Let's Get Reading!

National Read a Book Day is celebrated on September 6th each year to encourages everyone to read, including children. 

If you're in or near Nyack, NY, please join Dr. Valerie and other children's authors on Children's Book Day at Big Red Books. Dr. Valerie will read from the Cocoa Kids Collection® Books (for kids aged 6-8). 

The event is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 21st, 2025, from 11:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Big Red Books is located at 120 Main St, Nyack, NY 10960.  See the flyer attached for details on the lineup of Readers.

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Cocoa, Community & Courage: A Young Author Reading for World Mental Health Day

 As part of our ongoing commitment to literacy, wellness, and celebration, we’d love to invite you to our next event.

REGISTER HERE.

When you register for this free event, you’ll also gain access to a digital copy of JoJo’s book of poetry, Cocoa’s Palace.

This special gathering will be a meeting of "cocoa-minded" mental health and literacy leaders, another occasion for the Cocoa Kids Collection’s® to celebrate its commitment to "the momentous and the mundane in the – ever-inspiring – world of chocolate."

It also reflects our continued commitment to providing social-emotional learning and resilience-building resources and outreach to youth, empowering young readers and their families to thrive.


About the Author – Jouvanna "JoJo" Brame is an African American Health Leader, Mental Health Advocate, and multimedia creative whose writing journey began at the age of 10. Initially focused on fiction, her passion gradually shifted toward poetry, where she explored both its internal structures and external forms. Her work has been featured in Harness Magazine and The Brazen Collective. JoJo will read from her debut chapbook, Cocoa’s Palace, screen her mini-documentary, Resilience Is, and preview new work from her next book, to my friend, sincerely, which will launch later this year. 
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We hope you’ll join us in what promises to be a thoughtful, inspiring evening.