San Quentin Rehabilitation Center residents queued up for more than an hour before the start of the facility’s 2026 Kid’s Summer Book Fair on Friday, May 29.

Peter Chadwick, a first-time fair attendee, was one of the early arrivals. He was excited about the opportunity to pick out books for his nephews and nieces.

The popular semiannual fair enables residents to gift up to three books, one per child, to related children. Residents also can fill out complimentary greeting cards. All is at no cost to the incarcerated gift givers, with the books and shipping costs donated. 

The organization Friends of San Quentin Library teamed with San Quentin staff librarians and incarcerated library workers to provide and display the books, answer questions and help residents through the process, and finally to package and post the gifts for delivery to the kids. 

Participants smiled broadly as they showed off the colorful covers and intriguing titles of their choices. Resident David Medina’s six-year-old daughter will receive “The Humble Pie.” Steven Owens selected “How It Works Rocket” as a birthday gift for his grandson who turns five next month.

Volunteers and incarcerated workers categorized the selections by age groups that spanned newborn to ages 8-12. Signs on tables and shelves advertised early readers, picture books, chapter books, books about science, books in Spanish, and books for BIPOC.

A varied group of smiling outside volunteers came in to help ensure the fair’s success. Among these was Nili, who volunteered from the San Francisco Public Library. She learned of the fair through other professional librarians. Kristina, from the Berkeley Public Library, also came in to share her expertise with the incarcerated gift givers. Pam volunteered from Corte Madera’s bookstore, The Book Passage, which donates books to the fair.

Books. Kids. Giving. Service. Smiles. San Quentin’s 2026 Kid’s Summer Book Fair.