Texas Book Festival
First Lady Laura Bush kicks off the Festival’s third decade
Former First Lady Laura Bush cofounded the Texas Book Festival in 1996, and this year she returns again as a featured author. She and her co-author, daughter Jenna Bush Hager, will honor our National Parks Centennial at the 2016 festival, with their new children’s book, Our Great Big Backyard.
MOTHER NATURE Our Great Big Backyard, by Laura Bush and daughter Jenna Bush Hager, is a tribute to our national parks and the importance and fun of connecting with nature. The book helps to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service.
In the years since Mrs. Bush helped launch one of the nation’s largest and most diverse book festivals, attendance has grown to more than 40,000 during the autumn weekend in Austin. Over the course of two days, book lovers of all ages can discover new reads, meet more than 250 great authors from Texas and beyond, and enjoy food, music, multimedia and exhibitor booths in dozens of venues inside the state capitol building and all around it.
While it’s a treat to attend author panels inside the capitol — and take a picture underneath the impressive dome while you’re there — the many tents, booksellers and food vendors set up from Colorado Street to South Congress make for a delightful outdoor stroll. Bring a picnic and a blanket to spread on the capitol lawn. Watch cooking demonstrations, catch a favorite band, have a bookmark personalized in calligraphy, get a book signed by a dog, watch a magic show, find a signed gift for everyone on your list — the Texas Book Festival has it all. The 2016 festival takes place Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 5 and 6. It’s free, it’s fun, and it’s a fantastic way to spend a weekend in the capital with family and friends.
