s presentation, children rotated throughout themed stations including meeting the author and receiving an autographed copy of the book, talking to a race car driver and seeing a racing truck from Bailey Racing, playing a game and having a race car snack. We received many wonderful comments about the One Book event such as, “We had such a great time! The activities were well planned with age appropriate themes. Loved the stories the author told!” and “What a great experience for the children to meet a real author!” and “Wonderful opportunity at Baldwin Library! Great planning! The One Book program is a real gem!” We were honored and proud to have been chosen to host a visit and loved our time spent with author/illustrator Greg Pizzoli and our community!
