Often when I pull into the school parking lot, my boys are waiting in the parent pick-up line with faces buried in books. This word nerd swells with pride. Shortly after, I yell through the minivan window for them to stop reading so that we don’t slow down the line of anxious mamas behind us.
Once we’re out of the line, I can smile again. My kids love reading. I wish all kids did. Because I believe:
If we’re going have a strong country, we must be wise, informed, and critical.
We must read.
Next week, May 12-17 2014, Every Child a Reader will launch the 95th annual Children’s Book Week, a yearly celebration to promote literacy.
There are events planned in all 50 states for CBW 2014, but my favorite part of the week is the Children’s Choice Book Awards. The only people who get to vote for these awards are kids, which makes these awards meaningful for young readers.
Of course, I don’t get to vote, but I do love the list of nominees for the awards; it gives me great ideas for the children’s “To Read” list, especially with summer coming. And if you are a kid, or have kids interested in voting, please visit the Children’s Choice site by May 12. The set up is cool this year, with a fun, interactive cartoon setting.
Here are the nominees for 2014:
K-2nd Grade
- Alphabet Trucks, by Samantha R. Vamos; illustrated by Ryan O’Rourke
- Chamelia and the New Kid in Class, by Ethan Long
- The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt; illustrated by Oliver Jeffers (this book was also a Goodreads Choice Award Nominee)
- Mustache Baby by Bridget Heos; illustrated by Joy Ang
- Bear and Bee by Sergio Ruzzier
3rd-4th Grade
- Bean Dog and Nugget: The Ball by Charise Mericle Harper
- Cougar: A Cat with Many Names by Stephen Person
- The Matchbox Diary by Paul Fleischman; illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline
- Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: A Migrant’s Tale by Duncan Tonatiuh
- Bugs in My Hair! by David Shannon
5th-6th Grade
Hokey Pokey by Jerry Spinelli- National Geographic Kids Myths Busted! by Emily Krieger; illustrated by Tom Nick Cocotos
- Prince Puggly of Spud by Robert Paul Weston
- Lawless: Book 1 by Jeffery Salane
- Battling Boy by Paul Pope
Teens
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E & P won the YA category on both the Goodreads list and the NPR list Allegiant by Veronica Roth
- Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
- Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
- Smoke by Ellen Hopkins
- The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
Most of these titles are new to me. What I have heard about Allegiant has been mixed to unsatisfactory, but I will probably read it this summer. (If I keep my expectations low, perhaps I won’t be disappointed.) I listened to the audiobook of Eleanor and Park and highly recommend it.
Have you read any of these books? How can you celebrate Children’s Book Week?
Perhaps I’ll buy a few of these and leave them as presents on the breakfast table next week. More books for the parent pick up line!
Julia
Spread the word on Twitter: Great reading suggestions from Children’s Book Week via @juliatomiak. #CBW14 #amreading
Thanks for this list – fantastic! I need to find all of them. I’m particularly intrigued by the Crayon one and Eleanor. (p.s. how’s the Gone Girl going? I couldn’t put it down…!)
I’m half-way through Gone Girl – just started the second section “Boy Meets Girl.” I’m definitely intrigued and think that Flynn skillfully uses multiple POVs to heighten the tension. But it’s May! That means field trips, teacher appreciation lunches, and extra baking. I wish I had more time (and energy) to read!
I can’t wait to check out the K-2 books for my girls & the teen books for me! I read the Divergent series. Didn’t enjoy it as much as Hunger Games but still worth reading.
I admit I skipped right to the teen books – I’ve read Allegiant and Eleanor and Park. I decided I was okay with the way the Divergent series ended, but it took me a little while to get there. I’d love my daughter to read Eleanor and Park this summer – or maybe I’ll get her the audio book and she can listen while she runs.
The audio book is very well done, with a different narrator for Eleanor and Park. I listened to it while I ran! (But I think it made me slower).