Children's Literacy Round-Up: September 22
September 22, 2008
Here is some recent children's literacy and reading news from around the wires:
- The First Book Blog has a lovely post about a new literacy program started by Justin Tuck of the New York Giants. "The Mayor’s Office selected four, Title I schools to participate in this exciting new program to get sixth and seventh grade students from across New York City, interested in reading. Justin created a Book Club, in which each child is responsible for reading one book per month, four books total, during the football season and writing a brief book report. These reports will be judged by a panel including Justin’s wife, Lauran Tuck." I really think it's wonderful when sports figures get out there and tell kids about the importance of reading.
- Missouri Passages, a publication of the Missouri Humanities Council, has an article by July Douglas about boys and reading. The article includes suggestions for the general types of books likely to please boys (with reference to Jon Scieszka), and also has some suggested titles. Douglas concludes "if you find that a boy in your life is not as enamored with reading as you had hoped, maybe he just hasn’t discovered the kinds of reading materials that really speak to him!"
- Speaking of Jon Scieszka, Mark from Just One More Book! interviewed Scieszka last week about the National Book Festival. I even contributed a question or two to the interview. It's just up now at JOMB. I haven't even had a chance to listen yet, but I'm adding it in to the roundup before I go to sleep, and will listen first thing tomorrow. But I know that the combination of Andrea's research, Mark's interview skills, and Scieszka's humor will make this interview not to be missed.
- Corinne writes at PaperTigers about the 9th Annual “HOG WILD” About Reading Motorcycle Ride for Literacy. "On Sep 21, over 100 riders are expected to ride from Port Moody, BC, Canada to Harrison Hot Springs in an effort to promote literacy and raise money to buy new books for school libraries. Since the event started, in 2000, the fundraiser has brought in $87,000 to benefit the cause, and this year organizers hope to push the running tally over the $100,000 mark." Whatever works, I say.
- The Brightspirit Relief Fund Auction launched this week. I mentioned this auction once before -- my friend and co-Cybils team member Sheila Ruth from Wands and Worlds has been organizing it. According to the press release: "An online auction is being launched nationwide on September 20, with the goal of raising funds and awareness for Literacy in Arkansas. The drive will feature autographed and personal items donated by popular authors Erin Hunter, Rick Riordan, Brandon Mull, and many other talented authors and artists.... The auction will be held in memory of a ten-year-old girl, Emmy Cherry, who was killed earlier this year in tornados that swept through central Arkansas." Hmmm... any guesses on which items I'm most likely to bid on?
- An article by Kate V. Pedroso and Lawrence de Guzman in the Philippine Daily Inquirer describes a local program "aimed at encouraging mothers to read to their children... “This project will involve mothers who will read aloud to their children … not only to impart valuable lessons to their kids, but more importantly, to inculcate among the children the joys and pleasures of reading,” said Aurora Lim, Zonta’s president."
- The Williams Lake Tribune (Canada) offers back-to-school tips to improve literacy, starting with "Let your children see you read, and set aside time each day for family reading". One nice thing about the article is that it's not limited to elementary school kids, but also offers tips for parents of secondary school kids, like "Encourage your teenagers to explore magazines or appropriate websites on subjects that interest them to keep them interested in reading".
Thanks for reading!