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Author Will Read a Story to Your Dog at Kew Gardens Arts Day

By Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska | October 3, 2014 8:44am | Updated on October 3, 2014 5:53pm
 The Kew Gardens Community Arts Day will take place on Oct. 5.
Kew Gardens Arts Day
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QUEENS — It's Dickens for dachshunds.

Artists will converge on Kew Gardens this weekend, hosting dozens of free events, including a music show, arts and crafts for children, sidewalk chalk drawing and even a storytime for dogs.

Kew Gardens' Caldecott-award-winning children’s book writer and illustrator David Ezra Stein will be reading from his latest book “I’m My Own Dog” during the second Kew Gardens Community Arts Day, scheduled for this Sunday.

Because the book is written from the perspective of a dog, the author decided that during the event he will read it to local pets, although children and their parents are welcome too, the organizers said.

"He always likes to read to children. He said he would like to read to dogs as well," said Carol Lacks, one of the organizers.

Artists will also organize a number of workshops, hoping to connect with residents and provide fun for local families, Lacks said.

“We feel that through art you can bring people together,” she said. “We want to highlight the amount of wonderful art in our borough. But it’s also a way to connect culture with the community.”

One of the biggest attractions will be sidewalk chalk drawing. Artists will be displaying their illustrations on the sidewalk in front of Giorgio's Hair Salon & Spa on Lefferts Boulevard.

The event will also feature numerous art exhibits, including an art fair at the Kew Gardens Cinemas Park on Austin Street, as well as workshops focusing on making Native American totem necklaces, African mask designs and Mexican yarn painting, which was extremely popular last year, Lacks said.

The Kew Gardens Musicians will play Broadway tunes and Spanish melodies from 1 to 3 p.m., a comic book expert will be available to chat at The Comic Den, and local studio The Potter’s Wheel will demonstrate the nuances of the craft.

Tailor Michael Shimunoff will also teach children how to sew buttons, there will be face-painting and an artist who will draw portraits of those attending the event.

The Kew Gardens Community Arts Day will take place on Sunday, Oct. 5 (rain date Oct. 19), from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more info, go here.