Celebrating Childrens' Book Week

The Children's Book Week Poster

by David Wiesner

Hello everyone! How are you celebrating Children's Book Week? Wait, a minute--there's a children's book week?! And it's been going on since 1919?!!

Now, you'd think with all my connections and vast stores of mafioso bullion, that I would be a source of reference, a veritable fountain of knowledge, and a major benefactor for such an august event. Not so. I have obviously been living with my head in the sandpit, because the whole fiesta snuck up on me and took me by surprise. But fear not, I now am able to share some salient facts.

First, and I quote verbatim from the CBW's wonderful website:

Children's Book Week is a truly national celebration, with events happening from coast to coast throughout the week.

• Check out the line-up of Official Book Week events ! Over 40 cities are hosting author and illustrator events during Book Week (May 7-13, 2012), with additional venues to come! (Yes folks, from Decatur to Denver, from Harleysville to Houston, book stores are hosting all sorts of fun events. Check on the website to see if something's going on close to your neck of the woods.)
• Each year, the Children's Book Council enlists illustrators to design a commemorative Children's Book Week Poster and Bookmark. Download the 2012 Book Week bookmark by Lane Smith and order your 2012 Poster by David Wiesner!
• Children's Choice Book Awards Gala ! In 2008, the Children's Book Council created the Children's Choice Book Awards, the only national child-chosen book awards program, giving young readers a powerful voice in their own reading choices. Each year, the award winners are announced live at the highly-anticipated Children's Choice Book Awards Gala during Book Week (May 7, 2012)!

Yes, kids vote!! And now I can reveal the winners for 2012:

Author of the Year: Jeff Kinney for Diary of a Wimpy Kid 6: Cabin Fever (Amulet Books/Abrams)
Illustrator of the Year: Brian Selznick for Wonderstruck (Scholastic)
Kindergarten to Second Grade Book of the Year: Three Hens and a Peacock by Lester L. Laminack, illustrated by Henry Cole (Peachtree)
Third Grade to Fourth Grade Book of the Year: Bad Kitty Meets the Baby by Nick Bruel (Neal Porter/Roaring Brook)
Fifth Grade to Sixth Grade Book of the Year: Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt (Clarion/HMH)
Teen Book of the Year: Clockwork Prince: The Infernal Devices, Book Two by Cassandra Clare (Margaret K. McElderry Books/S&S)

Those kid voters sure have good taste!

What are you guys doing for Childrens' Book Week? Did your kids vote? Any opinions about the winners? (Gary D. Schmidt rocks, but I always try to keep my opinions to myself.) Finally, I love their motto: "A great nation is a reading nation." AMayhENm!!