Contacts: Chris Boivin, (904) 255-6106
Cell: (904) 759-5643, cboivin@coj.net
Join Mayor Deegan and Jacksonville City Council in honoring Children's Book Week, May 6-12, and support literacy growth in our community
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., May 6, 2024 — Mayor Donna Deegan and Jacksonville's City Council recognize that a great city is a reading city and have proclaimed May 6-12, 2024, as Children's Book Week. During this week, all Duval County residents are encouraged to engage in activities that help Jacksonville's children improve their reading skills, several of which are listed below.
MAYOR DEEGAN'S RIVER CITY READERS
Jaxsons have logged more than 800,000 minutes in Mayor Deegan's year-long River City Readers challenge. Are your children or children in your care logging their 20 minutes of reading each day in the Beanstack app? Ensure they take advantage of their chance to win prizes at the end of the year for Jacksonville's top child readers. For instructions on how to download and use the app, visit https://www.jacksonville.gov/rivercityreaders.
FREE BOOKS FOR KIDS
Jacksonville families of VPK– 5th-grade students are invited to attend New Worlds Reading’s 2024 Book Bash on Friday, May 10 from 4:30 - 7 p.m. at the Main Library (303 N. Laura St., 32202). Families will join New Worlds Reading as they spotlight the third year of the program, helping Florida students meet grade-level expectations in reading. The milestone event will include reading activity stations, face painting, community resources, raffles, grab-and-go food, and an exciting author read-aloud by Emma Carlson Berne, author of "Animals to the Rescue! Balto”– with free books to take home just in time for summer reading! (Registration has closed for this event. Walk-ups may attend, but supplies are limited and may not be available to attendees who did not previously register.)
99 EVENTS AT THE LIBRARY
There are 99 events for children from early childhood through their teen years at Jacksonville Public Library locations during Children's Book Week that combine reading and literacy skills with hands-on activities. Attend programs that include LEGO construction, science experiments, reading therapy dogs, and the Library's signature storytimes at a Library location near you:
https://jaxpubliclibrary.libnet.info/events?r=thisweek&t=youth+program
BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS
To borrow recommended books for children of all ages, read the short article in the Library's blog here: https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/blog/celebrating-childrens-book-week-free-books-kids.
Sign up for Library Academy email newsletters here https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/library-academy-newsletter so you never miss another children's event or book recommendation.
About Jacksonville Public Library
The mission of the Jacksonville Public Library is to enrich lives, build community and foster success by bringing people, information and ideas together. Last year, more than 3.1 million visits were made to Jacksonville Public Libraries, items were checked out more than 4.7 million times, and over 15,000 programs and services were offered to Duval County residents at the Main Library and 20 branch locations. For more information about the Jacksonville Public Library, call 255-BOOK (2665) or visit jaxpubliclibrary.org.
