Children's Book Week!

The new Children’s Book Week website is now live at www.bookweekonline.com!

The first thing you’ll discover when you get to the site is that voting is now open for the first ever Children’s Choice Book Awards. As has been discussed on this list, the Children’s Book Council and CBC Foundation launched the program to provide young readers with an opportunity to voice their opinions about the books being written for them and to help develop a reading list that will motivate children to read. The list of 25 finalists in five categories was announced yesterday. Kids can cast their vote for their favorite books, author, and illustrator at www.BookWeekOnline.com until May 4. There is also information about how you can collect paper ballots and submit one set of numbers for your classroom, school, or library via the voting site. Please check it out today to see the complete list of finalist.

The Children’s Choice Book Award winners will be announced live at the Children’s Choice Book Award gala on May 13 in New York City as part of Children’s Book Week (May 12-18, 2008), the oldest national literacy event in the United States. This initiative is a new component of Children’s Book Week, which for the first time is being held in May.

Visit www.bookweekonline.com for more information. In addition to the Children’s Choice Book Awards, you will find information about this year’s Children’s Book Week poster by Mary GrandPre’ and bookmark by Gene Yang and how you can get them for free. Attention: Public Librarians – the poster is being distributed this week at PLA by Combined Book Exhibit. Be sure to stop by their booth and ask for your poster!