CHILDREN'S BOOK WEEK

CHILDREN'S BOOK WEEK

Children's Book Week gets double the celebration each year. First, on May 4-10, and then on November 9-15. This annual double event promotes literacy and encourages us to attend events at schools, libraries and bookstores.

#ChildrensBookWeek

Books are a gateway to adventure, education, knowledge, and other worlds. They open our imagination and introduce us to language we might not have otherwise been exposed. Our ability to read is one of those tools that no one can ever take away from us and giving the skill to someone else, especially a child, empowers them to direct their own future.

Anytime a child reads, they are giving their brain a full-body workout. Research shows reading changes the physical structure of the brain, strengthening language and communication skills. In fact, children who are read regularly increase their vocabulary at a higher rate than nonreaders. Reading in young children also promotes critical thinking, requiring a child to to understand cause and effect, predict outcomes, and solve problems alongside the characters.

HOW TO OBSERVE #ChildrensBookWeek

Give a child the gift of a book. There are many ways you can do this. This writer personally has a list of favorite children's books she gives away on special occasions. Children's Book Week is another special occasion for giving away those favorite books. Other ways to participate include:

  • Taking children to the bookstore or library to select books to read or purchase.

  • Read to a child. Children who are read to want to learn to read.

  • Teach a child to read. Whether they learn sight words or begin with a basic book, children who read have more opportunities.

  • Donate books to a school, shelter, or veterans' clinic. Children will read the books left there.

  • Support your local bookstores. They often schedule children's reading times with local authors. The more young readers are exposed to a variety of authors, the more their interests grow, too!

  • Visit www.childrensbookweek.net for resources and downloadable posters.

CHILDREN'S BOOK WEEK HISTORY

Every Child A Reader, a 501 (c)(3) literacy organization, administers Children's Book Week. The observance was established in 1919 and is the longest-running national literacy initiative in the United States.