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In a small library on a November afternoon in 1921, a stiff-lipped lady was busy with her scissors, shearing off the bottom third of Jessie Wilcox Smith's poster for Children's Book Week. Imagine a poster showing books scattered in joyous abandon on the floor! It was too much to bear!
Thankfully, our attitude toward children and their enjoyment of books has undergone considerable change since that day. The joy of bringing books and children together can in large part be due to the creation and influence of Children's Book Week.
In 1913, Franklin K. Matthiews, the librarian for the Boy Scouts of America, began touring the country to promote higher standards in children's books. He proposed creating a Children's Book Week that would be supported by publishers, booksellers and librarians. With the help of Anne Carroll Moore, the Superintendent of Children's Works at the New York Public Library, "Good Book Week" was created in 1916. Three years later, the American Bookseller's Association along with the American Library Association adopted the first official Children's Book Week. Since 1919, Children's Book Week has been celebrated nationally in schools, libraries, bookstores, clubs, and private homes -- any place where there are children and books. At the Stowe Free Library, we will have "make-your-own-books" available in our Craft Corner. Come let your children create their own book to celebrate Children's Book Week. We will gladly display anyone's creation around the Children's Room.
