A Book Celebration!
Posted on Mon, Apr 23, 2012
"A great nation is a reading nation." -attributed to Franklin K. Matthews
There’s no better way to instill and reinforce a love of reading then by reading lots, talking about reading, and celebrating children’s books! Children’s Book Week, May 7 – 13, 2012, is the perfect culmination to a school year full of reading and great books.
This celebration, going strong since 1919, is administered by Every Child A Reader and sponsored by the Children’s Book Council. The Children’s Book Council has lots of great resources for you, and this month is showcasing books that highlight cultural diversity. Check it out here.
Part of the excitement around Children’s Book Week is the kids-only vote for Children’s Choice Book Awards, found here. Some of my favorites are finalists, including Bailey by Harry Bliss. Don’t know some of these titles? It’s a great excuse to get down to the library and get them for your class. Use some whole group time this week to tally votes, using the tally worksheets I’ve created.
Accompany your kids to the computer to log their individual votes. Show kids how their voices can be heard in support of great books!
Check out last year’s finalists and winner here. Maybe there’s a new book to enjoy with you classroom. http://www.bookweekonline.com/voting/finalists
Get inspired for your own celebration of Children’s Book Week! Your class can write books, perform dramatic readings or create puppet shows of their favorites, and invite authors, families, and librarians to their celebrations. Kids in Bellingham, WA are performing a musical version of Goodnight Moon, and a Montessori school in Shoreville, MN has created a Nalah and The Pink Tiger puppet show. Wow!
Finally, for a completely different reading experience, check out this great video of author Paulette Bogan read Spike in the City and hear her talk about creating this book! Thanks to the web site A Story Before Bed for this bit of magic.
Celebrate a book today and share your ideas with us!
