Children's Book Week

Did you know that it's Children's Book Week?  I am undoubtedly living under a rock, since this came as news to me.  What is it, you may ask.

Established in 1919, Children's Book Week is the longest-running literacy initiative in the country. Each year, books for young people and the joy of reading are feted for a full week with author and illustrator appearances, storytelling, parties, and other book-related events at schools, libraries, bookstores, museums, and homes from coast to coast!

Cool, right?  And now that I know, I hunted around and found some great events and offers going on this week and I thought I'd share them with you.

1.  Sylvan Dell Publishing is making all of their ebooks available for free on its website this week.  I know my girls are going to LOVE this, since the majority of stories seem to involve animals.

2.  There is a massive giveaway hop going on with over 100 blogs participating.  Check out the linky list here.

3.  There are loads of official and unofficial events going on this week and into next all across the country.  Libraries, schools and book stores are hosting authors, putting on plays, or having massive sales.  Check out the CBW website or Facebook page for details.

4.  The Children's Choice Book Awards were presented Monday night in NYC.  Kids vote for their favorite stories - not industry executives.  For a full list of the winners, check here.  Some of the highlights include:

Teen Book of the Year ~ Clockwork Prince: The Infernal Devices, Book 2 by Cassandra Clare 
Author of the Year ~ Jeff Kinney - Diary of a Wimpy Kid 6: Cabin Fever


5.  In general, you should peruse the  Children's Book Council website.  This place was new to me, but it features new releases in children's books and also has interesting news articles, like the fact that Target is phasing out Kindles in favor of Apple products, or that Scholastic predicts that within the next 3 years 30% of its sales will be for e-books.

6.  Last, if you have children of your own or know someone who does, here are some ideas to help them celebrate the joy of reading this week:
     *  make a bookmark with a pretty charm on it
     *  clean off your shelves and donate out-grown books to those less fortunate
     *  dress up like your favorite storybook characters (bonus points for acting out the book)
     *  have a no-TV afternoon
     *  do some inventive cooking based on stories -- like Green Eggs and Ham

What's on your radar for Children's Book Week?