A celebration of reading and literacy, the sixth annual Philadelphia Book Festival takes place April 16-21, 2012, with evening Author Events at Parkway Central featuring world-renowned writers, including United States Poet Laureate Philip Levine; National Book Award winner Nikky Finney; Philadelphia Poet Laureate Sonia Sanchez; and National Book Critics Circle Award-winning author Robert Polito. Also on tap for this exciting six-day festival is Friday's First Person StorySlam, where competing storytellers will expose their best mistaken-identity stories.

On Saturday, April 21, celebrate literacy inside and outside the Parkway Central Library. 6abc's Tamala Edwards kicks off the festivities in Shakespeare Park with the beloved Storybook Character Parade. Stick around for music by The Cat's Pajamas and Many Thoughts of Music, and fun with the Teddy Bear Picnic, Eagles Bookmobile, and KYW's Kidcast. Enjoy food by Krispy Kreme, Lucky Old Souls, Pitruco Pizza, Zsa's Gourmet Ice Cream, and Yumtown USA!

And inside the Parkway Central Library—in conjunction with the Philadelphia Science Festival—science takes center stage in the Montgomery Auditorium. Enjoy an afternoon of lively talks from celebrated authors, such as bestselling science writer Dava Sobel on revolutionary astronomer Copernicus; a discussion of whale science, history, and policy with D. Graham Burnett; and a talk with Jonathan Haidt, award-winning psychologist and bestselling author of The Righteous Mind.

Cap off the day with A Storied Evening, a special ticketed family event featuring storytelling with Charlotte Blake Alston, a high-tech high jinks scavenger hunt, and dinner with Sara Shepard, author of the Pretty Little Liars series!