As part of the longest-running national celebration of books for young people and the joy of reading, over 2,300 schools, libraries, and bookstores will celebrate Children’s Book Week from May 6 to May 12 from coast to coast in all 50 states.
This year marks the 105th anniversary of Children’s Book Week; the theme for this year’s celebration is No Rules. Just Read. The 2024
Children’s Book Week originated in the belief that children’s books and literacy are life-changers. In 1913, Franklin K. Matthiews, the librarian of the Boy Scouts of America, began touring the country to promote higher standards in children’s books. He proposed creating a Children’s Book Week, which would be supported by all interested groups: publishers, booksellers, and librarians.
Matthiews enlisted two important allies: Frederic G. Melcher, the visionary editor of Publishers Weekly who believed that “a great nation is a reading nation,” and Anne Carroll Moore, the Superintendent of Children’s Works at the New York Public Library and a major figure in the library world. With the help of Melcher and Moore, in 1916, the American Booksellers Association and the American Library Association sponsored a Good Book Week with the Boy Scouts of America.
In 1944, the newly-established Children’s Book Council assumed responsibility for administering Children’s Book Week. In 2008, Children’s Book Week moved from November to May. At that time, the administration of Children’s Book Week, including planning official events and creating original materials, was transferred to Every Child a Reader, CBC’s charitable arm.
In 2019, the 100th anniversary of Children’s Book week was celebrated.
We at Stillwater County Library hope you’ll celebrate children’s book week by bringing your children in to check out some books, and we also have some fun Smokey Bear activities all month for children! We’re also seeking photos of kids getting caught reading to add to our slideshow in the library.
