EVPL will be joining libraries, booksellers, and schools throughout the country this week to celebrate the 102nd Anniversary of Children’s Book Week May 3 – 9. This celebration is the longest-running book initiative championing children’s literature. This year’s theme is Reading is a Superpower. EVPL is excited to be joining organizations throughout the country in celebrating children’s superpowers of reading!
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.
Mathiews 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; learn more about it here. You can view one of our virtual storytimes from EVPL’s Children’s Book Week 100th anniversary celebration below.
You can find more storytime programs to celebrate Children’s Book Week at home by visiting us on Facebook or on YouTube. You can also celebrate with your younger readers by registering for our 1OOO Books Before Kindergarten program.
Happy Reading!
*Content sourced from Every Child a Reader.
