100TH ANNIVERSARY PLANS FOR CHILDREN’S BOOK WEEK ANNOUNCED
The 2019 Book Week will Feature a New Logo and Theme, 20 Featured Illustrators, Activities in 15 Languages, and More
New York, NY – Nov. 14, 2018 – Every Child a Reader and the Children’s Book Council announced a year-long campaign to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Children’s Book Week in 2019. With a new logo and theme – Read Now. Read Forever – the 2019 official Children’s Book Week poster will be illustrated by the beloved Yuyi Morales. Over 125,000 posters will be sent to 1,000 schools, libraries, and bookstores for events to be held from April 29 to May 5, 2019. Registration to be an official Children’s Book Week location is open now.
Additionally, a twelve-artist collaborative poster, to be revealed in stages throughout 2019, will be illustrated by Sophie Blackall, Eric Carle, Bryan Collier, Grace Lin, Juana Martinez-Neal, Barbara McClintock, Frank Morrison, LeUyen Pham, James E. Ransome, Erin Stead, Melissa Sweet, and Raina Telgemeier.
New online activity materials for the anniversary will include activity pages in over 15 languages and original bookmarks created by Selina Alko & Sean Qualls, Vera Brosgol, Jason Chin, Ekua Holmes, Juana Medina, and Jessie Sima.
The illustrators for the anniversary were chosen from CBC member publishers’ submissions by a 100th anniversary art committee comprised of Betsy Bird, Diane Capriola, Andrea Davis Pinkney, Christopher Lassen, Leonard Marcus, Susannah Richards, and Lisa Von Drasek.
In collaboration with Every Child a Reader, The Rabbit hOle in Kansas City is creating an immersive narrative exhibit featuring six Children’s Book Week posters, each one a life-size 3-D portal that will transport visitors into the 100-year history of Children’s Book Week. Each portal will be accompanied by an assortment of artifacts, information, and a soundscape of the times. The exhibit will open in fall 2019.
A wide range of spotlight author and illustrator events, media resources, contests, and more to be staged throughout 2019 will be announced in the new year.
Judith Haut, Every Child a Reader Board Chair, said: “Children’s Book Week is a celebration that connects kids and teens with books and the people who create them. We are honored to share this program’s legacy and its exciting future with children and adults across the country.”
Shaina Birkhead, Associate Executive Director of Every Child a Reader, added: “We have been eagerly looking towards the 100th anniversary of Children’s Book Week for years. The program continues to grow in exciting and unexpected ways and we cannot think of a better way to celebrate in 2019 than with more events, more artists, more resources, and a brand-new logo to lead us into the next 100 years!”
About Children’s Book Week
Launched in 1919 in celebration of books for young people and the joy of reading, Children’s Book Week is the longest-running national literacy initiative in the country.
About Every Child a Reader & the Children’s Book Council
Every Child a Reader is a 501(c)(3) literacy organization dedicated to inspiring a lifelong love of reading in children and teens. Every Child a Reader’s national programs include Children’s Book Week, the Children’s & Teen Choice Book Awards, Get Caught Reading, and the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature program (in conjunction with the Library of Congress). The Children’s Book Council is the nonprofit trade association for children’s book publishers in North America, partnering with national organizations on reading lists, educational programming, and diversity initiatives.
Media Contact: Shifa Kapadwala , CBC/Every Child a Reader shifa.kapadwala@cbcbooks.org
