Nearly 90 years ago a group of people with a vested interest in children’s books came together to create the very first “Children’s Book Week(opens in a new window)”, to encourage children’s books and reading. Since then, the event has continued to support, promote and most importantly celebrate Children’s Literature in all ways. Now administered by the Children’s Book Council, the event kicked off this Monday.
The CBC has listed many ways to celebrate Children’s Book Week. Some take very little planning, others can give you ideas to celebrate the event next year.
This year kids also had a chance to vote on their favorite books and authors. (Winners will be announced May 14.) Of the nominees, I was particularly struck by the five in the running for favorite author: Jeff Kinney (the Wimpy Kid series), JK Rowling (Harry Potter, of course), Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson series), Anthony Horowitz (Alex Rider) and Erin Hunter (The Warriors). Of the five, ALL are part of books in series. three of the five are fantasy series, and Alex Rider, while not fantasy, is certainly not completely grounded in reality. (Alex Rider is a great character, as believable as a teenage secret agent can be.) Only Jeff Kinney has written a book that is “realistic fiction.”
Is this just a reflection of the Harry Potter phenomenon? Or has fantasy become the dominant genre all on its own, through the strength of many good stories and the desire of kids to imagine the near impossible? I’ll be looking forward to seeing who wins—will Jeff Kinney split the fantasy vote and pull out the victory?