Celebrate Children's Authors and Illustrators Week
Event Description
Children's Authors and Illustrators Week (the first week in February) features a variety of activities that are intended to promote literacy in an engaging and interactive way. Encourage a lifelong love of reading with your students by participating in events such as author and illustrator visits to your school, storytelling, literary presentations, writing workshops, and more.
Classroom Activity
Invite your students to "step into the shoes" of their favorite author or illustrator. Have students first read several of the author's books and then conduct research on his or her background and career. Next, have students become their favorite authors and prepare presentations for the class. Presentations can include displays representing the authors' work, question and answer sessions, interviews, press releases on the authors' latest books, and so on. Students' presentations can also include creative costumes or props representing their authors' and illustrators' backgrounds and works (e.g., a Winn-Dixie shopping bag for Kate DiCamillo, or a teddy bear for Don Freeman).
Hold an "Authors Open House" and invite other classes in to meet the authors!
Websites
This website includes a description of this literacy event, in addition to contact information for the Children's Authors Network! Also featured are tips for parents, caregivers, teachers, and librarians.
This indispensible guide from the Children's Authors Network! can help you plan for Children's Authors and Illustrators Week. The reproducible resource includes planning and follow-up checklists, helpful hints, suggested questions, and funding ideas.
This site offers an alphabetical list of links to sites of children's authors and illustrators.
ReadWriteThink podcast host Emily Manning chats with kids, parents, and teachers about the best in children's literature for ages 4 through 11. Discussions include reading tips and fun activities to do with children before, during, and after reading.