Update: Children’s Literacy and Reading News Roundup

This is a Re-do. I know the first one published, but now it has vanished. Sorry folks …

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; literacy/reading programs and research; and grants, sponsorships and donations. We don’t have any 21st century literacies news this week.

Jen did a yeoman’s job pulling together all the items of interest, as I was doing the traveling this past weekend. Between the roundup and her Saturday Afternoon Visit, there are lots of things to get us excited and keep us energized from now through March 2010.

It is so great to see that the Canada Post is continuing its tradition of accepting letters to Santa Claus. From the news release: “More than 11,000 current or retired Canada Post employees (known affectionately as postal elves) volunteer their time to help Santa respond to truckloads of letters in the language in which they are received–27 languages last year, including Braille. In 2008, Canada Post elves replied to more than 1.4 million letters and 63,000 emails.”

The emphasis on Braille is mine. Over the last year, Jen and I have included news about efforts to promote literacy for the blind, and yesterday’s Washington Post Magazine featured a First Person Singular column by Maurice Boyd, a Braille instructor. I loved this quote:

Given all the advancement in screen readers, people do ask if Braille is necessary. Those of us who advocate for it see it like this: If a sighted person doesn’t know how to print or read print, we call them illiterate. If you’re blind and can’t read and write Braille, that’s illiteracy to me.

There’s an advantage in studying things, lingering on them. There’s something about coming upon a passage in a book or a story and just staying there. You may not remember your teacher, the teacher’s voice or the classroom, but you will remember the words you read.

The column itself isn’t long, but is worth the read. You have to sign in to WashingtonPost.com, but you don’t have to create an account, you can use your Facebook login.

If you’re still trying to make the transition from turkey to the next round of celebrations, Jen has plenty of links to events and ideas in her Saturday Afternoon Visit and the Roundup. Book drives, book lists, gift suggestions … it’s all there!

Head over to Robin Gaphni’s this morning, too. She’s hosting Nonfiction Monday at the Booknosher. A glance through the early arrivals suggests that winter is on its way! Having spent a snowy Thanksgiving in the mountains, it is coming quick!