The Virginia Children’s Book Festival (VCBF) has quickly risen in the ranks among Farmville’s most valuable events.

The festival — now in its third year — is an impressive asset to the town. During the course of three days, nearly 7,000 school children filled Longwood University’s campus, bringing with them an unprecedented excitement for reading.

Juanita Giles, the event’s driving force, has made reading accessible and fun for our children. She’s also given adults the opportunity to reconnect with their childhood characters.

Longwood’s role as host for the festival provided young students with an opportunity to learn on a college campus. For some, this may be the first time they’ve set foot on a campus.

Participants made their own comic books with Greg Neri and Lamar Giles, and learned from famous illustrators, such as Jeffrey Brown, known for the “Star Wars: Jedi Academy” books.

Attendees learned the art of illustration first-hand from Elly Mackay and painted a mural with Todd Parr. That mural, created by thousands of small hands, will soon hang in the Children’s Hospital of Richmond.

Many were happy to see Marc Brown, author and illustrator of the “Arthur” books. An older audience enjoyed a “Best in Literature” presentation by 2016 award winners Neal Shusterman, Rita Williams-Garcia and Matt De La Peña.

VCBF reminds us reading is about so much more than just turning a page.

Though the festival could surely thrive in a city or larger university, we are happy to see it stay in the Heart of Virginia, right where it belongs.