This year marks the 101st anniversary of Children’s Book Week. More than 1,000 bookstores, schools and libraries participate around the nation. The spring celebration kicks off Monday, May 3 and runs through Sunday, May 9. Here are seven ways you can be part of the magic:

The winner of the fifth annual Anna Dewdney Read Together Award is award-winning Charlotte author Tameka Fryer Brown and illustrator A.G. Ford. Register to attend the Friday, May 7 Zoom readaloud by Brown and Ford.

The 2021 theme for Children’s Book Week is Reading is a Superpower. Share the Superpower Challenge with kids you know. There are fun activities for children to explore and themed reading lists focused on topics from Science and STEM to Identity and Culture and Social Activism. Cap it off by downloading the superpower certificate for your super kids.

Join John Claude Bemis (a past Piedmont Laureate), Donna Washington, Clay Carmichael, Jacqueline Ogburn and me at 7 p.m. on Monday, May 3 for a talk about writing and illustrating for kids. Learn more and sign up here. On Thursday, May 6, I’m in conversation with three more amazing creators, Carole Boston Weatherford, Fracaswell Hyman and Vanessa Brantley Newton. Details and registration here.

Looking for a free children’s book to read and share? Disney’s Tales of Courage and Kindness, a collection of 14 original stories, debuted April 27. Each one focuses on a Disney princess or queen. It’s available as a free download through the end of August. I was honored to write the story about Princess Tiana. I love the art by Tara Nicole Whitaker.

Shop for children’s books at one of our many wonderful indie bookstores in the Triangle. Congratulations to the newest, Rofhiwa Book Cafe. This Black-owned bookstore in Durham has this as its mission: “We endeavor to foster a spirit of heightened engagement by curating a living, active, and affective collection of books that capture the dexterity of black writers across classic and contemporary works.”

Download the free Children’s Book Week posted designed by acclaimed illustrator Bryan Collier. Don’t forget to download the activity sheets too. They include a checklist, name the superpowers of your favorite character worksheet and a create your own comic strip template.

Donate children’s books to inspiring organizations like Saddle Up and Read and Book Harvest.

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