Voting Opens for Children’s and Teen Choice Book Awards

Voting opened on March 8 for the ninth annual Children’s & Teen Choice Book Awards, the national book awards program in which winners are selected by children and teens of all ages. Voting is underway on ccbookawards.com and in schools, bookstores, and libraries around the country through April 25.

This year’s finalists were announced in February in seven categories: Grades K–2 Book of the Year; Grades 3–4 Book of the Year; Grades 5–6 Book of the Year; Teen Book of the Year; Children’s Choice Debut Author; Teen Choice Debut Author; and Children’s Choice Illustrator. The winners will be announced during Children’s Book Week, May 2–8.

To help booksellers promote voting, the Children’s Book Council (CBC) offers a digital toolkit filled with resources, including website badges, logos, e-mail signatures, sample social media posts, “Cast your vote” banners, printable voting ballots, and “I voted” stickers.

The Children’s Book Week Booksellers Page features ideas for celebrating Children’s Book Week, as well as details about an in-store display contest sponsored by CBC and Every Child a Reader in partnership with the ABC Children’s Group at ABA.

Displays must be up from April 30 to May 8 to be considered and will be judged on their uniqueness and creativity, their use of space, and their eye-catching appeal. Pictures of displays, along with a photo credit, must be submitted to ABC Children’s Group Manager Matthew Zoni by May 6.

The winning bookstore will earn a visit from a winner or finalist of the 2016 Children’s Choice Book Awards, as well as coverage in the Children’s Book Council’s Update newsletter, in ABA’s Bookselling This Week, and in social media posts and on Bookweekonline.com.

Booksellers are encouraged to incorporate this year’s Children’s Book Week poster, designed by author and illustrator Brian Won, into their displays. Booksellers can request up to 25 copies of the poster at no cost other than shipping. The poster will also be included in ABA’s April Red Box mailing. Children’s Book Week posters from the past 96 years are all available for order from CafePress.

Official Children’s Book Week events will be held at bookstores, schools, and libraries in all 50 states this year. Event kits and activity sheets are available here.

Booksellers can watch for Children’s Book Week updates on Twitter, Facebook, and Bookweekonline.com, as well as in BTW.