Neither raindrops nor steamy weather kept the bibliophiles away from the fourth annual Book and Music Festival on the grounds of Honolulu Hale yesterday.

They just moved closer together and huddled under the tents to keep dry.

At the Bank of Hawaii book swap tent, all that was required for entry was the donation of a relatively new book.

The two-day festival focused on literacy — whether the words were spoken, sung or acted. Even though attendance was down a bit because of yesterday's rain, many still turned out to hear from more than 600 presenters and participate in 190 events over the two days.

About 15,000 people braved the rain and muggy weather yesterday. The total for the two-day event was about 35,000, said Roger Jellinek, Book and Music Festival executive director.

In one tent there was Mike Thaler who read his book, "Teacher From the Black Lagoon," to a rapt audience of adults and children. There were librarians from different libraries around the island who read under a tent to children.

There were tales and stories of past glories at the Talk Story Stage. And there were panel discussions on sustainability, Hawai'i, the humanities and about the art and craft of writing.

"It's all about literacy, education and information," said Paul Hoe, Bank of Hawaii tent coordinator. "If you have a a book (to donate) you can get a book."

The book swap started with 2,000 new titles donated by local publishers. Whatever was left un-swapped will go to Hawai'i Literacy and Read to Me International — the beneficiaries of the festival, Hoe said.

"People knew about us from last year and on Saturday we had a line with 40 people," he said. "It was like organized chaos here, but good energy."

Walking away from her second trip in two days to the book swap tent, Peggy Donahue, a Waikiki resident, left loaded down with book titles yesterday.

"The price is right," Donahue said. "It's so fun to chat with people about books. Books need to be emphasized more because too many people sit in front of the television."

Jenny Lundahl brought her family again to this year's festival. While her children loved the bounce house, she enjoyed the literacy. She brought books to swap and left with books to take home.

"I am hoping that something like this highlights the value of books," said Lundahl, who lives downtown with her two children. "Books are so much fun. Kids need to be exposed to books. It's a great idea."

Lea Alsadoun wandered from booth to booth with her family, checking out the Bishop Museum press and the Outrigger Resorts booth to decorate brightly colored visors.

"We're going to the talk story stage ... and I bought a book," Alsadoun said. "I really am interested in how they write the books."