Children’s Literacy and Reading News Roundup

Welcome to the early/mid-May edition of the children’s literacy and reading news round-up, brought to you by Jen Robinson’s Book Page, Scrub-a-Dub-Tub, a Reading Tub blog, and Rasco from RIF is now available at Scrub-a-Dub-Tub. Over the past couple of weeks Jen Robinson and Carol Rasco have collected plenty of content for you about literacy & reading-related events, programs, and research. With all the hubbub around here, I am going to pass on a mid-month roundup, but Carol Rasco will be back later this month with some reflections for these past 30-odd days and a look forward to next month.

As Jen mentioned, we still are in the midst of ‘technical difficulties’ and Book(re)Marks is not yet up and going … which means my tools content is locked away where I can’t quite get to it … yet. But it’s time to move on! Jen and Carol packed the May Literacy and Reading News Roundup with lots of great stuff.

Okay, before I take one step further … have you seen Jen’s new blog logo? Isn’t that mom-and-baby-bookworm image just the sweetest? I admit I usually view blogs in my reader, so I don’t know how long she’s had that adorable logo.

Today is National Doodle Day and there is an online auction of doodles (eBay) by some of our kids favorite authors and illustrators, as well as a number of celebrities. The auction raises money and awareness for families and individuals affected by Neurofibromatosis (NF).

Mother’s Day may be behind us, but Father’s Day is just around the corner, so if you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind gift with far-reaching benefits, check out Scholastic’s “Read Every Day. Lead A Better Life,” an online auction to benefit RIF and Reach Out and Read. Twelve illustrators – eight of them dads! – have contributed artwork to the auction. Norman Bridwell, Bruce Degen, Edwin Fotheringham, Mary GrandPré, Barbara McClintock, Jon J. Muth, Sean Qualls, Stephen Savage, David Shannon, Jeff Smith, Mark Teague, and Raina Telgemeier.

Iowa Public Television and Reach Out and Read Iowa have partnered to create 40 Raising Readers Learning Center in pediatrician’s/family practice waiting rooms around the state. The learning centers feature a cart of age-appropriate materials including books, activity sheets, toys, puzzles and more. (via Smart-Grid.tmcnet.com)

On one side or the other of Father’s Day (depending on your school district), summer begins. As you may have already seen, actress Sarah Michelle Gellar has teamed up with “The Nestle Share the Joy of Reading Program” to raise awareness about the importance of children’s literacy and to encourage continued reading over the summer. The program is also donating up to $250,000 to Reading is Fundamental. Purchase Nestle chocolate and enter a game code on the RIF Celebration Corner site, and Nestle donates .10 to RIF … and YOU could win a $10 book cash certificate. You’re also entered in a monthly drawing to win $5,000!

I’ll close with a 5-minute video with clips of Ms. Gellar reading Green Eggs and Ham and Max and Ruby, as well as talking about her own memories of RIF and reading with her daughter.