For 105 years, Children’s Book Week has been a celebration of books for young people to foster learning and a love of reading.
Held twice every year, once in May and once in November, this month’s Children’s Book Week takes place from May 6-12, 2024. This year’s theme is “No Rules.Just Read.”, speaking to the joy and pride that come with reading what you want, when you want, and how you want.
In keeping with the spirit of Children’s Book Week, to encourage you and your child/children to get into the reading habit, we have a special initiative going on during the month of May which is Get Caught Reading Month! "Catch" yourself, your family, and your friends reading, then post your photos to social media using the hashtags #GetCaughtReading and #CaughtReadingYPL for all posts. Help us spread the joy of reading!
When you begin reading to children at a young age, you set the stage for a lifetime of success and a lifelong love of reading. May is also Mental Health Month, so it’s relevant to look at the benefits of reading to children. According to The Child Mind Institute, reading with your children goes beyond the value to their cognitive development and highlights nurturing the parent-child bond and empathy and emotional awareness.
Reading books is foundational to how children learn and reading books serves as a gateway to expand our world. Encouraging children to read a variety of stories sets them on the pathway to success. The Yonkers Public Library supports this mission through its 1000 Books Before Kindergarten initiative.
Find these storytimes at YPL! And there are even more events to join that promote reading and learning.
Riverfront
- Mondays, 11:00 AM - Cuentos in the Cove: Bilingual Storytime
- Tuesdays, 11:00 AM - Storytime with Mr. Ralph
- Fridays, 11:00 AM - Father Goose Stories
Will
- Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, 10:30AM - Storytime @ Will
Crestwood
- Wednesdays, 9:30 and 10:30 AM - Music & Merriment with Ms. Judy
- Thursdays, 10:30 AM - 1000 Book Thursdays @ Crestwood
- Saturdays, 10:30 AM - Crestwood Saturday Storytime
Visit the KIDS PAGE online at Yonkers Public Library to explore all of our wonderful resources.
Check out some of these recommended children’s reads in English and these wonderful eBooks in Spanish from Biblioteca Tumblebooks and Libby selections. Or ask a children’s librarian for a recommendation on where to start.
Happy Children’s Book Week!
Alison Robles is a Part-Time Junior Clerk at the Crestwood Library. She is an avid reader with a passion for YA lit, historical fiction and fantasy. A Yonkers native, she is currently pursuing an MS in Information and Library Science from the University at Buffalo.
Nancy Wissman is a part-time Children’s Librarian at Crestwood Library. With many years experience as a librarian in a variety of settings, Nancy is happiest working with children and their caregivers helping them to find the books that are just right! She also enjoys connecting with children during her Saturday storytimes at Crestwood.
