Let's Celebrate Children's Books!

Children’s Book Week is almost here! Each year there are different events, usually during the first week of May, celebrating the magic of books and the powerful connections they create for young readers everywhere. This week is meant to encourage a life-long love of reading, and connect children and teens to authors, illustrators, libraries, and other book providers in the community.

The Canadian Children's Book Centre is celebrating April 27- May 3rd, 2025, with the theme Your Story Matters. As you read on further you will find out why your story matters and why children's books matter!

The Children's Book Council and Every Child A Reader is celebrating May 5th-11th, 2025. They've been hosting this important week for years and are celebrating their 106th anniversary of the event! This year's theme is An Ocean of Stories inviting us to dive into the vast sea of tales that inspire, teach, and entertain children and readers everywhere. Just as the ocean is teeming with life, the world of children’s literature is brimming with diverse voices, experiences, and creativity. It’s a beautiful reminder that stories, like waves, can travel far and connect us all.

Raspberry Press Celebrates Children’s Book Week

At Raspberry Press, we love books and have a special place in our hearts for children’s books. We believe the earlier people are exposed to books and reading, the better. Reading opens doors, increases intelligence, broadens perspectives, and inspires creativity. That’s why we are excited to celebrate Children’s Book Week alongside The Children’s Book Council and Every Child A Reader. We are united in our mission to inspire a lifelong love of reading and storytelling.

The Benefits Of Reading

Did you know that reading just 20 minutes a day can significantly improve literacy skills, vocabulary, and comprehension? Studies have shown that children who read for 20 minutes daily are exposed to 1.8 million words per year and score in the 90th percentile on standardized tests. Reading also helps develop critical thinking skills, creativity, and empathy. Reading is a superpower!

There are many competing media out there capturing our children's attention. Although reading is part of some of this media, it is still important to have physical books in your child's life. A book is a tangible object that does not have blue or other light sources flickering hundreds of times per minute. Reading on screens at night can interfere with sleep patterns and actually overstimulate your child keeping them awake at night, or interfering with their ability to get a full night's rest. Also the tactile experience of holding a book and turning the pages is linked to enhancing memory and comprehension, as the reader is more engaged in the reading process.

A wonderful routine is having your child read before bed. Turn off the screens 2 hours prior to their bedtime, and encourage at minimal, 20 minutes of reading before turning out the lights and saying goodnight. You can also take turns reading, or read to them, which creates a beautiful bonding moment for you and your child. This also reinforces the act of reading and creates wonderful memories that you and your child will cherish for years to come.

How to Celebrate Children’s Book Week

There are many things you can do to celebrate children's week! Here are some ideas.

• Pick Out a Special Book: Pick out a book or two, or three, that you will read together in celebration of the week. You can buy a new one, a used one, choose one from a library, or choose from your existing home collection.

• Read Aloud Together: Schedule time to read aloud together. Encourage your child to read to you. You could also ask your child's teacher if you could read in front of the class. If you are a teacher or program operator, have a special reading in the spirit of the week. You can even invite a local author to read to your class!

• Create Ocean-Themed Crafts: Bring this year's theme to life by making art inspired by the ocean and the stories you love with the children in your life. Draw the different characters and scenes from your favourite books, or draw your own characters and scenes inspired by the ocean or by books you love.

• Explore Free Resources: Visit EveryChildaReader.net for free resources and activities designed to help you celebrate this amazing week. Also search online for local events celebrating Children's Book Week.

• Join the Conversation and Spread the Word: Follow and use the hashtag #StoryOcean on social media to see how others are celebrating. Share posts about Children's Book Week on your social media. Talk to your friends and colleagues about it.

  
  

Why Celebrate Children’s Book Week?

Children’s Book Week is about more than just reading; it’s about fostering a lifelong love of books and encouraging creativity, imagination, and empathy in young readers. Whether you’re a parent, teacher, librarian, or author, there’s a place for you in this ocean of stories.

You can also use this week to inspire yourself to write your own children's book! Wouldn't it be awesome to have your own unique voice out in the world to add to the ocean of stories? Like each fish in the sea, each story is unique and has its own special place in the world. If you've thought about writing a children's book but don't know where to start, contact us at Raspberry Press as we will be happy to help.

Check Out Our Books!

At Raspberry Press, we have a fantastic selection of children’s books to inspire young readers. Be sure to explore our publication listing for stories that spark imagination and creativity.

There is so much to celebrate with children's books! Sharing and encouraging the love of reading at an early age benefits all of us. With some of the tips in this article, dive into the fun and make this Children’s Book Week memorable for the young readers in your life! We hope you enjoy the sprit of this week by reading, exploring, interacting in the community, and maybe even by writing your own book!

Have a wonderful Children's Book Week and Happy Reading!