In Celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Children’s Book Week and Beyond
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE New York, NY – March 25, 2019 – KidLit TV, an award winning producer of resources for parents, teachers and librarians, announces a partnership with the Children’s Book Council and Every Child a Reader to produce 100 book creator videos for teachers, parents, librarians, and educators across the country to share with their students. This campaign commemorates the 100th anniversary of Children’s Book Week, and the three-to-five minute long videos feature well-known and popular children’s book authors and illustrators speaking about their favorite character creations.
The videos will be housed at KidLitTV.com and feature an opening celebratory image of the 100th anniversary of Children’s Book Week, and will run throughout 2019. Starting in 2020, the videos will remain up for classroom, library and home use.
Julie Gribble, KitLit TV Founder, said: “Our production team is proud to help create these historic snapshots of the stories behind the characters we love! We learned and laughed a lot with our kid lit friends during the filming. We’re certain kids will have fun learning and laughing along with them, too.”
Shaina Birkhead, Associate Executive Director for Children’s Book Council and Every Child a Reader, added: “This has been a major undertaking, but with the professionalism of Julie and her team and the generous spirit of these awesome book creators, we have a celebration of children’s books for this year and a legacy of enjoyment for years to come.”
About KidLit TV KidLit TV is a winner of the Parents’ Choice Gold Award, the Norton Juster Award for Devotion to Literacy, and one of the American Library Association’s Great Websites For Kids. We’re a trusted resource for parents, teachers, and librarians! KLTV is available in over 600,000 schools worldwide via our website and video distribution partners. We’re a diverse group of parents, educators, librarians, kid lit creators, and award-winning filmmakers working together to create fun new ways to reinforce an appreciation of reading that children will carry with them for the rest of their lives.
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.
In the brand new book, 100 Years of Children’s Book Week Posters (Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, on sale now), renowned historian Leonard S. Marcus offers a visual history tour of a century of beloved illustrators and the stunning posters they created for the annual celebration of Children’s Book Week.
In honor of the books release, Leonard S. Marcus gives you the inside scoop on his favorite posters, exciting details he was able to add to this new edition, and more!
How did you get involved with creating the original book, 75 Years of Children’s Book Week Posters?
By 1994, I had written quite a lot about the history of American children’s books. My biography of Margaret Wise Brown had been published two years earlier, I had done several articles for PW and the Horn Book and was deep into Ursula Nordstrom’s 100,000-letter editorial archive in search of the representative cross-selection of letters that became Dear Genius. Along the way, I interviewed many of the great artists and writers in the field, including Garth Williams, Leonard Weisgard, Maurice Sendak, William Steig, and James Marshall, all of whom had designed Book Week posters. So, knowing my background, Paula Quint, who was then the CBC’s executive director, called me one day and asked if I would like to write a book about the posters. It sounded like a good project, and it was, though it took much longer than I expected.
Why was that?
One reason it took so long is that in Book Week’s early years, the posters were not always designed by book illustrators, whose careers tend to be well documented. Several were done by advertising artists, who were more apt to see themselves as hired guns and were typically far less concerned about leaving a paper trail. I soon realized that I was in for some real detective work. When I could find nothing at the library about Jay Maurice Reibel (1936), for instance, I followed a hunch and looked for his name in the Manhattan White Pages. I thought it unlikely that he was still alive, but doing this gave me the phone number of a young man who turned out to be Reibel’s nephew. Thanks to him, I then made contact with the late artist’s brother, with whom I spent an afternoon at a New Jersey retirement home gathering the information I needed.
In updating the book for the 100th anniversary, what are some interesting new facts that you discovered/decided to share?
The World Wide Web barely existed in 1994, and I was still doing all my research the old-fashioned way. The extraordinary resources now available online for genealogical research and biographical work generally made it possible this time round to fill in nearly every missing birth and death year and to bring to light some fascinating information about some artists’ lives. Jon O. Brubaker (1925, 1926) created one of the most graphically splendid posters in the series–and was also one of the hardest artists to pin down. I had previously discovered that he’d built his reputation as a billboard painter, which must have seemed an exciting new form of mass communication in the days when Americans were first taking to the road in cars. In the new edition I was able to add that Brubaker also had a passion for rail travel that expressed itself in the ads he designed for the New York Central Railroad and for the Lionel Corporation, for generations the makers of the absolutely coolest electric model trains. I still wonder why an artist with a talent as special as Brubaker’s did not have a much bigger, more public career. One newly discovered source hinted at the possibility of his having lost all his money in the 1929 stock market crash. Perhaps there is a sad story there. The vagaries of the freelance life!
In the note about Eric Carle, I added a mention of the museum Carle founded in 2002 in Amherst, MA. This won’t necessarily be news to readers, and it certainly wasn’t news to me considering that I have been an Eric Carle Museum trustee from the very beginning. But it’s worth a call-out here because in 1994, when Book Week turned 75, a full-dress art museum devoted to children’s book illustration would have seemed a wild improbability. The fact that such a museum is now a going concern is as strong an indicator as any of the extent of the children’s-book industry’s coming of age over these past 25 years.
What are some of your favorite Children’s Book Week posters?
The 1925 Brubaker poster I mentioned before is my absolute favorite. I have also always loved William Steig’s (1972), especially his extravagant suggestion that an elephant’s back might be a good place to curl up with a book. Emily Arnold McCully’s “Book Power” poster (1969) sums up a whole era of youth protest and activism while somehow remaining a playful image that has not dated. It’s hard not to crack a smile at the outrageousness of Tomi Ungerer’s two-kids-in-a-catapult poster (1967), which Ungerer re-purposed for Book Week after Pepsi-Cola rejected it for use in its advertising. Of the recent posters, my favorite is Christian Robinson’s (2017), because it says what it set out to say with such clarity and in such a spirit of celebration.
Are there any historical moments that made a big and noticeable impact on the Book Week posters of that time?
Yes, the posters reflect many of the key moments and developments in American history over the last century, just as the children’s books of the same period do. Jessie Willcox Smith’s two inaugural posters (1919-1923 and 1924) herald the rise of an American middle-class that embraced the goal of fostering a love of reading in its children. Ralph Bell Fuller’s (1939) modernist graphic of the earth encircled by a ring of books points to America’s growing awareness of its inescapable role on the world stage. You can sense the hopeful post-war impulse that culminated in the founding of the United Nations in the posters for 1944 and 1945 by Nedda Walker and Gertrude Howe respectively, both of which bear the slogan “United Through Books.” You can witness the arrival on the American scene of the exciting new post-war international graphic design sensibility in the posters of Paul Rand (1958) and Bruno Munari (1964) among others. Created at the height of the civil rights movement, Ezra Jack Keats’s poster (1965) reflects the American book world’s belated recognition of the importance of diversity in children’s books. Recent posters like those by Christian Robinson (2017) and Brian Selznick (2013) show that that truism continues to bear restating.
How would you say that Children’s Book Week has affected children’s publishing?
It has provided a catalyst for book-based community activities on a national scale. The original goal of Book Week was to get parents directly involved by encouraging them to read to their children, set up home libraries so that books would become a natural presence in their children’s lives, and to participate in local grass-roots celebrations of books and reading. Later, the main focus of Book Week shifted to providing teachers, librarians, and booksellers with coordinated opportunities to highlight their love of books within their communities.
For those excited to learn more about the history of Children’s Literature, can you recommend some good books to read?
I would invite readers to visit my website (www.leonardmarcus.com). Of the more than 25 books I have published so far, a good one to start with (besides 100 Years of Children’s Book Week Posters!) might be Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom, which chronicles Nordstrom’s visionary career as the publisher of Goodnight Moon, Charlotte’s Web, Where the Wild Things Are, and other classics through her correspondence with her authors and artists. Nordstrom was always wise about books and the creative alchemy behind them, and–the daughter of two vaudevillians–she was often hilarious, too.
Of the books about children’s books that have meant the most to me, I would put Barbara Bader’s American Picturebooks from Noah’s Ark to the Beast Within at the top of my list. It’s a history of the art form through the mid-1970s, when this encyclopedic chronicle was published, written with verve and understanding. I also still go back to Selma G. Lanes’ Down the Rabbit Hole, a collection of smart, peppery essays that first appeared in the Washington Post and New York Times. Maurice Sendak’s essays in Caldecott & Company never fail to be revelatory either as writing or commentary. I have also learned a great deal from Vivian G. Paley’s The Girl with the Brown Crayon, a kindergarten teacher’s account of a year spent sharing Leo Lionni’s picture books with her class in all sorts of open-ended and deeply nourishing ways.
What else are you up to?
Several projects have come to fruition, and between February and May I will have had three new books published and two exhibitions on view that I have curated. Besides our Book Week book, I have written the art book and biography, Helen Oxenbury: A Life in Illustration; and the University of Minnesota Press will publish The ABC of It: Why Children’s Books Matter, a fully illustrated catalog based on my exhibition of the same name. Some readers will recall having seen that show at the New York Public Library in 2013-14. I’m thrilled to say that “The ABC of It” has been given a new life at the University of Minnesota’s Andersen Library, and that when its run ends there in May it will go out on an international tour. My second exhibition this spring is at the Eric Carle Museum in Amherst, MA. It is called “OUT OF THE BOX: The Graphic Novel Comes of Age” and is that museum’s first exploration of the world of comics. I have long thought that if I had to choose a personal motto, it would be: “Everything happens at the same time”–and I guess this solar convergence of new work proves the truth of those words.
12th Annual Awards are the Only National Book Awards Voted on Only by Children and Teens
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New York, NY – Thursday, February 21 – Every Child a Reader, a nonprofit literacy organization dedicated to inspiring a love of reading in children and teens across America, is proud to announce the finalists in four categories for the 12th Annual Children’s and Teen Choice Book Awards. Launched in 2008 by Every Child a Reader and the Children’s Book Council, the awards provide young readers with an opportunity to “Voice Your Choice” about new books that they loved.
Voting for the awards will begin online at a COPA-compliant website on March 1 and finish June 2 at BookCon in New York City; the winning authors and illustrators will be announced this summer. Teachers, librarians, and booksellers can also collect group or classroom votes to enter online. Starting March 1, the online “voting booth” will feature jacket art and descriptions; a list of the finalists is available online now. Also available are paper ballots and visual materials to help display the finalists.
There are five finalists in each of the three Children’s Choice Book Awards categories: K – 2nd grade, 3rd – 4th grades, and 5th– 6th grades, and five finalists in the Teen Choice Book Award category. The three categories of children’s award finalists were chosen in pre-voting by children from different regions of the U.S. with supervision by the International Literacy Association. The teen category finalists were nominated at TeenReads.com.
The 20 finalists for the 2019 Children’s & Teen Choice Book Awards are rich in relevance, plotline and prose. Subject matter for the finalists includes non-fiction books about social justice, a pizza-loving dinosaur, a National Book Award winner, and a boy who wants to be a mermaid.
Shaina Birkhead, Associate Executive Director for Children’s Book Council and Every Child a Reader, stated: “It’s wonderful that these are the only national book awards chosen only by kids and teens! They know the books they love and we are proud to work with so many teachers, librarians, and booksellers to help have the books read and gather the votes.”
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.
The 100th anniversary official Children’s Book Week poster was revealed yesterday. See the full PW Children’s Bookshelf article here for more details about our year-long celebrations.
More details about the amazing poster by artist Yuyi Morales can be found here.
About Yuyi Morales
Born in Xalapa, Mexico, where she currently resides, Yuyi Morales lived for many years in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she still maintains close relations with booksellers and librarians. Professional storyteller, dancer, choreographer, puppeteer, and artist, she has won the prestigious Pura Belpré Award for Illustration six times, for Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book (2003), Los Gatos Black on Halloween (2006), Just in Case: A Trickster Tale and Spanish Alphabet Book (2008), Niño Wrestles the World (2013), Viva Frida (2014)–also a Caldecott Honor Book–and Dreamers (2019). In Dreamers, Yuyi tells her own immigration story, which is also available in Spanish as Soñadores.
Announces Ayesha Curry as the Centennial Spokesperson and Reveals 100th Anniversary Poster
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New York, NY – February 12, 2019 – Launched in 1919, Children’s Book Week, a national celebration of books for young people and the joy of reading, proudly announces its centennial celebration. The longest-running literacy initiative in the United States, organized by Every Child a Reader, is kicking-off the celebration with Ayesha Curry, a New York Times bestselling author, television host, and mother of three, as its spokesperson and chair.
Also revealed for the first time is the official 100th anniversary poster, illustrated by Yuyi Morales. Over 125,000 posters will be distributed during Children’s Book Week between April 29 and May 5 at over 1,000 participating schools, libraries, and bookstores in all 50 states. The 100th anniversary theme – “Read Now. Read Forever.” – looks to the past, present, and future of the fun and enriching experience that is children’s and young adult books. The poster art and downloadable resources are now up at Every Child a Reader.
Additionally, Parents, the preeminent magazine for moms and dads, will be a media partner for the centennial celebration. Marketing partners include BookCon, First Book, Sesame Street, Screen Free Week, and other national organizations.
“I’m proud to serve as the spokesperson and chair for the 100th year of Children’s Book Week. My family is at the heart of everything I do and one of the things that we all share is a love of reading,” Ayesha said. “I remember reading and being read to as a child and that experience has shaped my life. As a parent, I love watching my children get excited about reading. With a book in their hands, they can travel to make-believe lands or read about people who make a difference.” Ayesha is the bestselling author of The Seasoned Life Entrepreneur, host of Ayesha’s Home Kitchen on Food Network, and wife of NBA superstar Stephen Curry. Her list of must-read children’s books is posted now at Every Child a Reader.
Key components of the yearlong 100th anniversary celebration will include author videos for the classroom, book award voting, a commemorative book publication, and a museum exhibit:
>> KidLit TV is sponsoring and producing 100 videos of authors and illustrators talking about their favorite characters. These three-to-five minute spots will be posted online at KidLit.tv beginning in late March and be available throughout 2019 and beyond.
>> Voting will take place for the 12th annual Children’s & Teen Choice Book Awards, the only national book awards chosen solely by young readers. Kids and teens can “Voice Their Choice” online from March 1 through June 2. Teachers can also submit group ballots for an entire class online and print out “I Voted” stickers.
>> Random House is publishing 100 Years of Children’s Book Week Posters, edited by Leonard Marcus, on March 5, featuring work from early luminaries such as N. C. Wyeth and Marcia Brown to contemporary illustrators such as David Wiesner, Mary GrandPré, Christian Robinson, and Jillian Tamaki.
>> Nineteen acclaimed illustrators are producing collaborative yearlong anniversary poster panels, to be released a month at a time, and six original bookmarks. Also available online at Every Child a Reader’s website will be event kits, activity pages in a dozen languages, a poetry bookmark, and much more. Locations and details for over 2,500 events being held during Children’s Book Week (April 29 – May 5) will be listed on an online map at EveryChildaReader.net in early April.
>> The Rabbit Hole, the world’s first “Explor-a-Storium,” will feature a three-dimensional portal through which kids and teens can experience the history of Children’s Book Week and classic children’s books. This Kansas City museum is due to open this fall.
Shaina Birkhead, Associate Executive Director of Every Child a Reader & the Children’s Book Council, stated: “We’ve been planning for the 100th anniversary for quite some time, and to see every segment of the children’s book world come together so enthusiastically is very rewarding, and mostly because kids of all ages will have lots of many fun materials and original visual resources to enjoy before, during, and long after this year’s Children’s Book Week!”
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, the Children’s & Teen Choice Book Awards, Get Caught Reading, and the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature program (in conjunction with the Library of Congress). 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 Contacts:
Audra Boltion, The Boltion Group Public Relations, 646-331-9904, Audra@thebgpr.com
Shifa Kapadwala, Publicity Manager, CBC/Every Child a Reader, Shifa.Kapadwala@cbcbooks.org
Jacqueline Woodson’s first year as Ambassador has come to a close, and what a year it was! The announcement of her appointment and following inauguration were met with fanfare from publishers, readers, and the national media. Since then, she has traveled across the country sharing her inspiring platform, Reading = HOPE × CHANGE with kids and adults through multiple in person events, participation in NCTE’s National Day on Writing, a huge webinar with First Book’s network of classrooms, and more. Plans are already underway for her 2019 events, including something big for the 100th anniversary of Children’s Book Week.
“My first year as National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature has been many things. It’s been eye opening and rewarding. It’s been phenomenal and heartbreaking. It’s been exhilarating and exhausting! What I’ve learned from traveling the country is that writers MUST continue getting out into the world and sharing themselves and their work with the young people. My fellow writers of young people’s literature are ALL ambassadors. Each time one of us walks into a room, we change something — a young person’s dream becomes that much more of a reality. A young person’s question get answered by a live writer. A young person’s perceptions of what a writer ’should look like’ gets re-examined. A young person’s creative brilliance gets re-affirmed. I’ve realized that the work we’re doing is more important and necessary than we’ll ever truly know but that we MUST keep doing it because, to the young people, our literature (and our presence) is helping them shape their own future narratives. I think I kinda knew that before going into this. But man, do I REALLY know it now!” – Jacqueline Woodson
Right before the start of the 2018/2019 school year, we released a wonderful Reading = HOPE × CHANGE activity kit. This kit gives kids everywhere a chance to connect with Jacqueline’s message and figure out what their reading equation is. We are thrilled to announce an exciting new addition to the event kit for 2019, created by our 5th National Ambassador, the incomparable Gene Luen Yang. This illustrated Jacqueline can be printed and used as a bookmark or a standee for your desk. Download the activity kit today!
See Jacqueline Woodson’s full schedule of Ambassador events for 2018 here.
Today, the LEGO Foundation announced that it is awarding a $100 million grant to Sesame Workshop to ensure that young children affected by the Rohingya and Syrian crises have opportunities to learn through play and develop the skills needed for the future. Working in partnership with BRAC, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), and New York University’s Global TIES for Children, Sesame Workshop will reach children affected by crises in Bangladesh and the Syrian response region with early childhood and play-based learning opportunities.
The scale of the global refugee crisis is staggering—today, 68.5 million people are displaced worldwide. Among them are 25 million refugees, half of whom are children. As refugees experience displacement for an average of 10 years, millions of children are spending a significant part of their childhoods without access to adequate early childhood development opportunities. Adverse experiences like displacement can affect young children’s developing brains, with lasting effects on health and wellbeing. Engaging in play-based activities with responsive caregivers can help mitigate the detrimental, long term effects of displacement and trauma, ultimately giving children affected by conflict the skills th
The $100 million grant from the LEGO Foundation will benefit some of the world’s most vulnerable children and call attention to the critical importance of learning through play to set them on a path of healthy growth and development.
Read the full press release to learn more about this extraordinary grant and the amazing work our friends at Sesame Workshop will accomplish with it!
The 2019 Book Week will Feature a New Logo and Theme, 20 Featured Illustrators, Activities in 15 Languages, and More
New York, NY – Nov. 14, 2018 – Every Child a Reader and the Children’s Book Council announced a year-long campaign to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Children’s Book Week in 2019. With a new logo and theme – Read Now. Read Forever – the 2019 official Children’s Book Week poster will be illustrated by the beloved Yuyi Morales. Over 125,000 posters will be sent to 1,000 schools, libraries, and bookstores for events to be held from April 29 to May 5, 2019. Registration to be an official Children’s Book Week location is open now.
Additionally, a twelve-artist collaborative poster, to be revealed in stages throughout 2019, will be illustrated by Sophie Blackall, Eric Carle, Bryan Collier, Grace Lin, Juana Martinez-Neal, Barbara McClintock, Frank Morrison, LeUyen Pham, James E. Ransome, Erin Stead, Melissa Sweet, and Raina Telgemeier.
New online activity materials for the anniversary will include activity pages in over 15 languages and original bookmarks created by Selina Alko & Sean Qualls, Vera Brosgol, Jason Chin, Ekua Holmes, Juana Medina, and Jessie Sima.
The illustrators for the anniversary were chosen from CBC member publishers’ submissions by a 100th anniversary art committee comprised of Betsy Bird, Diane Capriola, Andrea Davis Pinkney, Christopher Lassen, Leonard Marcus, Susannah Richards, and Lisa Von Drasek.
In collaboration with Every Child a Reader, The Rabbit hOle in Kansas City is creating an immersive narrative exhibit featuring six Children’s Book Week posters, each one a life-size 3-D portal that will transport visitors into the 100-year history of Children’s Book Week. Each portal will be accompanied by an assortment of artifacts, information, and a soundscape of the times. The exhibit will open in fall 2019.
A wide range of spotlight author and illustrator events, media resources, contests, and more to be staged throughout 2019 will be announced in the new year.
Judith Haut, Every Child a Reader Board Chair, said: “Children’s Book Week is a celebration that connects kids and teens with books and the people who create them. We are honored to share this program’s legacy and its exciting future with children and adults across the country.”
Shaina Birkhead, Associate Executive Director of Every Child a Reader, added: “We have been eagerly looking towards the 100th anniversary of Children’s Book Week for years. The program continues to grow in exciting and unexpected ways and we cannot think of a better way to celebrate in 2019 than with more events, more artists, more resources, and a brand-new logo to lead us into the next 100 years!”
About Children’s Book Week
Launched in 1919 in celebration of books for young people and the joy of reading, Children’s Book Week is the longest-running national literacy initiative in the country.
About Every Child a Reader & the Children’s Book Council Every Child a Reader is a 501(c)(3) literacy organization dedicated to inspiring a lifelong love of reading in children and teens. Every Child a Reader’s national programs include Children’s Book Week, the Children’s & Teen Choice Book Awards, Get Caught Reading, and the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature program (in conjunction with the Library of Congress). The Children’s Book Council is 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, CBC/Every Child a Reader shifa.kapadwala@cbcbooks.org
New York, NY – October 12, 2018 – Launched in 1999 by the AAP and now managed by Every Child a Reader, Get Caught Reading provides teachers and librarians with small posters of TV stars, famous athletes, authors, and beloved book characters reading a book.
The first new poster for 2019 features Olympic gold medalist and author Laurie Hernandez, and will be available starting Oct. 22 for free, thanks to a sponsorship by KPMG, whose citizenship mission is to encourage lifelong learning through literacy.
Teachers and librarians can sign up for 10 free posters using the online form at Get Caught Reading.
Laurie Hernandez’s new book, She’s Got This, illustrated by Nina Mata, is a picture book about chasing your dreams and never giving up, and is being published October 9 by HarperCollins Children’s Books.
The Lois Lenski Covey Foundation also provides funding for Get Caught Reading.
About Every Child a Reader Every Child a Reader is a 501(c)(3) literacy organization whose popular national programs include Children’s Book Week, the Children’s & Teen Choice Book Awards, Get Caught Reading, and the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature program.
About Laurie Hernandez
Laurie Hernandez is an Olympic gold medalist and the youngest-ever champion on Dancing with the Stars. At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Laurie won silver in the individual balance beam competition and secured gold in the team all-around competition. She speaks regularly to children and teens about her life story and the power of reading.
About KPMG LLP
KPMG is one of the world’s leading professional services firms, providing innovative business solutions and audit, tax, and advisory services to many of the world’s largest and most prestigious organizations. KPMG is widely recognized for being a great place to work and build a career. Our people share a sense of purpose in the work we do, and a strong commitment to community service, inclusion and diversity, and eradicating childhood illiteracy. KPMG LLP is the independent U.S. member firm of KPMG International Cooperative (“KPMG International”). KPMG International’s independent member firms have 197,000 professionals working in 154 countries. Learn more at https://home.kpmg.com/us/en/home.htmlor follow us @KPMGUS_News.
About the Lois Lenski Covey Foundation
Lois Lenski, celebrated author and illustrator of over one hundred children’s books and the 1946 Newbery medalist for Strawberry Girl, established the Foundation as a charitable institute 50 years ago. Since then the Foundation has assisted over 400 organizations in their efforts to advance literacy and foster a love of reading among underserved and at-risk children and youth.
### Media Contact: Shifa Kapadwala, Publicity Manager, CBC/Every Child a Reader, 917-890-7416, shifa.kapadwala@cbcboks.org
As part of Jacqueline Woodson’s tenure as the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, we have created a fun and jam-packed activity kit for teachers, librarians, booksellers, and parents to use with kids!
The theme of the kit is based on Jacqueline’s motto as ambassador – Reading = HOPE x CHANGE (What’s your equation?) – and these pages will help everyone create a variety of activities and discussion opportunities to engage kids and teens in the joy of reading and empowerment.
Downloadable here, the kit contains: games, an “Equation Creator” and “Equation Designer,” Jacqueline’s own list of recommended reading and more.
Shaina Birkhead, programming and strategic partnerships director at the CBC and Every Child a Reader: “This beautiful Reading = HOPE x CHANGE kit will be available for the entirety of Jacqueline’s ambassadorship, continuing the strong personal engagement with kids of all ages that is central to the National Ambassador program and all the ambassadors.” She added, “This will mark more than a decade of promoting the love of reading across the country and in every community, benefiting kids and teens, those who read with them and teach them, and the wide and wonderful publishing community and society as a whole.”
The $100 million grant from the LEGO Foundation will benefit some of the world’s most vulnerable children and call attention to the critical importance of learning through play to set them on a path of healthy growth and development.
