How many of us would beg for “just one more” story before going to bed? After all, with so many characters full of adventures to share, the will to go to sleep goes away and curiosity sets in. Agora Aveiro decided that these stories could be shared in a group and outdoors.

To take advantage of the sunny days of July and make the bookcrossing fridges of the project “Refresca a tua Mente!” (Refresh Your Mind!) known, we organised three reading sessions for kids and grown-ups. The premiere took place in the Municipal Library of Águeda, continuing the tour in BioRia, in Estareja, and ending La Salette Park, in Oliveira de Azeméis. In total, 30 people participated, including children and their parents.

The characters in our books were tired of sitting on the shelf collecting dust, so with the help of the voices of our volunteers, they made themselves known! From a bored mole that wanted to know who had left her an undesired present, to Carmela and her hungry Uncle Wolf, entertainment was guaranteed. And if you love books so much that you want to devour them, then for sure you loved meeting Henrique, who learnt a great lesson on how to take care of books. These were some of the friends who accompanied us during these days in which we awakened our inner child. All these books were kindly provided by the Bookstore Gigões & Anantes, in Aveiro.

And because we couldn’t go away without leaving a mark, there was also the opportunity for children to create their bookmarks, so that no stories get lost in the middle. A question remains: when was the last time someone read to you?

“Era Uma Vez” (Once Upon a Time) is part of the project “Refresca a Tua Mente!” of Agora Aveiro. It was carried out in collaboration with the Municipal Library of Manuel Alegre, BioRia - Estarreja and the Municipal Library of Ferreira de Castro. It had the Bookstore Gigões & Aantes as a partner and counted with the support by the City Hall of Aveiro, the European Solidarity Corps and IPDJ - Instituto Português do Desporto e Juventude I.P..