Happy May!  So much happens in the month of May. Today, I want to concentrate on just the first full week of May, Monday the 2nd to Sunday the 8th. There is a lot of great Kid Lit information PLUS all the winners from the Curious House Giveaway and the 5th Anniversary of Kid Lit Reviews Giveaway. It’s Monday, time to start the week.

GET CAUGHT READING MONTH
http://www.getcaughtreading.org/

May is officially “Get Caught Reading Month.” First celebrated in 1999, “Get Caught Reading Month” was begun by Pat Schroeder, President and CEO of the Association of American Publishers (AAP). Get Caught Reading is not just for kids. People of all ages can Get Caught Reading this month (and the other eleven). Promote “Get Caught Reading Month.” Remind everyone how much fun it is to read: traveling to other lands and worlds, meeting interesting characters, solving mysteries, learning new things . . . the list goes on and on.

What if you don’t know how to read? Well, my first response is to learn. That’s the long-term answer. To enjoy reading today, there are two options: have someone read to you or grab a picture book. Often, illustrations are all you need to enjoy a story. A great example of a picture book you can read without knowing how to read was yesterday’s review. Flora and the Peacocks (Molly Idle, Chronicle Books 2016), is perfect for kicking off “Get Caught Reading Month.” Everyone can read and enjoy Flora’s third outing. As with her other outings, Flora’s story needs no words. Check out Flora and the Peacocks:  http://bit.ly/FloraPeacocks

Download a Get Caught Reading Poster: http://www.getcaughtreading.org/celebrity-posters.php

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CHILDREN’S BOOK WEEK
http://www.bookweekonline.com/

This is the 97th Children’s Book Week (began in 1919). Here is a trivia question for you. What famous organization did the founder of Children’s Book Week, Franklin K. Matthiews, a librarian, work for when he had his idea in 1913?(answer end of post)

So much happens during Children’s Book Week (CBW). In addition to celebrating kids’ books all week, this is the week winners are announced for the Children’s and Teen’s Choice Book Awards.

 

 

2016 Finalists, Children’s Choice Debut Author:  http://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?lid=5435
2016 Finalists, Illustrator of the Year:  http://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?lid=5433

 

 

2016 Finalists, Teen Choice Debut Author:  http://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?lid=5434

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FREE COMIC BOOK DAY
http://www.freecomicbookday.com/

Free Comic Book Day always takes place during CBW, this year on Saturday, May 7th. Check your local comic book stores for details or go to the website (listed below).

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MOTHER’S DAY

Finally, the last day of Children’s Book Week is Mother’s Day, making it the perfect year to get mom the book she has at the top of her reading wish list.

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NATIONAL AMBASSADOR for YOUNG PEOPLE’S LITERATURE PROGRAM
http://www.read.gov/cfb/ambassador/

National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Program is GENE LUEN YANG; a young adult graphic novelist best known for American Born Chinese, the first graphic novel to be a finalist for the National Book Award (won the Printz Award for best 2007 YA book). During his two-year term, Mr. Yang will help “raise national awareness of the importance of young people’s literature as it relates to lifelong literacy, education and the development and betterment of the lives of young people.”*

*Sponsored by Every Child a Reader, the Children’s Book Council, and the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress.

WINNERS of LATEST BOOK GIVEAWAYS

What a great way to kick off Children’s Book Week. Here are the winners in two recent giveaways.

The winner of a two-book set comprising books 1 and 2 of the Curious House by Lauren Oliver and H. C. Chester (HarperCollins 2016) is:

*** S.W.Lothian 

The winners of the 5th Anniversary Kid Lit Reviews Giveaway, winning a choice of 5 books, are:

*** LovableLobo
*** Patricia Tilton
*** rnewman504
*** heylookawriterfellow
*** jeanjames926

CONGRATULATIONS to all the winners. You have until Wednesday, May 4th (midnight EST) to email me your address, else alternative winners will be drawn. smorris@kid-lit-reviews.com

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ADDITIONAL LINKS FOR CHILDREN’S BOOK WEEK
Twitter Hashtag: #CBW16

For State-by-State Activities, go here: http://www.bookweekonline.com/official

Teachers and Home Schoolers can find a long list of literary related activities perfect for this week here: http://www.bookweekonline.com/activities

Looking for more goodies? Download the official Children’s Book Week Bookmark created by Cece Bell, a 2015 Children’s Choice debut Author Finalist. Get the Bookmark here: http://www.bookweekonline.com/bookmark. Scroll down for bookmarks from previous 8 years.

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Official CBW Poster by artist Brian Won: http://www.bookweekonline.com/poster

Follow Children’s Book Council
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/cbcbook @CBCBook
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/CBCBook
Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/cbcbooks/
YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/user/CBCBook

Follow Gene Luen Yang, National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Program
Inaugural Speech:  http://boingboing.net/2016/01/08/gene-luen-yangs-inaugural-sp.html
Website:  http://geneyang.com/
Blog:  http://geneyang.com/genes-blog
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/geneluenyang  @geneluenyang
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/geneluenyang

Trivia Answer:  Franklin K. Matthiews was a librarian for the Boy Scouts of America

Copyright © 2016 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews. All Rights Reserved