The 30th annual Read In Week begins Oct. 7 in Edmonton.

The annual celebration of reading brings people into classrooms, libraries and community organizations to read to students.  

"Early literacy is a great indicator of lifelong success," Edmonton City Councillor Aaron Paquette said on CTV Morning Live Edmonton. "And so it's essential that we encourage kids to read and bring out that sort of excitement about learning stories."

Councillor Paquette shared two of his favourite books with CTV Morning Live Edmonton: The Giving Tree: A Retelling of a Traditional Métis Story written and illustrated by Leah Dorion and You Hold Me Up by Monique Gray Smith and Danielle Daniel.

Comedian and owner of The Comic Strip Rick Bronson chose Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham and shared his fond memories of reading MAD magazine as a child.

LGBTQ advocate and MacEwan University professor Dr. Kris Wells brought King & King, 10,000 Dresses and The Boy Who Cried Fabulous, all stories reflecting the lives and stories of LGBTQ children.

Olympic gold medalist and life coach Jamie Sale brought childhood favourites Love you forever by Robert Munsch and Oh, The Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss. She recommended a couple for adults as well: Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill and The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer, both books that share messages of how to create a healthy and rewarding life.

Local actor Jesse Lipscombe brought books he likes to read with his three children. Big Bear Hug by Nicholas Oldland, Africville by Shauntay Grant - a fictional story rooted in the history of the Black community of Africville in Halifax, Nova Scotia -- and Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach, which Jesse described as his "favourite book of all time."

Read In Week continues through Oct. 11. This year's theme is 'Celebrate with Stories.'

The initiative began in 1990, when UNESCO declared The Year of Literacy. Led by Esther Starkman, representatives in Edmonton came together to raise awareness of the importance of literacy and focused on instilling a love of reading in children that would stay with them through their lives.