Students in Grades 1-5 in the Bronx, NY to Create Original Bookmarks

USA, June 28, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Children’s Book Council is pleased to announce the first annual CBC Student Art Contest in partnership with Start Lighthouse, a a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to advancing childhood literacy through a social justice lens.

Students at P.S. 214 and P.S. 5 Port Morris will create original bookmarks around the theme of How Do You Book?, the theme for Children’s Book Week. The longest running annual children’s book celebration in the United States, Children's Book Week is celebrating 103 years in 2022, with Book Weeks held in the first week of May and November.

How Do You Book? is the theme for an original poster created by Raúl The Third, which was distributed to over 3,500 schools, libraries and bookstores for the May Children’s Book Week. The artwork created for these bookmarks will be posted online this fall in time for the November Children’s Book Week and available for downloading for free by thousands of teachers coast to coast. These bookmarks will serve as the launching point for an annual contest open to students everywhere.

Carl Lennertz, Executive Director of the CBC, said, “We are in awe of the work being done by the Start Lighthouse in bringing books and a love of reading to underserved students and their families in the Bronx. They’ve filled a huge gap in book availability in hundreds of homes and are changing lives every day. A love of reading and book ownership is central to a young person’s well-being and self-worth, educational achievement, and life success. We are honored to be able to recognize the tireless and passionate work of founders Rina Madhani, Concetta Gleason, and Brittany Kramer. An original bookmark is both a simple thing and a powerful symbol of personal expression and self-worth.”

“At Start Lighthouse, we place the power of reading in the hands of children and their families by building home libraries. Through our programming, students experience reading in a uniquely personalized way by becoming consumers of books and learning the process of writing and illustrating a story," said Rina Madhani, Executive Director of Start Lighthouse. “That’s why we are so thrilled to partner with Children’s Book Council for its first annual Student Art Contest, which will allow our students to showcase their creative talents."

About the Children’s Book Council (CBC)

The Children’s Book Council is the nonprofit trade association for children’s book publishers in North America. The CBC manages a portfolio of book awards, creates educational programming, promotes diversity in employment and in book publishing, compiles free reading lists and resources for teachers, librarians, booksellers, and parents, and partners with other national organizations who advocate for a love of reading by children and teens. CBC staff also oversees Every Child a Reader, a 501(c)(3) literacy charity whose popular national campaigns include Children’s Book Week, the longest-running literacy initiative in the country; the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, with the Library of Congress; the Kids’ Book Choice Awards, the only national book awards chosen by children and teens; and Get Caught Reading, a free poster program of role models reading new and classic books.

About Start Lighthouse

Founded in Bronx, NY, Start Lighthouse is a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to advancing childhood literacy through a social justice lens.

Childhood illiteracy is an everyone, everywhere problem. This is especially the case in the Bronx, where 70% of students do not read proficiently. The biggest barrier to literacy in the Bronx is access to books. Since its founding in March 2020, Start Lighthouse has distributed more than 21,015 brand-new multicultural books, with a value of more than $400,385.

Start Lighthouse addresses this crisis with a three-pronged approach to create compelling, rewarding reading experiences for children and families. Our method includes “Literary Adventures” hosted in conjunction with partner public schools to build home libraries and foster a sense of book ownership; diverse representation in the books we distribute so students see themselves in what they read; and community workshops to empower family members and caregivers to support literacy development, including their own.

Carl Lennertz
Children's Book Council
carlapril23@gmail.com