Kwesi doesn’t know how to swim. Neither does his grandmother.

But they strike a deal.

“I will learn to swim, if you do,” Nana Ruby tells her grandson.

If you want to know the rest of their adventure, you’ll have to read “Kwesi and Nana Ruby Learn to Swim,” written by Kobina Commeh and illustrated by Bárbara Quintino. The book is one of the titles featured in this year’s Beautiful Blackbird Children’s Book Festival.

This annual event, which kicks off next week, is presented by Indigo Arts Alliance, I’m Your Neighbor Books, and Diverse Book Finder with more than a dozen community partners. The goal is to celebrate Black and Black immigrant children’s books and their creators. The festival also honors the legacy of artist and storyteller Ashley Bryan, whose books include the classic “Beautiful Blackbird.”

Over the next month, the organizers will also give away more than 3,000 books, including copies of “Kwesi and Nana Ruby Learn to Swim.” They’ll also host programs that take the stories from the page into the real world. In October, for example, Maine Community Swimming will host a reading followed by a class in the pool for families.

“When it comes to being accessible or just learning how to swim, even today there are still hurdles for the global majority to access clean water, access areas to explore and to connect with the natural environment,” said Jordia Benjamin, executive director at Indigo Arts Alliance. “To know that we are offering this new perspective of diverse communities engaging with a sport that is not normally highlighting their involvement is powerful.”

Brooke Teller, founder and executive director of Maine Community Swimming, said this story will really connect with the kids and adults she meets in her work. The nonprofit provides swimming and water safety programs for elementary students, high schoolers and grownups. She often sees parents, grandparents and guardians who are bringing their children but don’t know how to swim themselves.

“We’re thinking about how we can bring the whole family into the fold,” she said.

The festival started in 2020. Kirsten Cappy, executive director of I’m Your Neighbor Books, said the event feels especially important this year as the Trump administration attacks programs of all kinds related to diversity, equity and inclusion.

“What we know it means in practice with a growing conservative movement across the country is to remove books about children and families of color and to remove books about the LGBTQIA community,” she said. “A festival that is just about the Black community in the U.S. and across the globe, it feels like the right time.”

Here are the seven books highlighted in this year’s festival:

• “And She Was Loved: Toni Morrison’s Life in Stories” written by Andrea Pinkney and illustrated by Daniel Minter
• “Ashley Bryan’s Puppets: Making Something From Everything” written and illustrated by Ashley Bryan
• “Booked: The Graphic Novel” written by Kwame Alexander and illustrated by Dawud Anyabwile
• “Cesaria Feels the Beat” written by Denise Rosario Adusei and illustrated by Priscila Soares
• “Kwame Crashes the Underworld” by Craig Kofi Farmer
• “Kwesi and Nana Ruby Learn to Swim” written by Kobina Commeh and illustrated by Bárbara Quintino
• “The Night Market” written by Seina Wedlick and illustrated by Briana Mukodiri Uchendu

Here are all the upcoming events:

For more information about the Beautiful Blackbird Children’s Book Festival, visit beautifulblackbird.com.

Free books are distributed at some events during the festival and through community organizations such as the Portland Housing Authority. Anyone interested in purchasing the books can find these titles at Print bookstore in Portland.

And She Was Loved: A Talk with Daniel Minter and Sonya Clark, Portland
Daniel Minter, artistic director and cofounder of Indigo Arts Alliance, and Sonya Clark, an alum of the nonprofit’s mentorship program, will converse about how Toni Morrison impacted their recent projects on Sept. 20 at 10 a.m. at Indigo Arts Alliance at 60 Cove St. in Portland. This event is free and open to the public of all ages. For more information, visit indigoartsalliance.me.

LA Arts September Art Walk, Lewiston
This month’s Art Walk will be Sept. 26 from 5 to 8 p.m. in downtown Lewiston. For more details, visit laarts.org.

Beautiful Blackbird Children’s Book Festival at the Children’s Museum and Theatre of Maine, Portland
The Children’s Museum and Theatre of Maine will have a full day of literary and art activities for the whole family, including workshops and read-alouds, on Sept. 28 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The program will include an immersive experience inspired by “The Night Market” by Seina Wedlick. Admission will be $1 for every visitor. For more, visit kitetails.org.

First Fridays at the Farnsworth, Rockland
The Farnsworth Art Museum will host a live interactive dance performance by Portland-based choreographer Veeva Banga based on featured book “Cesaria Feels the Beat” by Denise Rosario Adusei. This event is Oct. 3 from 4 to 6 p.m. at 365 Gallery on Main Street in Rockland. Admission is free. For more information, visit farnsworthmuseum.org.

Storywalk: “Kende! Kende! Kende!” Multilingual event celebrating African families, Auburn
This Oct 4 event will celebrate “Kende! Kende! Kende!” — a book created by local community members that follows Lolie and Nico on their journey from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Maine. Students will perform the book in Arabic, English, French, Kinyarwanda, Lingala, Portuguese and Swahili. Guests can participate in activities, take home a copy of the book and follow a StoryWalk along the river. The event will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. and is free and open to all.

Maine Community Swimming
Maine Community Swimming will partner with Opportunity Alliance to offer a reading and a water safety class for family groups in October.

I’m Your Neighbor Books’ Educator Book Fair, Portland
Educators and school librarians can visit the I’m Your Neighbor Books warehouse for 40% off hundreds of titles from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Oct. 18 and 19. For more information, visit imyourneighborbooks.org.