Celebrating Children’s Book Week

CEHD centers partner with early childhood education providers to foster early literacy and host community events

In celebration of National Children’s Book Week from November 3 to 10, University of Delaware’s College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) engaged in several early literacy initiatives and events for children, families and early education providers across Delaware.

The Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood (DIEEC) partnered with early care and education (ECE) providers across Delaware to provide guest readers and donate books to their centers. Guest readers, including CEHD Interim Dean Rena Hallam, visited centers and family child care programs across the state to share books from DIEEC’s curated list.

This year, DIEEC’s books highlighted the theme “An Ocean of Stories,” which celebrated the vast, collective ocean populated by the stories we read, share and tell. Stories included Sandra Boynton’s The Going to Bed Book, which details the bedtime routines of a group of animals sailing across the ocean, and Ekaturina Trukhan’s Baby See the Colors, which helps babies and toddlers learn about colors through their neighborhoods and the natural world.

New this year, DIEEC also shared “From Our Bookshelf to Yours: Favorite Read-Alouds from Delaware’s Early Childhood Educators,” a collection of beloved books from ECE providers across Delaware, in addition to many other resources for fostering early literacy.

The Children’s Campus also celebrated the week with special events.

• The Early Learning Center welcomed guest readers throughout the week and engaged in collaborative, literacy-based activities with the families of their center.
• The Lab School also welcomed guest readers, including UD students and their first “Mystery Reader.” The yearlong “Mystery Reader” program invites friends, family members and community members to share their favorite children’s book with Lab School classes. Using clues provided by their teacher, the children try to predict each reader’s identity before their arrival. During Children’s Book Week, pre-K children welcomed Caitlin, the daughter of their master teacher, Laura Morris.
• The College School hosted Kentrell Martin, the creator of the Shelly’s Adventures series, for a special visiting author presentation. Shelly’s Adventures features books that bridge communication gaps between the Deaf and hearing communities by incorporating American Sign Language (ASL) into engaging, educational stories. Martin’s presentation included interactive storytelling combined with ASL instruction.

To learn more about DIEEC’s celebration of National Children’s Book Week and access resources, visit its website. For more information about CEHD research in language and literacy, visit its research page.

Article by Jessica Henderson. Illustration by Jeffrey C. Chase. Photos courtesy of Dorit Radnai-Griffin and Andrea Glowatz.