Children’s Book Week 2012

We are committed to early childhood literacy so it should come as no surprise that we are delighted to be officially kicking off Children’s Book Week 2012 with our “Read Every Day at Scholastic” Family Event on Sunday, May 6th!

For those who may be unfamiliar with Children’s Book Week, please let us fill you in. Started in 1919, Children’s Book Week is the longest-running literacy initiative in the country. Around the nation, this is a week when all things “reading” are celebrated. There will be author and illustrator appearances, story telling, parties, and other book-related events at schools, libraries, bookstores, museums, and homes. 

The Children’s Book Awards, which are an integral part of the celebrations, have already begun; children and teens can vote online now for their favorite books, authors, and illustrators of the year. Awards are given in six categories:

Kindergarten to 2nd Grade Book of the Year
3rd to 4th Grade Book of the Year
5th to 6th Grade Book of the Year
Teen Choice Book of the Year
Author of the Year
Illustrator of the Year

At Books For Kids, we believe it is incredibly important that all children be introduced to books as early and as often as possible so we are honored to be a part of such an important and historic occasion! We encourage you and your family to take part in the week and, fortunately, the Children’s Book Council has wonderfully creative ways for families and educators to do so. In addition to voting in one (or all!) of the six categories, these are a few of our favorite ways: stage a “Read-In”, download printable puzzles and bookmarks, or hold a book exchange!

Of course, we would love nothing more than if you and your family joined us for the “Read Every Day at Scholastic” Family Event to kick off Children’s Book Week with a grand party! 

“Read Every Day At Scholastic” Family Event Honoring Bill Duncan

In preparation for The Children’s Book Council’s “Children’s Book Week”, we are gearing up for a huge event with Scholastic and we hope you all will join us! On Sunday, May 6th from one to four o’clock, we will be taking over Scholastic’s global headquarters in SOHO for an afternoon of fun-filled activities perfect for the whole family and it all benefits early childhood literacy.

Broadway star Adam Reigler and NY1’s Jessica Abo will co-host this special day as guests explore Scholastic, the ideal venue for families to enjoy performances, activities, games and refreshments, all designed to celebrate literacy and the importance of books in all our lives.

Confirmed special guests include children’s authors Jon Scieszka (The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales), Denise Lewis Patrick & Sarah Masters Buckey (of the American Girl series), Bill Gordh (The Seven Towers of Wonder), and Steve Ettinger (Wallie Exercises), musical act Alex & the Kaleidoscope Band and theater performers the Treehouse Shakers. There will even be photo opportunities with Clifford the Big Red Dog and other special characters- Truly a unique afternoon and one your child will be talking about for weeks!

Of course there will be plenty of hands-on activities for your kiddos to enjoy and show off; Klutz Build A Book will help them to create their very own book and, for the more digitally-inclined, there will be the 21st Century Literacy Lab Gamestar Mechanic by E-Line Media Lab set up for exploration.

Sponsorship opportunities and tickets are available here and we encourage you to contact us if you have any questions at all.

We are so excited to share the special day with families from all over the tri-state area and we look forward to seeing you and yours there!  

A Fun-Filled Friday With Books!

We love to visit our lending libraries and thought we would share some photos from our most recent one! The children at our newest lending library location spent a fun afternoon checking out books to fill their vibrant purple book bags which were donated by the kind folks over at Emblem Health. Thanks, guys!

Books for Kids creates and furnishes libraries within existing children’s centers. We enable children who may not have access to a public library to discover the world of books. We purchase and donate library bound books to create an actual lending program to familiarize children with standard practices. Each library is created with an age-appropriate collection which includes the core group of standard titles recommended by the Department of Education and early childhood literacy experts. Books are carefully selected to reflect the backgrounds and life experiences of the children in that community. Libraries include child friendly chairs and tables, colorful carpets, listening centers, puppets, motivational posters and more. These unique environments grant the opportunity to an early learning process that will lay the groundwork for their future success. Our libraries and programs encourage children to explore, think, discover, and learn.

Hello world!

And welcome to our brand new blog!

The mission of the Books for Kids Foundation is to promote literacy among all children with a special emphasis on low-income and at-risk preschool-aged children. Books for Kids creates libraries, donates books, and partners with literacy programs to develop the critical early foundation and skills which young children need to be successful in life.

Studies show that emergent literacy in preschoolers must be supported by a print-rich environment. Books for Kids ensures that Department of Education-recommended books are available wherever children spend their day, by donating books and establishing libraries in those facilities. We also ensure that each child receives a brand new book to take home and share with their family.

We are extremely excited to be embarking on the not-so-new blogging frontier! We have many heart-warming stories about our kids to share as well as insight into what more can be done to help bridge the literacy gap. We plan to have guest posters including children’s books authors, celebrity supporters, Books For Kids volunteers, and the amazing teachers who work in the libraries we create. Of course, we invite your topic suggestions, comments, and questions!

Together, we can make a difference- So let’s get started!