The Boys & Girls Clubs of South Alabama will host its annual Gulf Coast Children's Book Festival on Thursday, May 8, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at The Grounds in Mobile.

The free event is open to registered teachers and students and aims to spark a lifelong love of reading by putting books directly into the hands of young readers.

The festival will feature live book readings, appearances by children's book authors and free book giveaways for students, teachers and entire classrooms. The first 2,000 children through the gates will also receive a drawstring backpack.

Launched in 2019, the festival is part of the Boys & Girls Clubs of South Alabama's Read. Learn. Achieve Initiative, which promotes literacy and academic success among local youth.

The event will take place at The Grounds, located at 1035 Cody Road North in Mobile. Teachers and students must register in advance to attend. Registration is available at www.bgcsouthal.org/what-we-do/festival.

For more information, contact the Boys & Girls Clubs of South Alabama at (251) 432-1235 or boy.girl@bgcsouthal.org.