Children’s Book Week may be turning 105 years old, but the annual literacy event is not showing any signs of slowing down. The nationwide initiative orchestrated by the Children’s Book Council and Every Child a Reader, which will be held May 6–12, is marking the occasion with a first-ever reading club, an official jingle, and multilingual drawing pages.

This year’s Book Week slogan, “No Rules. Just Read,” was designed to engage participants of all reading abilities. “We are constantly asking ourselves, ‘How can we make this year’s celebration more engaging for kids in all walks of life and at whatever stage of book love they are at?,’ ” said associative executive director Shaina Birkhead. “This year in particular, the stars aligned in terms of a slogan that really inspired us, working with poster artist and Book Week spokesperson Sophie Blackall and being approached by folks who share our passion for making reading fun.”

Below is a sneak peek of what to expect from the 2024 Book Week.

No-Rules Reading Club. Replacing the Book Week challenges of past years is a reading club that correlates with the “No Rules” slogan. To drive interest, the CBC worked with KidLit TV on a promotional video, filmed at the Brooklyn Public Library, in which Blackall invites kids to join. “We hope this gives readers of all ages a clear and engaging way to feel part of a celebration with no pressure and all the fun,” Birkhead said.

Jingle All the Way. Book Week now has an official song, created by composer Annie Lynn. Meant to serve as a literacy tool for schools and libraries, the jingle can be incorporated into classroom learning. Educators that record their students singing the little ditty via the Flip app are eligible to win a box of books for their classroom library. Five winners will be selected randomly and announced at the end of May.

Multilingual Drawing Pages. No longer limited to English-only activity sheets, kids now have access to drawing pages in eight other languages: Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Ukrainian, Polish, Turkish, Malayan, and Mandarin. These new additions are the result of a joint effort between the CBC and the Waverly Avenue Elementary School’s PTA in Holtsville, N.Y., whose educators had initially reached out to CBC executive director Carl Lennertz for additional resources. “Carl had the idea to make it a school project and create an evergreen resource for Book Week in languages predominately spoken at the school, and the students were thrilled to participate,” Birkhead said. It’s the first time that a school has contributed to Book Week resources, she added.

Floyd Cooper Day Festivities. The third annual celebration honoring the late author-illustrator known for his storytelling of African American experiences will include two new Get Caught Reading posters, featuring the creators behind his last two books. Carmen Bogan co-created Where’s Rodney?, while Cooper’s former student Daria Peoples completed the illustrations for Tasha’s Voice. In addition, Cooper’s longtime friend Tracey Baptiste designed a CBC-funded website, which showcases his artwork and books.

Fun Facts Galore. To commemorate the 105th anniversary of Book Week, a dedicated online resource aptly features 105 tidbits of information from the archives. Notable mentions include the 1933 poster, which was the only one to feature a photo instead of an illustration, while the poster from 2022 was the first to depict a character listening to an audiobook.

Bursting with Bookmarks, Activity Pages. Eight new bookmarks were created by Nancy Armo (Clavis), Anu Chouhan (Bloomsbury), David Dolensky (Albatros), Susan Gal (Levine Querido), Suzy Lee (Greystone Kids), Meggie Ramm (Abrams), Erin K. Robinson (Union Square Kids), and Gabby Zapata (Chronicle). Kids can also draw their own using a template. In addition, 11 new activity pages were designed by Jacqueline Alcántara (NorthSouth), Shadia Amin (Scholastic), Kent Culotta (Kane Miller), Natasha Donovan (Portage & Main), Braden Hallett (Annick), Jess Hannigan (HarperCollins), Marta Álvarez Miguéns (Sourcebooks), Andy J. Pizza (Chronicle), Elisa Rocchi (Science Naturally), Joséphine Topolanski (Blue Dot Kids), and Karen Vermeulen (Catalyst).

More Materials. Educators, librarians, and booksellers in search of further Book Week resources can access online promotional materials and participation ideas to enhance their own celebrations. For more information, visit the Children’s Book Week website.