Last Thursday, we welcomed hundreds of Alliance Theatre camper to the piazza for the live reading of the Mayor's Summer Reading Club 2023 book, The Curious Cardinal. Commissioned by the Alliance Theatre in Partnership with GEEARS and the Mayor’s Summer Reading Club, this book follows our curious cardinal, CC, as he explores the seasons. You could feel the air of excitement in the piazza as the campers were waiting for the reading to begin. They played with new friends on log-shaped seats before author Mark Valdez came to the stage with the book in hand; the reading was about to begin!
The Curious Cardinal was first dreamt up back in 2021 by the Kathy & Ken Bernhardt Theatre for the Very Young. In collaboration with the Fernbank Museum of Natural History and sponsored by PNC’s Grow Up Great program, the Curious Cardinal animated short was created to engage with young audiences while teaching them about the changes that all our seasons bring. From the screen to the stage, we brought the story of CC to life this year when the Kathy & Ken Bernhardt Theatre for the Very Young produced the short as a show in the Selig Family Black Box Theatre.
When Valdez signed on to write the Curious Cardinal story, he "wanted to write a story that captured the joy and life that's found in nature. Atlanta is such a beautiful city, with its water and trees, and animals. I hope the readers of this book will be curious enough to spend more time outdoors, exploring what's right here."
The campers were in awe as Valdez read The Curious Cardinal in English and Spanish, with illustrator Nicole Kang Ahn turning and showing the pages to the crowd. As per the Mayor’s Summer Reading Club initiative, the story impacted the children who read/witnessed it. However, it was also significant to those who contributed to the story, as Kang Ahn remarks, “ Working on Curious Cardinal's illustrations resonated deeply with me as a new mom and as a long-time resident of Atlanta. This book is a celebration of Atlanta's rich forestry and all of its beautiful inhabitants, but also about a love between a mother and child.”
As the reading ended and everyone applauded, our young audience was invited to “cardinal yoga” and a book signing with both Valdez and Ahn. While CC is now “taking off” from the Alliance Theatre, he will take flight throughout the city of Atlanta all summer long!
Learn more about The Curious Cardinal here.
