Children’s Book Week is an annual celebration of children’s books and reading. Since 1919, it is the longest-running national literacy initiative in the country. Every year, young people across the country participate by attending events at schools, libraries, bookstores, celebrating at home and engaging with authors online and in person. The 2024 Children’s Book Week takes place during two dedicated weeks of celebration, May 6-12 and November 4-10!
2024 Children’s Book Week Highlights:
No Rules. Just Read. This year’s theme speaks to the joy and pride that come with reading what you want, when you want, and how you want. It is an affirmation that there is not a right way or a right thing to read.
Activities pages – are free and available to teachers and parents. They are available in English and Spanish.
Exclusive 2024 bookmarks by six prominent children’s book illustrators. These book marks celebrate children’s literature and reading.
The No Rules Rules – all you need to do is read something during the week, and you are in! Of course, you can do more than that, this link has some fun resources and ideas if you and your friends, family, or community want to go big.
Everything you need to know you can find here.
Ways to Celebrate This Week
- Book Awards – Ask students to nominate their favorite picture book for a special class award. Once all of the nominees have been announced students can vote for their favorites.
- Invite a guest author – It may not be possible for authors to visit schools in person, but many authors are available and booking for virtual author visits. You can reach out to an author and check their availability.
- Jeopardy – Students love playing jeopardy and Jeopardy boards are easy to design. Each category could be a different book, or different characters from the same book. Have fun with the categories and enlist the help of your students for ideas.
- Bookmarks – Have students create book marks to share highlights from their favorite picture books. Older children could create a Twitter post about their favorite book.
- Write a book as a class – This activity is a big hit with children. Once the students have decided what the topic of the book will be each child is asked to contribute their writing and an illustration. There are a number of ways to bind the story together, but I like to use Illustory, while it is a little more expensive, it is more durable and will become part of your class library for many years.
Thoughts …
Picture books introduce children to the world of reading. They help increase vocabulary, encourage and strengthen listening skills, nurture a child’s creativity and provide a special time for parents and children to spend time together. Reading is the greatest gift you can give a child. If you are thinking about a gift for a child’s birthday, a special holiday or just to let them know you are thinking of them, a book is is a wonderful gift to show a loved one that you are thinking of them. Even if you can’t read it together at this moment, a book is something a child will have for a lifetime.
Early Alert
World Read Aloud Day is February 5th. This is one of my favorite days of the year. It is a free event and I can visit classrooms all of the United States and read my books. It is important to book early so if you are thinking about a visit please contact me as soon as possible. Learn more about World Read Aloud Day here.
With Gratitude …
I am so glad you’re here. Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I am grateful that I can share my writing journey with you. It is an endless journey of learning and growing. A journey that I am enjoying.
I am now booking author visits for the spring, 2025 school year. If you are a classroom teacher, teacher assistant, Parent Teacher Association President, or After school Director I can work with you to create a visit that will meet the needs of your students. Please contact me to book your visit.
My website has been updates and it is now interactive. There are surprises everywhere. Click on the balloons and see where they take you. Can you find two writing videos? Freebies? A chocolate chip recipe? There’s even a special freebie to anyone who subscribes to my newsletter. Check out the resources for children, parents and teachers, librarians and homeschooling families.
A Call to Action …
Please consider purchasing a copy of Two Wins for Wiley or Gertie Saves the Day for gifts. The holidays are quickly approaching and books make great gifts. Books can be read over and over again. It is my wish to get as many books as I can into the hands of children. Children need to hear all kinds of stories. A book is the best gift for both children and adults!
You can really help this author by leaving a book review on Amazon or Goodreads. You can leave a review for Gertie Saves the Day here or here. Two Wins for Wiley here or here. Reviews can be as easy as 2-3 sentences. It should take about 30 seconds to leave and would make a huge difference for this author.
If you have any questions or you would like to share your thoughts about this post, please leave your comments below. Thank you!
