CBC Launches Children’s Choice Book Awards
The Children’s Book Council (CBC), in association with the CBC Foundation, has launched the Children’s Choice Book Awards program. The program was created to provide young readers with an opportunity to voice their opinions about books being written for them and to help develop a reading list that will motivate children to read, according to the CBC, a nonprofit association of U.S. publishers of children’s and young-adult trade books. This is the second national initiative the CBC has launched this year to promote reading among children. In early January, the organization, along with the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, announced the appointment of Jon Scieszka as the first National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature.
The Children’s Choice Book Awards program was launched with the announcement of 25 finalists in five categories: Favorite Books for Grades K-2, Favorite Books for Grades 3-4, Favorite Books for Grades 5-6, 2007 Author of the Year and 2007 Illustrator of the Year. Children will be able to cast their vote for their favorite in each category at bookstores, school libraries and at www.BookWeekOnline.com. The winners will be announced at the Children’s Choice Book Awards gala on May 13 in New York City.
“The program will allow children from across the country to discover what other children like to read,” says Robin Adelson, executive director of the CBC. “We believe that by empowering children to express their opinions, it will positively impact their perspective and interest in books and bring a renewed excitement to reading.”