Children’s Book Week, the longest running literacy event in the country, will be celebrated May 12 through 18 by librarians, teachers, bookstore owners, book club members, parents – and most important of all, by kids.

Locally, Village Books in Fairhaven will host authors whose writings have been hits with young readers – Tony Robles, Liz Gallagher, Amber Kizer and Trudi Trueit.

For kids ages 10 and older who have an interest in writing books themselves, Barnes & Noble Booksellers on Meridian Street hosts a Young Authors’ Club meeting on May 13. And on May 17 at Barnes & Noble, in anticipation of a classic children’s book brought to life through dance, students from the Nancy Whyte School of Ballet will highlight scenes from their June 8 production of “The Wizard of Oz,” which will be staged at Bellingham High School.

For some suggested activites for Children’s Book Week, click here.

Best of all, ask a child in your life to cuddle up with you with a favorite book!

In other book-related news, poet Lucille Clifton will be unable to attend the Skagit River Poetry Festival in La Conner, due to illness. The opening night event on May 15 will instead feature multi-award winning poet Jane Hirshfield. Here’s one of her poems I particularly like, “Tree.”

It is foolish
to let a young redwood
grow next to a house.

Even in this
one lifetime,
you will have to choose.

That great calm being,
this clutter of soup pots and books—

Already the first branch-tips brush at the window.
Softly, calmly, immensity taps at your life.

Tickets are still available for the festival, which include panel discussions, workshops, readings, and even music by Bellingham’s Kristin Allen-Zito and Robert Blake. For more on the festival, call (888) 290-6398 or click here.