College basketball’s March Madness may be ending in early April, but the epic battle of picture books has just tipped off in Grand County. Elementary schools and homeschooling families across the county collaborated with Grand County Library District to experience their own Sweet 16. Competitions began, bets were on, and volunteer community readers came out in full force to support this annual reading adventure.

Voting in Book Madness gives pre-K through fifth grade students a meaningful way to practice making choices and expressing their opinions, building confidence in their own voices as readers. Each week, students listened to two books and voted for their favorite one. Thoughtful decision making and voting privacy were encouraged with all students to teach them the importance of making their independent voices heard, helping kids of all ages understand the democratic process.

Brackets began in early March for homeschoolers in both Granby and Kremmling, with each side of the county reading four sets of books to select the one that would pair off in the championship round. The finals party was held for over twenty-four participants on March 11 at Hot Sulphur Springs Library. “This Book is Dangerous,” by Ben Clanton, went head-to-head with “Taco Knight,” by Megan Maynor, with the winner coming out on top by one vote. Congratulations to Clayton for winning with an engaging and funny story featuring our old friends Jelly and Narwhal.

Students at Granby Elementary School participated for three weeks in March with their own Sweet 16 bracket adventure. Library district staff and community guest readers stepped up and showed off their best expressive voices and character impressions. Book selections this year were excellent, so voting became quite difficult. The winning book got to move on in the brackets with week three deciding the champion.

Readers pulled out all the stops, and the two best books rose to the top. All students and faculty listened to “Bored Panda,” by Mike Bender, and “¡Mistaco!: a tale of Tragedy y Tortillas,” by Eliza Kinkz. The Granby Elementary School winner was … drumroll, please! “¡Mistaco!” a story about making, and eating, your mistakes. Kinkz interlaced Spanglish into this clever book, which included an important lesson for all readers.

Book Madness isn’t just for schools and libraries. Families can create a competition of their own at home for those days when they can’t get outside. Select pairs of books to read, vote for a winner, and keep reading until the champion is decided. Not sure how to begin? Ask a librarian

The Library district was grateful for collaborations at area schools and within the homeschool community. Of course, the program couldn’t have succeeded without those who volunteered their time and talents to read to participants. You are all appreciated.

May will be a busy month for both West Grand and Fraser Valley Elementary Schools. Brackets for both locations will be created soon, and tip-off schedules are to be determined. The Library District is still looking for readers. Contact your home library if you are interested in joining the fun.

Chris Newell is the director of public services for Grand County Library District. Contact her at cnewell@gcld.org.