Children’s Literacy and Reading News Roundup – 21 September

This week Jen Robinson is hosting our children’s literacy and reading news round-up. The roundups are brought to you by Jen Robinson’s Book Page and Scrub-a-Dub-Tub, a Reading Tub blog. Jen and I collected plenty of content for you about literacy and reading-related events; raising readers; literacy and reading programs and research; 21st-century literacies; and grants, sponsorships, and donations. There are lots to celebrate this week!

First up: Reading is Fundamental (RIF) EXCEEDED its goal of 3 million minutes spent reading aloud, during the Read for Change challenge. WAY. TO. GO. Here’s hoping that this is the first step in turning around the results of a Jumpstart/Pearson Foundation study that says “Ninety-five percent of Americans consider early childhood literacy an important problem, but they do not know that reading to children between the ages of 3-5 has long-term consequences for a child’s academic achievement and life-long success.”

Those of you in and around Washington, DC, will be celebrating books at the National Book Festival this coming Saturday (September 26th). If you can’t be there, the National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance is launching a companion website Saturday, too.

This morning we’re celebrating an NY (football) Giants victory last night … so I was thrilled to see Jen’s piece about the new Ambassadors of Reading for Scholastic Book Club’s‘ ClassroomsCare Program: Eli and Peyton Manning.  Bill is the Giants fan, I’m the Colts fan! Let’s hope I’m celebrating tomorrow, too!

Also, this morning, Cindy Dobrez and Lynn Rutan are celebrating Nonfiction Monday at the Bookends blog.  They’re kicking off the week with reviews of three books from the Scientists in the Field series.

Last but not least, tomorrow we officially celebrate the first day of fall. Its that great march toward cooler days … and more time cuddling on the couch reading!