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Fourth Annual Anna Dewdney Read Together Award Winner and Honor Books Announced

Tune in for a virtual reading of the winning title….

New York, NY – May 1, 2020 – Penguin Young Readers, the Children’s Book Council, and Every Child a Reader are proud to announce that Thank You, Omu!, written and illustrated by Oge Mora (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers), is the winner of the fourth annual Anna Dewdney Read Together Award.

This award is given annually to a picture book that is both a superb read-aloud and also sparks compassion, empathy, and connection. The award commemorates the life and work of author/illustrator Anna Dewdney, and celebrates her commitment to reading with young children and putting books into as many little hands as possible.

Oge Mora graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in illustration. When not painting in her studio, Oge is in the kitchen cooking her late grandmother’s recipes. Her first picture book, Thank You, Omu!, was a Caldecott Honor, a Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent illustrator award winner, an Ezra Jack Keats illustrator award winner, a New York Times Notable Book and Editors’ Choice, and a Junior Library Guild selection. Her second picture book, Saturday, received five starred reviews and was on a half-dozen best-of-the-year lists. She has also illustrated The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read by Rita Lorraine Hubbard. Oge lives in Providence, Rhode Island, and she invites you to visit her website at www.ogemora.com.

As we all take recommended measures to keep loved ones safe, Children’s Book Week (May 4-10) will not be able to be celebrated in the traditional sense. We hope you still join us in celebration online, and we encourage participants to share what they’re doing to celebrate books, creators, and readers by tagging their posts with #BookWeek2020AtHome. 

Due to this change, we hope you join Oge Mora’s live stream read-aloud event of her winning title, Thank You, Omu! on May 8th at 3:00pm EST on the Every Child a Reader Facebook Page. This will be one of many virtual readings and events taking place during Children’s Book Week (May 4-10). We look forward to celebrating in recognition of Mora receiving the Anna Dewdney Read Together Award across many miles and households.

The Honor Books for 2020 are: Alma and How She Got her Name, written and illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal (Candlewick); Everybody Says Meow, written and illustrated by Constance Lombardo (HarperCollins); Love is Kind, by Laura Sassi; illus. by Lison Chaperon (Zonderkidz); Made For Me, by Zack Bush; illus. by Gregorio De Lauretis (Workman, Familius); and Welcome Little One, written and illustrated by Sandra Magsamen (Sourcebooks).

Mora will be awarded a prize of $1,000 from the Children’s Book Council and Penguin will purchase and donate 250 copies of Thank You, Omu to a school, library, or literacy organization of her choice.

The winner and honor books were chosen by voting over the last two months by librarians, teachers, and booksellers across America.

About Anna Dewdney

Anna Dewdney was the New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of Llama Llama Red Pajama. Other award-winning books in the Llama Llama series include Llama Lama and the Bully Goat, Llama Lama Time to Share, Llama Llama Misses Mama, Llama Llama Holiday Drama, and Llama Llama Mad at Mama. Llama Llama Loves to Read was released in May 2018. She was also the author/illustrator of Little Excavator, Nobunny’s Perfect, Roly Poly Pangolin, and Grumpy Gloria. Anna worked as a rural mail carrier and taught at a boys’ boarding school for many years before becoming a full-time author and illustrator. Anna was a committed advocate of literacy, speaking regularly on this topic and publishing articles in the Wall Street Journal and other national outlets.

 

About Penguin Young Readers 

Penguin Young Readers is one of the leading children’s book publishers in the United States. The company owns a wide range of imprints and trademarks including Dial Books, Dutton, Kokila, Nancy Paulsen Books, Penguin Workshop, Philomel, Puffin, G. P. Putnam’s Sons, Viking, Razorbill, and Frederick Warne. These imprints are home to such award-winning, New York Times- bestselling authors as, Laurie Halse Anderson, Jan Brett, Eric Carle, Roald Dahl, Anna Dewdney, John Flanagan, John Green, Oliver Jeffers, Mike Lupica, Ransom Riggs, Ruta Sepetys, Sabaa Tahir, Jacqueline Woodson, and dozens of other popular authors. Penguin Young Readers is also the proud publisher of perennial brand franchises such as The Little Engine That Could, the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys series, Peter Rabbit, Spot, the Classic Winnie the Pooh, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Madeline, Mad Libs, The Last Kids on Earth, the Rangers Apprentice, and Pippi Longstocking, among many others. Penguin Young Readers Group is a division of Penguin Random House.

About Every Child a Reader

Every Child a Reader is a 501(c)(3) literacy charity dedicated to inspiring a lifelong love of reading in children and teens across America. Every Child a Reader’s major national programs include: Children’s Book Week, celebrating 100 years this year; the Children’s & Teen Choice Book Awards; Get Caught Reading; and the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature program, in partnership with the Library of Congress.

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Penguin Contact:

Shanta Newlin, Vice President, Executive Director, Publicity & Corporate Communications, Penguin Young Readers

snewlin@prh.com

Siena Koncsol, Associate Director of Publicity, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

 

Siena.Koncsol@hbgusa.com

CBC/Every Child a Reader Contact:

Carl Lennertz, Executive Director, The Children’s Book Council

 

carl.lennertz@cbcbooks.org 

Jason Reynolds, National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Connects with Young People at Home Through New Video Series and Newsletter

April 9, 2020

Media Contacts:
Brett Zongker, Library of Congress, bzongker@loc.gov
Lisa Moraleda, Simon & Schuster, lisa.moraleda@simonandschuster.com

Reynolds’ “GRAB THE MIC” Initiative Encourages Young People to Tell Their Own Stories

In his new role as National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Jason Reynolds will connect directly with young people online during the coronavirus pandemic, in collaboration with the Library of Congress, the Children’s Book Council and Every Child a Reader.

On April 14, 2020, Reynolds will debut his first initiative in support of his platform GRAB THE MIC: Tell Your Story—including a monthly newsletter for parents and educators focused on relevant topics of the day and a biweekly video series intended to inspire creativity in young people, titled “Write. Right. Rite.” Both will be hosted on Reynolds’ GRAB THE MIC Resource Guide at: guides.loc.gov/jason-reynolds/grab-the-mic.

In each “Write. Right. Rite.” video episode, Reynolds will address young people directly and provide helpful ways to express creativity through various prompts and activities. Videos will be posted twice a week (Tuesday and Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. EST) through April and May 2020, with more videos to be posted throughout the summer. Viewers are encouraged to share their projects on social media using the hashtags (#WriteRightRite and #tellyourstorywithjason).

“Due to the current changes in our way of life, my approach as Ambassador has had to change, too,” Reynolds said. “My role and goal is to get young people to express themselves and see value in their own narratives, and since I can’t, at the moment, physically come to them, I’ve created the ‘Write. Right. Rite.’ video series—short clips that offer fun and engaging prompts to help spark young people’s imaginations, which in turn will spark their expression.”

Starting April 14, GRAB THE MIC: Tell Your Story newsletters and videos can be found here:

While the Library is currently closed to the public to reduce the risk of transmitting coronavirus, the Library is developing and hosting new online programs to engage families and lifelong learners who are staying at home during this time. A variety of online programs can be found at loc.gov/engage.

The Library is also featuring author conversations from past National Book Festivals, informal learning activities connected with Library collections and more.

About Jason Reynolds
Reynolds is the author of more than a dozen books for young people, including “Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks,” a National Book Award finalist that was named a Best Book of 2019 by NPR, The New York Times, The Washington Post and TIME. A native of Washington, D.C., Reynolds began writing poetry at age 9 and is the recipient of a Newbery Honor, a Printz Honor, an NAACP Image Award and multiple Coretta Scott King Award honors. His most recent book (with Ibram X. Kendi), “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You,” was a #1 New York Times bestseller.

During his two-year term as National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Reynolds plans to visit small towns across America to have meaningful discussions with young people. Through his platform, “GRAB THE MIC: Tell Your Story,” Reynolds, who regularly talks about his journey from reluctant reader to award-winning author, will redirect his focus as ambassador by listening and empowering students to embrace and share their own personal stories.

About the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature
The National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature is an initiative of the Library of Congress, in partnership with Every Child a Reader and the Children’s Book Council, with generous support from Dollar General Literacy Foundation.

About the Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States — and extensive materials from around the world — both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov, access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov and register creative works of authorship
at copyright.gov.

About Every Child a Reader
Every Child a Reader is a 501(c)(3) literacy charity whose popular national programs include Children’s Book Week, the longest-running literacy initiative in the country, celebrating 101 years in 2020; the Children’s and Teen Choice Book Awards, the only national book awards chosen solely by children and teens; Get Caught Reading, a classroom poster project: and the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature program, in partnership with the Library of Congress.

About the Children’s Book Council
The Children’s Book Council is the nonprofit trade association of children’s book publishers in North America, dedicated to supporting the industry and promoting children’s books and reading. The CBC offers children’s publishers the opportunity to work together on issues of importance to the industry at large, including educational programming, diversity advocacy, and partnerships with national organizations.

PR 20-xxx 04/9/2020
ISSN 0731-3527

Celebrate #BookWeek2020atHome May 4-10

Join us for the 101st Children’s Book Week, May 4-10! We invite everyone to celebrate with us at home and online using #BookWeek2020atHome.

This celebration honors children’s books, readers, and book creators. It is all about connecting over books and that can be done anytime, anywhere.

In addition to our yearly resources, including the official poster and bookmarks with accompanying activities, we have created new resources this year to support librarians, teachers, and booksellers who are finding creative and inspiring ways to connect with their communities, as well as families at home.

During Children’s Book Week follow #BookWeek2020atHome to find videos, live virtual events from book creators, resources, and celebration ideas from libraries and local bookstores. And use it to let us know how you are celebrating from wherever you are!

See all the details of our re-imagined celebration at PW Children’s Bookshelf.

Jason Reynolds Named New National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature

Award-winning Author Empowers Young People Around the Country to “GRAB THE MIC: Tell Your Story”

The Library of Congress, the Children’s Book Council and Every Child a Reader today announced the appointment of Jason Reynolds as the seventh National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature for 2020-2021. The Newbery Honor recipient succeeds Jacqueline Woodson, who served as National Ambassador in 2018-2019.

Reynolds is the author of 13 books for young people including his most recent, “Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks,” a National Book Award finalist, which was named a Best Book of 2019 by NPR, The New York Times, The Washington Post and TIME. A native of Washington, D.C., Reynolds began writing poetry at 9 years old, and is the recipient of a Newbery Honor, a Printz Honor, an NAACP Image Award, and multiple Coretta Scott King Award honors.

For his two-year term as National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Reynolds will visit small towns across America to have meaningful discussions with young people. Through his platform, “GRAB THE MIC: Tell Your Story,” Reynolds, who regularly talks about his journey from reluctant reader to award-winning author, will redirect his focus as ambassador by listening and empowering students to embrace and share their own personal stories.

“I can’t even begin to describe how excited I am to embark on this opportunity as ambassador,” Jason Reynolds said. “I don’t expect it to be easy, but I’m certain it will be fruitful. My mission is to take a different approach: Instead of explicitly encouraging young people to read, my goal is to get them to see the value in their own narratives — that they, too, have a story, and that there’s power not just in telling it, but in the opportunity to do so. I’m excited to create spaces around the country for this to happen — spaces where young people can step into their voices and become their own ambassadors.”

Reynolds will partner with renowned nonprofit organization StoryCorps, which celebrates the stories of everyday Americans, to record interviews with students while on tour and create a true story archive of America’s children. Recordings will be housed in the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. Reynolds is not new to conducting interviews; at the age of 21, he worked as a StoryCorps facilitator, guiding participants through the interview process.

The National Ambassador program was established by the Library of Congress, the Children’s Book Council and its foundation, Every Child a Reader, in 2008 to emphasize the importance of young people’s literature as it relates to lifelong literacy, education and the development and betterment of the lives of young people.

An inauguration ceremony, presided by Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden and attended by both Reynolds and Woodson, will take place on Thursday, Jan. 16, at 10:30 a.m. in the Coolidge Auditorium of the Library of Congress’ Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. S.E., Washington, D.C. Tickets are not required for this event, which is free and open to the public. The event also will be streamed live on the Library’s YouTube site at youtube.com/ LibraryOfCongress and on the Library’s Facebook page at facebook.com/libraryofcongress/

“I am thrilled our next National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature is the dynamic, positively electric Jason Reynolds,” said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. “Jason and his work galvanize readers to believe in themselves, ask critical questions, and create stronger communities.”

Carl Lennertz, executive director of Every Child a Reader and the Children’s Book Council, added, “We couldn’t be more pleased with the selection of Jason Reynolds as the next ambassador. He embodies everything that we look for in this important position, and every young person he will meet over the next two years will have their hearts and minds lifted.”

Jon Anderson, president and publisher of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, said, “Jason’s bestselling and award-winning books impact the lives of countless readers, but it is how he connects with the thousands of young people he meets each year that makes him a true advocate not only for literacy but for children. We are thrilled that he will focus these next two years on visiting with young people in small towns and really listening.”

Reynolds succeeds authors Jon Scieszka (2008–2009), Katherine Paterson (2010– 2011), Walter Dean Myers (2012–2013), Kate DiCamillo (2014–2015), Gene Luen Yang (2016– 2017) and Jacqueline Woodson (2018–2019) in the position.

The national ambassador is selected for his or her contributions to young people’s literature, the ability to relate to children and teens and dedication to fostering children’s literacy in all forms. The selection, made by the Librarian of Congress, is based on recommendations from an independent committee comprising educators, librarians, booksellers and children’s literature experts.

The members of the 2020-2021 selection committee for the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature are:

  • Emma Kantor, associate children’s book editor at Publishers Weekly
  • Philip Nel, university distinguished professor of English and director of the GraduateProgram in Children’s Literature at Kansas State University
  • Cristina Nosti, director, events and marketing at Books & Books, Coral Gables, Florida
  • Karli Pederson, children’s librarian and acquisitions and serials manager at MilwaukeePublic Library
  • Laura Pegram, founding editor in chief and publisher of Kweli Journal
  • Eva Volin, supervising children’s librarian at Alameda Free Library, Alameda, California
  • Jacqueline Woodson, 2018-2019 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature,bestselling and award-winning author
    The National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature is made possible by EveryChild a Reader and 2020-2021 support from Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, with additional support from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. 

 

About Jason Reynolds
Jason Reynolds is a New York Times bestselling author who writes novels and poetry for young adult and middle-grade audiences. His numerous award-winning books include “When I Was the Greatest;” “The Boy in the Black Suit;” “All American Boys” (co-written with Brendan Kiely); “As Brave as You,” which won the Kirkus Prize, an NAACP Image Award and the Schneider Family Book Award; “For Every One;” the Track Series (which includes “Ghost,” “Patina,” “Sunny” and “Lu”); “Miles Morales-Spiderman;” “Long Way Down,” which was named a Newbery Honor book, a Printz Honor Book, and received a Los Angeles Times Book Prize and an Edgar Award; and “Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks,” which was a National Book Award finalist. Reynolds’ collaboration with Ibram X. Kendi, “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You,” is forthcoming in March 2020. Reynolds currently lives in Washington, D.C. Find him online at JasonWritesBooks.com.

About the Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States — and extensive materials from around the world — both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov; access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov; and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.

About the Children’s Book Council
The Children’s Book Council is the nonprofit trade association of children’s book publishers in North America, dedicated to supporting the industry and promoting children’s books and reading. The CBC offers children’s publishers the opportunity to work together on issues of importance to the industry at large, including educational programming, diversity advocacy, and partnerships with national organizations.

About Every Child a Reader
Every Child a Reader is a 501(c)(3) literacy charity whose popular national programs include Children’s Book Week, the longest-running literacy initiative in the country, celebrating 100 years in 2019; the Children’s and Teen Choice Book Awards, the only national book awards chosen solely by children and teens; Get Caught Reading, a classroom poster project: and the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature program, in partnership with the Library of Congress.

2020 Children’s Book Week Artists and Registration Signup!

Each year, Every Child a Reader invites beloved and up-and-coming children’s book artists to create the visual centerpieces for that year’s Children’s Book Week celebrations. We are excited to announce the artists for 2020 and invite schools, libraries, and bookstores to register their locations as official events for our Spring 2020 celebration, May 4-10!

2020 Artists:

  • The 2020 poster will be created by award-winning designer and illustrator Carin Berger! Carin’s books include Finding Spring, All of Us, Good Night! Good Night!, A Perfect Day, and Forever Friends. Carin’s poster will highlight the 2020 theme, Read. Dream. Share., and will be shipped to all registered locations to give to attendees of their events. The poster includes activities on the back.
  • Six official bookmarks, with activities, will be created in 2020 by Vanessa Brantley-Newton, Michaela Goade, John Parra, Duncan Tonatiuh, Sydney Smith, and The Fan Brothers!
  • Each year we work to create a new and exciting resource for kids. In 2020 we will introduce over 20 coloring pages featuring new art as well as beloved characters from the following artists: Nabi H Ali, Jessica Boehman, Victoria Cossack, Claudia Dávila, Steve Ellis, Paola Escobar, Xavier Garza, Genevieve Godbout, Maria Gulemetova, Jessica Hische, Johnny Hollick, Sarah Jung, Alex Latimer, Marie Letourneau, Jessica Love, Logan Matthews, Marcos Navarro, Katie O’Neill, Debbie Palen, Greg Pizzoli, Susan Szecsi, Raúl the Third, and Sarah Jane Wright.

Join the Celebrations!

School, libraries, and bookstores are invited to register their location to participate in our Spring 2020 week of celebrations, May 4-10. Discover more about what it means to be an official location and find the online registration form here!

Fall Children’s Book Week Will Promote School and Library Participation

The nation’s largest literacy celebration is about to get bigger. In an effort to attract more educators and boost school participation in Children’s Book Week, the Children’s Book Council and its charitable arm, Every Child a Reader, have developed a brand-new initiative designed to reach teachers, school librarians, and students. From November 4–10, the Fall Children’s Book Week will help extend the centennial anniversary celebration that kicked off this past spring.

“Over the years, I’ve heard from teachers across the country who wanted to participate in Children’s Book Week with their students, but found that late spring was a difficult time to be involved fully, due to end-of-year testing and schedules,” said Shaina Birkhead, associate executive director of the CBC. (CBW had traditionally taken place in the fall before officially moving to spring in 2008.) “We felt that the 100th anniversary was a perfect opportunity to honor the history of the program,” she added, “while also making it possible for schools to embrace the celebration with their students in a way many had not been able to before.”

Read more about the Fall Children’s Book Week celebrations at PW Children’s Bookshelf.

Collaborative Posters Artists Share Original Sketches for Their Panels!

As a celebration of the centennial of Children’s Book Week we’re presenting a 12-artist Collaborative Poster! These beloved children’s book illustrators (see below) have contributed their beautiful and inspiring artwork to help us celebrate our 2019 theme, Read Now ● Read Forever.

Many of these artists have agreed to share their original sketches for their panels of this special poster. You can see these as part of The Children’s Book Council’s From The Sketchbook feature. Gain some insight into the creative process of these beloved illustrators and check out their features below!

Eric Carle’s original sketch

Juana Martinez-Neal’s original sketch

Barbara McClintock’s original sketch

Melissa Sweet’s original sketch

LeUyen Pham’s original sketch

National Ambassador Jacqueline Woodson in Alaska

This month, National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Jacqueline Woodson embarked on a tour of Alaska, sharing with children her passion for literacy and her platform as ambassador: “Reading = Hope x Change.”

Shaina Birkhead, associate executive director of the Children’s Book Council and Every Child a Reader, which co-sponsors the National Ambassador program along with the Library of Congress, said, “We are just so thankful to Jacqueline for making this long trip cross-country to make the hearts soar of every child who heard her speak and personally engage, as she has done during her entire ambassadorship. And a thank you, as always, to the librarians who give so much time every day for the love of reading.”

See the full PW Children’s Bookshelf article, with photos, here!

Every Child a Reader Announces the Winners and Honor Books for the 2019 Children’s & Teen Choice Book Awards

The 12th Annual Awards are the Only National Book Awards Voted on Only by Children and Teens

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New York, NY – Thursday, June 13, 2019 – Every Child a Reader, a nonprofit literacy organization dedicated to inspiring a love of reading in children and teens across America, is pleased to announce the winners and honor books in the four categories of the 12th Annual Children’s and Teen Choice Book Awards.

These awards provide young readers with an opportunity to “Voice Your Choice” about new books that they read and loved, and are the only national book awards chosen only by kids and teens. Voting was conducted in classrooms, libraries and bookstores, as well as online, beginning March 1 and ending June 2 at BookCon in the Family HQ. Over 24,000 votes were tallied, up from 18,000 last year.

For the Children’s Choice Book Award K – 2nd Grade Category:

Winner: I SAY OOH YOU SAY AAH, written and illustrated by John Kane (Kane Miller Books)

Honor: THERE’S A DRAGON IN YOUR BOOK, by Tom Fletcher; illus. by Greg Abbott (Random House Books for Young Readers)

 

For the Children’s Choice Book Award 3rd – 4th Grade Category:

Winner: BACK TO THE FUTURE: The Classic Illustrated Storybook, by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale; illus. by Kim Smith (Quirk Books)

Honor: SAFARI PUG, by Laura James; illus. by Églantine Ceulemans (Bloomsbury Children’s Books)

 

For the Children’s Choice Book Award 5th– 6th Grade Category:

Winner: GHOST BOYS, By Jewell Parker Rhodes (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

Honor: SEWING THE RAINBOW: A Story about Gilbert Baker, by Gayle E. Pitman; illus. by Holly Clifton-Brown (Magination Press)

 

In the Teen Choice category:

Winner: THE PRINCE AND THE DRESSMAKER, by Jen Wang (First Second Books)

Honor: THE POET X, by Elizabeth Acevedo (Harper Teen)

 

Shaina Birkhead, Associate Executive Director for Children’s Book Council and Every Child a Reader, stated: “We are proud to work with so many teachers, librarians, and booksellers who encourage kids to read the books and gather votes at their locations. It’s a fun reading and discussion activity, as well as a primer on social responsibility.”

About the Children’s & Teen Choice Book Awards
Launched in 2008 by Every Child a Reader and the Children’s Book Council, the awards are the only national book awards chosen only by kids and teens. The five finalists in each of the three Children’s Choice Book Awards categories were chosen in pre-reading and voting by children from different regions of the U.S., with supervision by the International Literacy Association. The Teen Choice category finalists were nominated at TeenReads.com. Starting in 2020, the Teen Choice will be called the Young Adults’ Choice and also be supervised by the ILA.

About Every Child a Reader & the Children’s Book Council
Every Child a Reader is a 501(c)(3) literacy charity dedicated to inspiring a lifelong love of reading in children and teens. Every Child a Reader’s national programs include Children’s Book Week (celebrating its 100th anniversary this year), Get Caught Reading, the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature program (in conjunction with the Library of Congress), and the Children’s & Teen Choice Book Awards. Every Child a Reader is managed by the Children’s Book Council, the nonprofit trade association for children’s book publishers in North America, partnering with national organizations on reading lists, educational programming, and diversity initiatives.

 

Media Contact:

Shifa Kapadwala, Publicity Manager, CBC/Every Child a Reader, Shifa.Kapadwala@cbcbooks.org, 212-966-1990

It’s Children’s Book Week!!

From therapy dogs to make your own book, from bilingual readings to book festivals.

All told, there will be over 5,000 events across the 1,300 participating schools, libraries and bookstores in all 50 states throughout the week of April 29 to May 5 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Children’s Book Week.

Many locations are having events every day of the week, from local author readings to make your own bookmark contests. Many will also be holding voting for the Children’s & Teen Choice Book Awards.

A look at a just a few of the types of events going on this week:

  • Building favorite scenes or characters with LEGOs and STEM/STEAM activities based on different children’s books.
  • Several locations will bring in Paws to Read therapy dogs and a library is having a “Write to a Writer” activity.
  • One indie bookstore will have a local member of the fire department in to read picture books and another will host a local heroes’ story time in the park with police and fire fighters.
  • Theater companies will perform in libraries, from the Dewey Decimal Players in Mt. Airy, NC to the Bridgeport, CT Downtown Cabaret.
  • Some schools, libraries and stores are hosting Book Week poster art contests, creating book starters for kids to write and illustrate their own bound books to take home, or having a make your own comic contest.
  • Several schools will host bilingual Spanish/English story times and a library in California will celebrate Children’s Book Week with songs and dance from South America.
  • A Children’s Book Week Tic Tac Toe Game with donated children’s books as prizes.
  • A Seattle museum has paired children’s books with works of art to spark discussion.

In addition, 100 authors and illustrators will holding events at stores and libraries during Book Week. Before these official Spotlight events, an announcement about Children’s Book Week’s anniversary will be read.

Major events of note:

  • Children’s Book Week poster illustrators Emily Arnold McCully, Peter Sis, Rosemary Wells, David Wiesner, Uri Shulevitz, Paul O. Zelinsky, and Chris Raschka will join Leonard Marcus, author of 100 Years of Children’s Book Week Posters at Books of Wonder on Monday evening, April 29.
  • The Library of Congress will livestream a special program on April 29 featuring local authors who are members of the Children’s Book Guild of DC reading from twenty special children’s books of historical significance from the Library’s collections.
  • Eloise Greenfield and Jason Reynolds will be in conversation on April 30 at Takoma Park Library, organized with Politics & Prose, in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Coretta Scott King Awards.
  • Cori Doerrfeld, the winner of this year’s Anna Dewdney Read Together Award, will receive a plaque and her winner’s check at a special event at the Red Balloon Bookshop in St. Paul on May 2.
  • The Ivy Bookshop in Baltimore and the Maryland SPCA are co-hosting a special event May 4 with Lisa Papp and her Madeline Finn and the Shelter Dog. The SPCA will bring a shelter dog or two for a “meet and greet” with the children.
  • The Curious Iguana, in conjunction with Screen Free Week, is hosting Meghan Cox Gurdon for her book, The Enchanted Hour: The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud in the Age of Distraction.
  • Two “Literary Landmark” ceremonies will take place during Book Week: On May 1 at the Harvin Clarendon County Library in Manning, SC for the Peggy Parish landmark dedication; and on May 4 at the Esther Crawford Public Library in Monticello, NY in honor of Vera B. Williams, with readings by Vera’s children. (This program is administered by United for Libraries in partnership with the CBC.)

Also, thanks to publisher generosity, these costume characters were sent out to Book Week locations: Baby Mouse, Bad Kitty, Bruce the Bear, Clifford, Elephant & Piggie, Geronimo Stilton, Gruffalo, Hedgie, Huckle Cat & Lowly Worm, Junie B Jones, Lady Bug Girl, Pete the Cat, Paddington, Peter Rabbit, Poky Little Puppy, Pout Pout Fish, Scuffy the Tugboat, Splat the Cat, Spot the Dog, and Thea Stilton.

In addition, the beautiful 100th anniversary poster by Yuyi Morales will be handed out at three festivals on May 4: the Bay Area Book Festival in Berkeley, at the OMG Book Fest in St. Louis, and at the 75 book creator Hudson Children’s Book Festival in Hudson, NY– with CBC in attendance.

Many people and organizations are making the 100th anniversary of Children’s Book Week possible: hundreds of authors and illustrators, thousands of librarians, teaches, booksellers, and parents, marketing partners such as Book Con, Parents Magazine, KidLit TV, Screen Free Week, and Sesame Workshop.

Next week’s celebration is just one of the peaks of this year-long anniversary celebration! We’re rolling out the 12 panel poster all year long as well as 100 KidLit TV videos. And we’ll celebrate Children’s Book Week again in early November with a new event kit, activity pages in 15 languages, and 10 new Get Caught Reading posters.

Remember: #BookWeek100

Children’s Book Week resources
The Map!