FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Toronto and Montreal (September 29, 2020) —The Canadian Children’s Book Centre (CCBC) and Communication-Jeunesse (CJ) are thrilled to unite forces to organize Canadian Children’s Book Week: Readers Take Flight/Lire à tout vent 2021, a national tour for Canadian children’s authors and illustrators all across the country.
Canadian Children’s Book Week is the most important celebration of literature for young readers in Canada. Each year, more than 50 book creators connect with over 40,000 children and youth across the country. The mission is to promote the talent and work of our exceptional authors and illustrators in both official languages.
Next year’s tour will take place from May 2 to May 8, 2021, and will allow young readers to connect with their favourite authors and illustrators. The virtual meetings will take place from coast to coast to coast in English and French and provide a great opportunity to immerse oneself in the creative world of children’s literature. Given the current COVID-19 pandemic, all meetings will take virtually in a suitable format that will encourage interaction and discussion.
The call for applications from authors and illustrators interested in participating in Canadian Children’s Book Week 2021 will go out Monday, October 5. Schools, libraries and community groups interested in virtually hosting an author/illustrator can apply in early 2021. We will work to provide an equally rewarding exchange for participants in areas with an unreliable internet connection.
Learn more about Canadian Children’s Book Week at bookweek.ca and at communication-jeunesse.qc.ca. In the months leading up to Canadian Children’s Book Week, there are plenty of ways to keep celebrating the great books for kids that our country has to offer. The CCBC Book Awards will be announced October 30: view the list of shortlisted titles here. Voting is about to open for the Forest of Reading®, Canada’s largest recreational reading program that encourages a love of reading in people of all ages. REGISTER TODAY to get access to over 500+ resources for young people, have access to virtual author visits and voting privileges. February 17, 2021 is I Read Canada Day: celebrate the breadth of Canadian books for your people by reading Canadian for just 15 minutes. Learn more here.
To view the author/illustrator videos that were created in lieu of the 2020 Canadian Children’s Book Week tour, visit Bibliovideo, the CCBC’s new YouTube channel all about Canadian books for young people.
For more information, please contact:
Emma Hunter
Marketing and Communications Coordinator
The Canadian Children’s Book Centre
emma@bookcentre.ca
Isabelle Chartrand-Delorme
Program and Events Coordinator
Communication-Jeunesse
i.chartrand-delorme@communication-jeunesse.qc.ca
About the Canadian Children’s Book Centre
The Canadian Children’s Book Centre is a national, not‐for‐profit organization founded in 1976. We are dedicated to encouraging, promoting and supporting the reading, writing and illustrating of Canadian books for young readers. Our programs, publications and resources help teachers, librarians, booksellers and parents select the very best for young readers. For more information, please visit bookcentre.ca.
About Communication-Jeunesse
Communication-Jeunesse is a national non-profit cultural organization that was founded in 1971 to promote and appreciate Quebec and Franco-Canadian literature aimed at young people age 0 to 17. The vitality of the organization is largely based on the quality of its associative life and the commitment of its members has been at the heart of its operations since its creation. The members of Communication-Jeunesse enrich its actions and promote its development with as much rigor as energy. For more information, please visit communication-jeunesse.qc.ca.