Around here, it’s always time to celebrate children’s books and reading. As an educator, you probably feel that way too! But that doesn’t have to stop us from taking advantage of the excitement of Children’s Book Week, May 1-7. (Did you know that it’s the longest-running literacy initiative in our country?) In honor of this special event, we’ve rounded up five Children’s Book Week ideas that are perfect for getting students excited about books and inspiring them to spend more time reading. 

 1. Vote for your favorite children’s book finalists.

Voting for the 2017 Children’s and Teen Choice Book Awards (the only national book awards chosen by kids and teens) is open from March 3-May 7 this year. Take a look at the list of the 2017 finalists with your students—and then have them vote for their favorites during Children’s Book Week!

Get students excited about the books they’ll be voting on by integrating them into your lessons beforehand. Try a read aloud of King Baby or Frankencrayon or introduce a content area lesson on science and technology with the picture book biography Whoosh: Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions. Invite older students to add titles like Booked and The Misadventures of Max Crumbly: Locker Hero to their independent reading list.  

2. Sign up for a free webinar with Judy Moody author Megan McDonald.

Are there any fans of the wildly popular Judy Moody series in your classroom? What about the Stink books? On Wednesday, May 3 at 1:00 p.m. EST, children’s author Megan McDonald will be hosting a live webcast for students and teachers in classrooms across the country. All you have to do is register (and have an internet connection and web browser, of course.)

Judy Moody Collection	Stink Collection	Level M Stink and Judy Moody

There’s even a Pinterest page filled with classroom resources and activities you can use to integrate McDonald’s books into your teaching. Take a look!

3. Select books for summer reading.

With the school year winding down, early May is an ideal time to start thinking about what your students will read—and if they will read at all—over summer vacation. According to Richard L. Allington, co-author of Summer Reading: Closing the Rich/Poor Achievement Gap, access to books (particularly self-selected books) can have a powerful impact on reading development.

So spend some class time during Children’s Book Week helping students search for books they WANT to read this summer. (Not sure where to start? The website for our Summer Reading Program is specifically designed to let students browse high-interest titles based on their interests and create their own collection of books for the summer!) 

4. Host a Book Tasting.

Sometimes, students need help knowing what to read, because they don’t have a good idea of the books that are available to them. That’s where a Book Tasting comes in! Try turning your classroom into a restaurant where students can “sample” new titles from different series, genres and authors and more. 

5. Just Read!

Of all the Children’s Book Week ideas you can find, this one is our favorite. The #1 way to celebrate books and reading is through, what else, reading! Set aside extra time during Children’s Book Week for students to read independently—and for whole class read-alouds or book clubs too. And don’t forget to invest in your own reading life. Whether it’s a professional development book or a title you’ve picked up just for fun, it’s essential to model what it looks like to be a reader so students learn to appreciate the power of books in their own lives.