Children's Book Week Begins Monday

Get your library card ready: May 13 marks the beginning of Children's Book Week, an annual celebration of books and reading for young people.

According to Book Week Online, the Children’s Book Council, a national non-profit trade association for children's book publishers, established Children’s Book Week in 1919 with the intention to spread awareness about the importance of children's and young adult literature. The week is celebrated every year across the country in libraries, museums, bookstores, schools and more with readings, author appearances and other events.

How to Celebrate Children's Book Week in Burke

You can celebrate Children's Book Week by visiting one of the three Fairfax County Public Library branches here in Burke: Burke Centre Library, Kings Park Library or the Pohick Regional Library.

The FCPL also has lists of recommended reading lists for kids and teens, including the top five books listed below from the Newbery Award Winners reading list for kids:

1. The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate (2013 Newbery Award winner; check preferred library for availability)
2. Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos (available at Burke Centre)
   Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool (available at Kings Park, Pohick, and Burke Centre)
3. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (available at Kings Park, Pohick, and Burke Centre)
4. The Graveyard Book By Neil Gaiman (available at Kings Park, Pohick, and Burke Centre)
5. Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz (available at Kings Park, Pohick, and Burke Centre)

Where to Celebrate Children’s Book Week in Burke and Beyond

Local graphic artist Matt Dembicki will teach kids ages 6-12 how to make comics on Monday, May 13 at 3:30 p.m. at Kings Park Library.

Additionally, the Library of Congress will celebrate Children’s Book Week with a program by sports author and Washington Post KidsPost columnist Fred Bowen on Friday, May 17 at 11 a.m. in the Montpelier Room on the sixth floor of the James Madison Building, which is located at 101 Independence Ave. S.E. in Washington, DC. This event does not require tickets, but interested attendees should e-mail Lola Pyne at lpyn@loc.gov with a number of attendees.

To learn more about Children’s Book Week, visit www.bookweekonline.com or check out the Children's Book Council on Facebook www.facebook.com/CBCBook .