More than 30 children gathered for the Mount Waddington Family Literacy Society's celebration on Saturday in Port McNeill, after the organization received a $14,500 grant from the Queen Alexandra Foundation.
Some of the events of the day included a sing-along with Fran Jenkins, Kwakwala nursery rhymes with Vera Newman, and puppets in the library with Mother Goose Jodie Lukow.
Each child also received a free book.
Another celebration took place later in Port Hardy, but the Literacy Bus was unable to follow the group after a faulty gas pedal left it broken down.
"This is why we have to think about funding," said Kathy Martin of the Literacy Society. "It's with the funds of the Queen Alexandra Foundation that we were able to do this today."
The Queen Alexandra Foundation is a registered charity based in Victoria that provides Vancouver Island youth and families with support to ensure health and well-being. The QAF will provide $660,517 in grants to agencies on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands between 2012 and 2013.
The North Island Early Child Development Society also received a $17,820 grant from the foundation.