Children's Literacy Round-Up: March 2

Welcome to the is week’s roundup of children’s literacy and reading news, brought to you by Jen Robinson’s Book Page and Scrub-a-Dub-Tub, a Reading Tub blog. Terry Doherty has the full roundup over at Scrub-a-Dub-Tub. It's a great week for children's literacy-related news. Here are just a couple of highlights:

• Today is Read Across America Day, a nationwide reading celebration taking place on the March 2nd birthday of Dr. Seuss. Terry has lots of links to Read Across America day events. You can also send a free Read Across America Day eCard through Reading Rockets. (Updated to add way cool Google logo for today, with thanks to Lisa Chellman)
• March is also Small Press Month and National Women's History Month. And preparations are already underway around the blogs for April's National Poetry Month.
• And we learned this week (props to Farida from Saints and Spinners) that Eating Cookies Makes You a Better Reader. OK, this is really a link to a School Library Journal article about how an orderly home affects early literacy skills, but I agree with Terry that Farida created the best hook.

And, two other reading-related tidbits that came up too late to be included in the full roundup:

• The Readergirlz, an association of authors who use books to connect with and inspire teenage girls, are celebrating their second anniversary. This month they'll be featuring one of my favorite titles from last year: The Adoration of Jenna Fox, by Mary Pearson (recently named an Andre Norton Award shortlist title). The Readergirlz postergirlz (YA-focused bloggers who help by suggesting books) have contributed a particularly strong list of recommended companion reads (go here, and scroll down).
• Carol Rasco from RIF highlighted a Cybils title this week in her Cover Story of the Week feature: our lovely Fiction Picture Book winner How to Heal a Broken Wing. I like seeing this intersection between the (admittedly overlapping) literacy and blogging communities.

Next week we'll be pre-empting the children's literacy round-up in order to focus on the Share a Story - Shape a Future literacy blog tour, a week-long, multi-blog celebration of the many joys that reading offers children. Special thanks to Valerie Baartz, The Almost Librarian, who helped to create a lovely one-page flyer describing the event. Right-click on this link to download the flyer in PDF.

Please do click through to see the full round-up at Terry's - she has tons of great information this week. And stay tuned for Share a Story - Shape a Future. It's going to be amazing!

Comments

[Terry]

Thanks for the additions, Jen! I have The Adoration of Jenna Fox on the TBR pile. I really do have to do more than just move it from side to side! The companion reads is a huge help, and the music kept me lingering longer than I should have!

[Little Willow]

I'm so, so happy that Jenna Fox and Mary E. Pearson are rocking out with readergirlz this month.

Best of luck with Share a Story - Shape a Future! :)

[Jen Robinson]

Oh, you must read Jenna Fox, Terry. I couldn't put it down. And Little Willow, I think that Mary is an excellent choice for Readergirlz. You all picked great companion books this month, too.

Thanks for the good wishes for Share a Story - Shape a Future. I think it's going to make a difference.

[Saints and Spinners]

I'm coming late to this, but thank you for the props, Jen! Being part of the literacy roundup would have been an early March kick had I been on the ball.