Children’s Literacy & Reading News Roundup – 15 June

This week’s children’s literacy and reading news round-up, brought to you by Jen Robinson’s Book Page and Scrub-a-Dub-Tub, a Reading Tub blog, is now available Jen Robinson’s Book Page. This week Jen Robinson and I have collected plenty of content for you about literacy & reading-related events; raising readers; literacy and reading programs and research; 21st century literacies; grants, sponsorships & donations; and other new resources.

In addition to lots of general news, Jen has pulled together an incredible collection of ideas for creating an enjoyable season of summer reading. In MotherReader’s post at Booklights and at Just One More Book you’ll find tips and words of encouragement. If you’re looking for resources, then Carol Rasco has put together a handy set of ideas available through Reading is Fundamental (RIF). Also, if you haven’t seen it yet, Jen has a post – with a great discussion in the comments – about letting kids enjoy reading rather than pushing them. Reading Ahead of Grade Level, or NOT is a great reminder that keeping kids reading for their lifetime is more important than pushing them through school now.

In a quick stroll through the Alerts this morning, I found this interesting item on the nonprofit Democracy Center blog. Periodically the blog offers reports from Bolivia, where most public schools do not have libraries.  The Academic Director in La Paz has created Kids’ Books Bolivia. KBB is a series of bilingual (English/Spanish) or trilingual (English/Spanish/one of Bolivia’s 35 indigenous languages). The children’s books researched and written by undergraduate students on the SIT Study Abroad Culture and Development Program in Bolivia. “This reciprocity project contributes to the production of affordable books celebrating Bolivian reality and serves to raise international awareness about Bolivia’s rich cultures and pressing social issues.” Magnifico, no?

This week’s Nonfiction Monday is hosted at the Books Together blog. It’s just 9 AM here on the East Coast and already Anamaria has a great collection going.

Happy Reading! We’ll see you back here for the roundup next week.