Three children's book authors will lead kids through instrument exploration, relaxation exercises and crafts at Oakton Library on Saturday, Aug. 15, in a free hour-long event that doubles as a launch party for their new picture books about music and emotion.

Tonnye Fletcher, Jen Fier Jasinski and Alicia Meyers each published music-themed picture books this spring. They'll bring all three to the library's meeting rooms from 4 to 5 p.m. for what the Fairfax County Library calendar bills as a hands-on experience geared toward children ages 4 to 10.

Vienna's own Bards Alley bookshop will sell copies on-site.

The books span a wide emotional range. Fletcher's Music Plants Hope (Reycraft Books) retells the real story of a 2020 concert in Barcelona where Spanish artist Eugenio Ampudia filled the Liceu Opera House with 2,292 plants and had a string quartet perform for them during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jasinski's My Violin (Gnome Road Publishing) follows a young player from his grandfather's luthier shop to performing with an ensemble. It's a sequel to her 2023 book My Piano, which earned a starred review from School Library Journal. Meyers' debut, Tic-Errific Me! (Free Spirit Publishing), encourages children with Tourette syndrome to embrace their tics as part of who they are. Meyers, a second-grade teacher in Washington, D.C., was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome at a young age.

Fletcher is a National Board-certified K–2 music teacher who hosts PBJamz, a multimedia blog spotlighting picture books with musical hooks. Jasinski, a former teacher and mother who lives with a grand piano and a professional pianist husband, told UVA Magazine in May 2024 that "publishing is just a wild roller coaster — you really have to hold on for a while sometimes."

Beyond the book previews, the library says participants will play music and movement games, explore how instruments work, practice relaxation techniques, make crafts and take home activity sheets. Registration is optional; families can walk in or RSVP through the Fairfax County Library calendar.

Bards Alley, the women-owned independent bookshop on Vienna's Church Street, has been a community fixture since 2017. Owner Jennifer Morrow purchased a building at 103 Church St. NE for $1.5 million in February, planning to relocate the shop there by late 2026. "My primary goal was to remain on historic Church Street," Morrow told FFXnow in February.

The event takes place at Oakton Library, 10304 Lynnhaven Place, Oakton. No additional author events at the library have been announced.