How is your school or district going to celebrate Children’s Book Week? This year marks the 93rd celebration of children’s books and children’s literacy. Originally established in 1919, the celebration is now administered by Every Child a Reader and is sponsored by the Children’s Book Council.

Don’t have anything planned quite yet? Don’t worry! We’ve included some easy-to-implement ideas for you!

Ask students to share
Have students bring in their favorite children’s book. Display books in the classroom or library and set aside some time for each child to share their book and why it is their favorite. If time allows, you can encourage children to read the book out loud, or perhaps just the first page or back of book summary.

Invite a local author to speak
You’d be surprised how many local children’s authors are out there, especially ones who’ve self-published their book or who have worked with smaller publishing houses. Your community library probably has a list of local authors in the area and their contact information. Local authors are always looking to connect with the community and share their work.

Invite VIP’s to read to classrooms or at an assembly
Students love to see their local “heros” face-to-face. Invite a local police officer, fireperson, state official, local athlete, dance instructors, sports coach, television reporter, and the like, to read their favorite children’s book to classes or at a school assembly. Many times there are parents of your students who are more than happy to come their child’s class for this type of activity.

Give away books
Enlist the support of your school PTO or local bookstore and seek donations of children’s books. Provide each classroom one or two books to raffle off. Students could earn one raffle ticket for each children’s book they read during the week; which encourages children to read more to earn tickets. Pull raffle tickets at an assembly or the end of the week to celebrate.

Host a book drive
Encourage student philanthropy by hosting a book drive and donating children’s books to organizations such as Sheltering Books, Inc., Books for Kids, or the International Book Project. Enlist student help to collect, organize, sort, and count the donations. Make sure to let your community know about your collection—not only to allow them to help with the donations, but also to let them know about the great things your school is doing.

Have a family read-in
End the week by inviting one or both parents to a family read-in within the classroom. Students can bring in a pillow or blanket, a snack to share, and sit and read with their family for the last thirty minutes of the school day.

For more information on Children’s Book Week, visit the websites below. Happy reading!

• Children’s Book Council
• Children’s Book Week
• Every Child a Reader
• Read Write Think