It’s national Children’s Book Week April 29 – May 5. Children’s Book Week is an annual celebration of reading and books for young people. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the celebration, making Children’s Book Week the longest-running national literacy initiative in the country. Children’s Minnesota celebrates and promotes the joy of reading through community events and many Children’s Minnesota programs that bring books and reading to the kids we care for, including:
Reach Out and Read
The Reach Out and Read program at Children’s Minnesota clinics helps advance our goal of providing a free, age-appropriate book at every well-child visit from 6 months to 5 years old. That means we have the opportunity to provide books to 12,000 children in a single year.
Reach Out and Read builds on the unique relationship between parents and medical providers to develop critical early language, vocabulary and reading skills in children, beginning in infancy. Reach Out and Read families read together more often, and their children enter kindergarten better prepared to succeed.
Children’s Minnesota Libraries
Children’s Minnesota in-hospital libraries provide educational and recreational books and magazines for patients of all ages — from premature infants to young adults. There’s a wide selection of books to bring smiles and the joy of reading right to a child’s hospital room. 
Each library also includes a special section of books that are used by the child life team to help patients and siblings learn about specific diagnoses/treatments, become actively involved in their hospital care, and better understand and cope with their hospital experiences. We collect donated new books to give to kids throughout Children’s Minnesota.
Wee Read
For families facing extended stays in the Children’s Minnesota Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Infant Care Center, or Special Care Nursery, bonding with their fragile baby can be challenging. Programs like Children’s Wee Read can help parents find creative ways to bond with their baby. By reading books that feature soothing rhymes and rhythms, parents feel more connected to their child, helping them to grown and heal.
Children’s Comfort Promise
What if shots didn’t hurt so much? Through Children’s Minnesota Comfort Promise program, we do everything possible to help prevent and treat pain, including giving kids books to look at during shots to help distract them. We collect donated new books to give to kids throughout Children’s Minnesota.
Join Children’s Minnesota at Wordplay May 11-12
Children’s Minnesota is excited to be a part of The Loft’s Wordplay, May 11-12, to celebrate and promote reading. Wordplay aims to be the state’s biggest-ever celebration of readers, writers and great books. The event will feature several famous authors and will include readings, kids’ activities, conversations, workshops and more!
The Children’s Minnesota Stage will feature story times with several authors – from picture books to young adult books. Children’s will have many fun activities near the Children’s Minnesota Stage throughout the event.
In addition, Children’s Minnesota is sponsoring a program at a local school where an author from Wordplay will talk with students about their journey as a writer, their new book, and the process of writing.
Get tickets to Wordplay! Free admission to the Street Fest for kids and teens 17 and younger.