By Melissa Martin
Give your brain a workout—read a book. Pump up the muscle mass between your two ears. And encourage your kids to read, too.
“Children learn to love the sound of language before they even notice the existence of printed words on a page. Reading books aloud to children stimulates their imagination and expands their understanding of the world. It helps them develop language and listening skills and prepares them to understand the written word. When the rhythm and melody of language become a part of a child’s life, learning to read will be as natural as learning to walk and talk.” www.readingrockets.org/.
Celebrate Children’s Book Week
With Children’s Book Week turning 100 years old in 2019, Every Child a Reader and the Children’s Book Council have announced plans for a celebration.The 100th Anniversary theme is Read Now—Read Forever. Look to the past, present, and most important, the future of children’s books. Children’s Book Week is April 29 – May 5, 2019. Happy Birthday to Children’s Book Week!
Established in 1919, Children’s Book Week is the longest-running national literacy initiative in the U.S. Every year, events are held nationwide at schools, libraries, bookstores, and homes. www.everychildareader.net/.
Ohio Book Festivals
The 2019 Ohioana Book Festival (free to the public) will be held Saturday, April 27, 2019 from 10:30a.m. to 5:00p.m. at Columbus Metropolitan Public Library’s Main Library. The Ohioana Library Association was founded in 1929 to collect, preserve, and promote the works of Ohio authors, artists, and musicians. www.ohioana.org/.
Books by the Banks Cincinnati Regional Book Festival is Saturday, October 26, 2019 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The day-long festival, which is free and open to the public, features national, regional, and local authors and illustrators; book signings; panel discussions; and activities for the entire family to enjoy. www.booksbythebanks.org/.
State Library of Ohio
The State Library of Ohio, Ohioana Library Association, and Ohio Center for the Book announced the 20 books selected for the 2019 Choose to Read Ohio (CTRO) booklist. CTRO booklists spotlight and celebrate the rich and diverse tapestry of published literature by Ohioans. CTRO promotes reading across Ohio by encouraging Ohioans of all ages to read and share books by authors native to, residing in, or associated with the Buckeye State. www.library.ohio.gov/.
The State Library of Ohio and the Choose to Read Ohio Advisory Council announced that The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson (born in Columbus, Ohio) and illustrated by Rafael López, has been selected as the fourth annual Choose to Read Ohio in memory of children’s literature expert, advocate, and librarian Floyd Dickman.
The following summary is the from Penguin Random House website: The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson (Nancy Paulsen Books, 2018). “There are many reasons to feel different. Maybe it’s how you look or talk, or where you’re from; maybe it’s what you eat, or something just as random. It’s not easy to take those first steps into a place where nobody really knows you yet, but somehow you do it. Jacqueline Woodson’s lyrical text and Rafael López’s dazzling art remind us that we all feel like outsiders sometimes – and how brave it is that we go forth anyway. And that sometimes, when we reach out and begin to share our stories, others will be happy to meet us halfway.”
Exercise your brain by reading a book!
Melissa Martin, PhD, is an author, columnist, educator, and therapist. She resides in Southern Ohio. www.melissamartinchildrensauthor.com.
