Goodies For
Children’s Book Week!

N
ot surprisingly, Children’s Book Week is the celebration of books for young people, and the joy of reading. Something that may be unanticipated, however, is the fact that it is celebrated twice yearly… in the spring as well as in the fall. Double the fun!

Established in 1919, Children’s Book Week is the longest-running national literacy initiative in the country. And this year, we’re celebrating its 106th anniversary. With over 3,000 participating schools, libraries, and bookstores in all 50 states.[1]

Children’s Book Week stems from the belief that children’s books and literacy are life-changers. In 1913, Franklin K. Matthiews, librarian of the Boy Scouts of America, proposed a Children’s Book Week.

In 1916, with the help of Melcher and Moore, the American Library Association and the American Booksellers Association sponsored a Good Book Week with the Boy Scouts of America.

The newly-established Children’s Book Council (CBC) assumed the administration of Children’s Book Week in 1944.[3]

Freebees For Celebrating
Children’s Book Week

Teachers, librarians, booksellers, and caregivers… celebrate with these fabulous resources and activities.

Bookmarks

A good bookmark is essential.
Download these from the Children’s Book Council.
Designed by:

Reading Logs

Reading logs help young readers keep track of books they love.
As well as a multitude of other things they’re curious about.
Download these from the Children’s Book Council.

Designed by:

Put These First-Rate
Giveaways To Use

Put these fabulous bookmarks and reading logs to use while reading books that have received the Children’s and Young Adult Book Awards from the International Literacy Association. This year’s crop shines a light on individuals and communities who reclaim their voices, challenge obstacles, and reshape the world around them. [4]

This Year’s Winners Are

Primary Fiction

Winner: Katie Venit, Forts (Penguin Young Readers)

Honor: Anaïs Lambert, Giant Steps (Blue Dot Kids Press)

Primary Nonfiction

Winner: Jennifer Cooper, This Skirt Won’t Work!: How Women Athletes Changed Their Clothes and Changed the Game (Sourcebooks Explore)

Honor: Leah Schanke, Freedom at Dawn: Robert Smalls’ Voyage Out of Slavery (Albert Whitman & Company)

Intermediate Fiction

Winner: Caris Avendaño Cruz, The Boy, the Mountain, and the Serpent Who Ate the Moon (Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group)

Honor: Ruchira Gupta, The Freedom Seeker (Scholastic Press)

Intermediate Nonfiction

Winner: James Robinson, Whale Eyes: A Memoir About Seeing and Being Seen (Penguin Workshop)

Honor: Kamalani Hurley, Kahoʻolawe: The True Story of an Island and Her People (Learner Publishing Group)

Young Adult Fiction

Winner: Gloria Muñoz, This Is the Year (Holiday House)

Honor: Briana Loewinsohn, Raised By Ghosts (Fantagraphics)

Young Adult Nonfiction

Winner: Jerry Faivish, Can Posters Kill?: Antisemitic Propaganda and World War II (Second Story Press)

Honor: Raymond Santana, Pushing Hope: An Illustrated Memoir of Survival (Astra Books for Young Readers)

Have Fun With These Lagniappes.
And Not Just During Children’s Book Week.

Endnotes:

[1] Every Child A Reader

[2] “Celebrate Children’s Book Week by discovering new books at the library.” James V. Brown Library. April 29, 2023.

[3] Every Child A Reader.

[4] “Announcing the ILA 2026 Book Award Winners.” International Literacy Association.