Why Children's Book Week Has Me Thinking About My Kids' Dusty Libraries
- Joan Fernandez
- Nov 4
- 2 min read
Top 3 Resources for Aspiring Children's Book Authors
True Story: About fifteen years ago, when my husband and I “downsized” (a polite word for “staging an intervention with our clutter”), we started clearing out the house we’d raised our kids in. I got to their bedrooms and had to go on an emergency quest for more packing boxes.
And then more packing boxes.
Apparently, while we thought we were raising children, we were actually curating two separate, very dusty, and surprisingly heavy small-town libraries. My back still hasn’t forgiven me.
Readers! We’d launched readers! (And, judging by the forgotten library books we found, we’d also launched an extra errand for ourselves.)
Now, my kids have kids, and I’m eagerly awaiting their next visit so I can introduce my grandchildren to the wonders of my local library’s children’s section.
This memory is on my mind for two reasons.
First, this week (November 3 - 9) is Children’s Book Week, an annual celebration dedicated to young people and the joy of reading. Your local schools and libraries are likely bursting with activities for it.
Established in 1913, it’s the longest-running national literary initiative in the U.S. It was the brainchild of Franklin K. Matthews, the librarian for the Boy Scouts of America, whose goal was to promote higher standards for children’s books.
Today, the celebration is organized by the non-profit Every Child a Reader, which provides free, engaging materials to schools and libraries. Their site lists a ton of resources, including the year-round “Get Caught Reading” poster campaign.
All this talk of children’s books might even have you thinking about writing one. If you’re an author considering it, here are a few excellent resources to get you started:
Children’s Book Courses at The Highlights Foundation.Remember the Highlights magazine? In my kid years jockeying with three siblings, our monthly copy got fingerprint-smudged fast.
Book Coach on Children’s Books: Sara Gentry. See Sara’s solutions for writers website and free KidLit Summer Camp (recordings from previous years are available): https://solutionsforwriters.com/kidlit). Sara also coaches authors writing adult fiction.
Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) is a well-regarded professional association for children’s book creators.
The second reason all this is on my mind is more... immediate.
As you read this, I’m on a tour to see the remnants of Ancient Egypt. My knowledge of that 3,000-year time period (3100 BC to 30 BC) was embarrassingly slim, so how did I prep?
By borrowing children’s books on Ancient Egypt from the library, of course. (And then a few novels for good measure.)
Clearly, my scholarly approach is unmatched!
Warmly,
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