The Children’s Book Council (CBC) has initiated a nationwide book donation program in honor of Children’s Book Week 2006 and, in association with its members, will donate more than one hundred thousand books to charity, it was announced today by Robin Adelson, the Executive Director of the Children’s Book Council. Adelson joined the CBC in September with little more than two months before Children’s Book Week 2006. When she discussed her dream of a Great Book Giveaway to donate kids books to charities in celebration of Children’s Book Week next year, CBC members responded immediately and enthusiastically to the idea and felt there was no need to wait until 2007 to begin the project.
CBC Members were encouraged to donate as many books as possible to the charity or charities of their choice during Children’s Book Week, November 13-19, 2006. CBC staff suggested that members work with organizations they had worked with in the past or to contact groups in their local areas, such as women’s shelters and free after-school programs.
In honor of Children’s Book Week 2006, 18 children’s book publishers and the Children’s Book Council are donating 137,166 books to 31 non-profit organizations across the country (see complete list of publishers and organizations below). From the smallest to the largest publishing companies in the country have come together as CBC members to support day care centers, Head Start programs, and other local and national literacy programs.
Many companies chose to work with First Book because of CBC’s long standing relationship with the organization. Candlewick Press, the first CBC member to sign up for the Great Book Giveaway, creatively decided to make their donation to First Book a double celebration for Children’s Book Week and Candlewick’s 15th Anniversary. Other companies donating to First Book include Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books, Gingerbread House, HarperCollins Children’s Books, National Geographic Children’s Books, Peachtree Publishers, Penguin Young Readers Group, and Random House Children’s Books.
By working together as an industry, children’s book publishers are making a real difference in the lives of children. Through the auspices of the Children’s Book Council and its member publishers, over 130,000 books will be delivered to charities, schools and local organizations during the week of November 13-19. This year’s Children’s Book Week will mean something substantial and practical to a large number of children, but as that something is a book, Children’s Book Week will also bring the fantastical, the amazing, and the fun to kids all over the country.
Cynsational Notes
Participating CBC Members
As Simple As That Publishing (www.simpleasthat.com)
Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books (www.bloomsbury.com)
Brown Barn Books (www.brownbarnbooks.com)
Candlewick Press (www.candlewick.com)
Celstumo Publishing (www.celstumo.com)
Charlesbridge Publishing Inc. (www.charlesbridge.com)
Children’s Book Council, Inc. (www.cbcbooks.org)
Gingerbread House (www.gingerbreadbooks.com)
HarperCollins Children’s Books (www.harperchildrens.com)
Henry Holt Books for Young Readers (www.henryholtchildrensbooks.com)
Holiday House, Inc. (www.holidayhouse.com)
Houghton Mifflin Company (www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com)
National Geographic Children’s Books (www.nationalgeographic.com/books/kids_splash/)
Peachtree Publishers (www.peachtree-online.com)
Penguin Young Readers Group (http://us.penguingroup.com/)
Random House Children’s Books (www.randomhouse.com)
Roaring Brook Press (www.roaringbrookpress.com)
Scholastic Inc. (www.scholastic.com)
Sylvan Dell Publishing (www.sylvandellpublishing.com)
Organizations Receiving Book Donations
Bridgehampton (NY) Head Start (www.liheadstart.org)
Bridgeport (CT) Public Schools
Carmelite Child Development Center, St. Louis, MO
Carondelet Day Care Center, St. Louis, MO
Central Catholic/St. Nicholas Childgarden, St. Louis, MO
Cradles to Crayons (www.cradlestocrayons.org)
DeSales Day Care, St. Louis, MO
Father Dunne’s Newsboys Home, St. Louis, MO
First Book (www.firstbook.org)
Guardian Angels Settlement, St. Louis, MO
Hartford (CT) Public Schools
ILoveSchools.com (www.iloveschools.com)
Lisa Libraries (www.lisalibraries.org)
Marian Hall Residential Care, St. Louis, MO
Marine Toys for Tots (www.toysfortots.org)
Marygrove, St. Louis, MO
New York Cares (www.nycares.org)
Operation Santa Claus (www.oyya.org/osc.html)
Queen of Apostles Day Care, St. Louis, MO
Reader to Reader (www.readertoreader.org)
Sacred Heart Villa, St. Louis, MO
St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf, St. Louis, MO
St. Louis (MO) University Day Care
St. Martin’s Child Center, St. Louis, MO
St. Patrick Center Day-Care, St. Louis, MO
St. Peter Day Care and Early Learning Center, St. Louis, MO
St. Vincent’s Home, St. Louis, MO
Stella Maris Child Center, St. Louis, MO
Villa St. Joseph Child Care & Education Center, St. Louis, MO
Visitation Child Development Center, St. Louis, MO
A South Carolina charity for families of Qatar-stationed soldiers
The Children’s Book Council is a nonprofit trade association that promotes the use and enjoyment of children’s trade books and related literacy materials for young people, and is the official sponsor of Young People’s Poetry Week and Children’s Book Week. The CBC’s membership is made up of U.S. publishers and packagers of trade books for children and young adults, and producers of related literacy materials. Proceeds from the sale of CBC materials help support the Council’s literacy efforts.