How to use this Page

Tonight I will be sending out the new issue of my Growing Bookworms weekly email newsletter. If you would like to subscribe, you can find a sign-up form here. The Growing Bookworms newsletter contains content from my blog focused on children's books and raising readers, all in a convenient email format. There are currently 173 subscribers.

This week's issue contains reviews of four books (two picture books and two for early elementary school readers), my children's literacy and reading news round-up, and two Kidlitosphere round-ups with links to useful posts from the week. I also have an announcement about the new issue of The Edge of the Forest (an online journal about children's literature), and an announcement about a new book contract obtained by The Book Whisperer, a noted reading advocate. Content from the blog not included in this week's newsletter includes:

• A brief post with links to articles on Children's Books for Adults, books for teenage boys, inspiring books for girls, and a podcast by Henry Winkler about dyslexia.
• My response to the ALA Youth Media Awards (Newbery, Caldecott, Printz, etc).
• An announcement about a promotion between General Mills and the Spiderwick Chronicles series that will put books into cereal boxes.
• An announcement about the winners of the Reading is Fundamental "Choose Your Own Adventure" contest.
• A brief announcement from Readergirlz about a chat with author Kirby Larson.
• I hope that you'll stop by and see me at the PBS Parents: Expert Q&A this month. Discussion has tapered off a bit over there, and I would love to hear from some of you about your favorite books, or your tips for raising readers.

The Growing Bookworms newsletter contains a subset of content already included on my blog, Jen Robinson's Book Page, for readers who may not choose to visit the blog every day. It is also my hope that parents, authors, teachers, librarians, and other adult fans of children's books, people who may not visit blogs regularly, or at all, will learn about and subscribe to the newsletter. If you could pass it along to any friends or colleagues who you think would be interested, I would be very grateful.

Thanks for reading, and for growing bookworms!

There continues to be plenty of reading and children's literacy news available. I find this encouraging.

• Walter Minkel writes at The Monkey Speaks about the Pittsburgh-based early literacy organization Beginning with Books. He also links to the organization's latest "Best Books for Babies" list, which he recommends for parents and librarians. Here is the Beginning with Books Mission Statement (from their website): "The mission of Beginning with Books is to increase meaningfully the numbers of children who become capable and enthusiastic lifelong readers. This is accomplished through research-based programs respectfully offering the information, materials, skill development, and encouragement that enable parents and other adults to promote the literacy development of the children in their care."
• The Friday Flyer (CA) has a list by Wendy Mass of tips to help parents select books for their children. Most of the suggestions are things that we've already discussed recently on this blog, but I did like this one: "For young children, bring them with you to the library or bookstore, and let them sample a few different types of picture books to see what art styles appeal to them the most." She also specifically says that parents should let older children choose books "without judgment on their selections."
• The Patriot Ledger (MA) has an opinion piece by Dr. Barry Zuckerman, board chair for Reach Out and Read, about the importance of school readiness, and how doctors need to reach out to parents. In light of the recent "Reading Across the Nation Report, Zuckerman notes that "the report demonstrates the need to reach more than 40 percent of parents - especially low-income parents - with books and information about the connection between daily reading and school readiness" and that the report "points to the need to redouble our efforts in Massachusetts to reach even more high-risk families."
• The York Press (UK) has an article by Jenny Bell about a program by which older people come back into classrooms to help kids with reading. According to the article, "The Retired and Senior Volunteer Programme (RSVP), which celebrates its 20th anniversary next year, is a national organisation which encourages the growing number of those aged fifty plus to help school communities in their local areas." I love the idea of programs like this - there are many retired people who have some spare time, and who care what happens to kids, and it's wonderful to see them being used as a resource in this way.
• In a similar vein, the Sunshine Coast Daily (Australia) has a feature article about a new statewide reading to children program. "The state government has announced a $2.1 million grant to the Centre for Community Child Health, which, in conjunction with The Smith Family, will co-ordinate a state-wide Reading to Children program. It will involve recruiting volunteer storytellers – especially seniors – to read to children in community venues and libraries. Communities Minister Lindy Nelson-Carr said the initiative would bring children and older people, especially grandparents, together to interact and learn from each other."
• The Telegraph (UK) has an article by author Michael Morpurgo that "sets out the case for reading pleasure." This article is an introduction to the Telegraph's guide to the best children's books (100 each for early years, middle years, and early teens). Morpurgo discusses the connection between reading and happiness levels, noting that "Finland finds itself at the top of a recent child happiness table as well as child literacy levels." His concern is the alienation of much of our society from "its own stories". He says that "We have to stop proclaiming reading as a ladder to academic success. Treated simply as an educational commodity, some kind of pill to be taken to aid intellectual development, it is all too often counter-productive and ultimately alienating." He proposes that the solution lies in parents and teachers passing on a passion for stories. This is must-read stuff. There's also a longer version available from here.
• The Courier News (IL) has an article by Charity Bonner about "the first ever Laughter for Literacy Night fundraiser" for the local Literacy Connection organization. Funds raised through the improv comedy show "will be used to support programs such as Family Literacy, Summer Youth Tutoring, Workplace Literacy and various English as a second language programs." I like this fresh approach to literacy fundraising, one that keeps things fun.
• And, in another unusual literacy fundraiser, "ten students at universities across Canada will pitch tents and move into university libraries to raise money for literacy. They aim to bring in $20,000 in donations coast to coast to construct five school libraries in Nepal, with donations being made through the internationally renowned charity, Room to Read." Read more in this Exduco.net article.
• Just One More Book! interviews Margaret Eaton, President of the ABC Canada Literacy Foundation about the upcoming Family Literacy Day. This is the tenth anniversary of Canada's Family Literacy Day, which promotes the idea of families reading together, and puts a spotlight on reading-related activities. Margaret discusses the importance of reading aloud to kids, starting as soon as they're old enough to focus on a book, and discusses various literacy-building activities for older children (playing board games, even playing Internet games). Mark and Margaret also discuss possible campaigns for fighting illiteracy, and the idea that showing literacy success stories is the way to get people's attention. But I'm leaving out a lot - please click through to listen over at JOMB! And I'm sure to have more on Canada Family Literacy Day activities in next week's round-up.

That's all for this week. Happy reading! And happy Martin Luther King Day!

The January edition of The Edge of the Forest, an online journal dedicated to children's literature, is now available. In this issue (highlights taken from Kelly's post):

• An interview with Holly Thompson.
• A look at The Class of 2K8, by P.J. Hoover.
• Booking your New Year's Resolutions with Little Willow.
• Kim Winters talks with writer, teacher, and mentor, Jane Resh Thomas, in our A Day in the Life column.
• Our Features Editor, Christine Marciniak, talks to gifted kids for this month's Kid Picks.
• Candice Ransom is this month's Blogging Writer.
• Reviews in all categories—from Picture book to Young Adult.

What lovely reading to have for a rainy holiday.

Book: The Silk Princess
Author: Charles Santore
Pages: 40
Age Range: 4 to 8

The Silk Princess, written and illustrated by Charles Santore, is a picture book for older children, with multiple paragraphs of text on every page, a relatively advanced vocabulary, and gorgeous, painted illustrations. The Silk Princess is Santore's interpretation of an ancient legend, which he describes in an afterword.

Princess Hsi-Ling Chi is scarcely noticed by her Emperor father, who only has eyes for his sons (probably a realistic detail for a story set in 2700 BC). One day, however, while in the palace gardens, the princess's observant eyes notice a cream-colored cocoon falling into her mother's tea. A string of delicate, shimmering thread unwinds in the hot liquid. The princess ties the thread around her waist, leaving the other end in her mother's hand, and sets out to see how long it is. Her journey takes her outside of the palace for the first time, up a mountain and over a bridge, and into the home of a mysterious old man who teaches her the secrets of harvesting and weaving silk. Through her knowledge of silk, a new luxury fabric, the young princess finds a way to be seen.

Younger readers will take the princess's journey at face value, while older readers will likely come to see it as a dream, though perhaps one that contains a message from the gods. When she returns, having been away overnight, the little princess finds her mother sitting under the same tree, unruffled, still holding the thread, talking about her afternoon nap. On the flip side, however, the princess has gained knowledge about silk that she couldn't have known on her own. This ambiguity offers fuel for discussion.

Several other details in the book offer potential discussion topics and/or educational tidbits about ancient China. When the princess leaves the palace, she is thrilled to be outside for the first time in her life, noting:

"I'm outside of the royal palace! Even Mother has never been this far!"

When she crosses a bridge, she drops one of her wooden shoes. Maidservants linger in the background near her mother, and the actual work of making the silk is, of course, passed off to the royal weavers. These are tiny glimpses into the pampered, yet circumscribed, world of Chinese royal women.

Santore's lovely, detailed illustrations bear out the dream-like quality of the princess's adventure. The old man, in particular, is shown in muted colors, like a shadow. Each page spread is a painting of ancient China such as one might see in a gallery. Santore uses brighter colors sparingly, mostly to highlight the princess herself against the more muted background. The paintings are lovingly detailed. Close inspection reveals the texture of a tree trunk, tufted blades of grass, and the pattern of an urn. The picture of a dragon is particularly imposing.

The book's language is poetic, simply crying out to be read aloud. Here are some small examples:

"The Great Emperor, descended from the sons of heaven, was a grand figure. Regal in his bearing, he reigned in splendor."

And:

"Hsi-Ling Chi, anxious to begin the game, kissed her mother goodbye, bowed, and started on her way. Attached to the thread, the little princess glided away from her mother, like a kite on a gentle breeze.

She walked past rock formations representing the Holy Mountains, beside glistening pools, and continued on, looking back from time to time to see her mother getting smaller and smaller in the distance. Princess Hsi-Ling Chi had never been away from her mother before, yet she did not hesitate."

I like the combination of historical authenticity and universal childhood nature seen in Hsi-Ling Chi. She bows to her mother before she walks away. But she's also sad about her father's lack of attention, and curious about the broader world from which she's been isolated.

I would recommend The Silk Princess for family read-aloud for early elementary school children, up to at least third grade. Although it's about a princess, it's not at all a "girly" princess story, and I think that young boys will enjoy it, too. There is, after all, a fearsome dragon. It's a book that a family could read aloud with their 8-year-old boy and 5-year-old girl, and keep everyone, including the parents, happy. I'll be keeping an eye out for Charles Santore's other work.

Publisher: Random House
Publication Date: December 26, 2007
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher
Other Blog Reviews: The Well-Read Child, Book Buds.

Book: Princess Baby
Author: Karen Katz
Pages: 32
Age Range: 0-3

Princess Baby by Karen Katz arrived in a surprisingly large box, because it came to me from Random House with a glittery gold, star-shaped wand. It commanded my attention. (Thought I don't believe that the wand is available with regular purchases.)

Princess Baby is a simple story, suitable for very young children, about a little girl who is tired of all of the inaccurate pet names that people call her (gumdrop and sweetie pie and the like). No, this little girl, who delights in wearing a crown, a cape, and sparkly shoes, and showing off her queenly manners, wants to be called by her real name, "Princess Baby".

With only a few words on each page, and very short sentences, Princess Baby's voice sounds like that of a slightly advanced toddler. The page spread with the most words out of the book reads:

"But I am not a buttercup
or a giggly goose.
I am not a cupcake.

Please don't call me Little Lamb,
and never ever
Sweet Gumdrop."

I especially like the short, declarative "I am not a cupcake". I could see that phrase catching on in a family.

Although her sentence structure is simple, the baby's grand manner and use of the word "please" give her a regal air. She also bears the classic toddler's certainly about what she wants, even if she's having trouble conveying that to her parents.

But what really makes this book are Katz's mixed media illustrations. The pictures accompanying the above quote show an unhappy little girl as buttercup, goose, cupcake, lamb, and gumdrop. They are priceless. Most of the pages include a mix of patterns and bright colors, sure to please the eye of preschoolers. The baby's crown and shoes are rendered in textured glitter on the cover, and the pictures inside the book look as though one could feel the rough surface of the glitter (though those are, in fact, smooth, and seem to be photos of glitter). The baby's stuffed animals all wear tiny crowns, less dramatic than her own, and they drink out of spotted teacups on flowered saucers, on a yellow and white polka-dot tablecloth. Visual treats are everywhere.

I recommend Princess Baby for pre-schoolers, especially girls, and anyone who has ever wanted to be a princess.

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade (Random House imprint)
Publication Date: January 8, 2008
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher
Other Blog Reviews: In the Pages, The Well-Read Child, Comics in the Classroom.

I did kind of a big roundup on Thursday, so I thought that I wouldn't have much more for you today. But there has been a surprising amount going on around the blogs this weekend. No wonder I'm having trouble getting caught up on my reviews. Anyway:

• The January Carnival of Children's Literature is now available at Wizards Wireless. The theme is book awards. I love the way Susan has made the whole carnival into a book awards ceremony, complete with acceptance speech. I kind of feel like I was able to attend the ALA Awards ceremony now.
• Speaking of awards, via Educating Alice, the 2007 Cuffies have been announced. I don't comment on every "best of" list that comes around, because there are so many of them. But I like the Cuffies, which are compiled by Publisher's Weekly, based on input from children's booksellers. This year, the middle grade and young adult winners are both on the Cybils YA fiction shortlist (Wednesday Wars and Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, respectively). They also feature awards like Best Book Title, Most Memorable Character in a Lead Role, Best Novel for Young Readers That Adults Would Love If They Knew About It, and Favorite Book to Handsell (A Crooked Kind of Perfect, which I adored). Click through for more, the Cuffies are a lot of fun.
• And still speaking of awards, congratulations to our own Mary Lee from A Year of Reading. She was selected to serve on the Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts Committee for the Children's Literature Assembly of the NCTE. Franki is very happy for her. It couldn't happen to someone who cares more about children's books.
• Over at Reading and Breathing (named after this perfect Harper Lee quote: "Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing"), middle school librarian Paige Y. has a response to Julie's remarks at Reader's Carousel about the credibility of KidLit bloggers. Paige defends the use of blogs by librarians as a supplement to traditional print reviews, and outlines several favorable attributes of blogs. Her post also was a bit of a wake-up call for me, reminding me of how much I've gained by reading other people's blogs, from book ideas to insights on encouraging readers to knowledge about book banning attempts, and so on. I've learned so much from other bloggers, many of whom are much more educated and experienced than I in this area of children's literature. I am grateful.
• Terry shares her list of resolutions for 2008 at The Reading Tub blog. She has some tangible goals that together support her overall mantra: "bring reading home to families." The Reading Tub is a nonprofit dedicated to promoting reading and literacy. Naturally, I'm a big fan of what Terry's doing, and I love her resolutions.
• At GottaBook, Gregory K. asks what we all do with our ever-expanding piles of books. There's a pretty lively discussion going on in the comments. I'm thinking that I need to go through my piles and find good homes for the ones that I'm just not going to get to. I did give many many books away as Christmas presents this year, both to kids I know, and to the Mercury News Gift of Reading program.
• Fittingly enough, since Kelly and I are both mystery fans, I found the juvenile and young adult shortlist titles for the Edgar Awards at Big A little a. As with the ALA Youth Media Awards, I found that I had read distressingly few of the nominated titles. On the bright side, that means more good mysteries out there to add to my list.
• Rick Riordan explains why no ARCs will be available for his upcoming Percy Jackson book: Battle of the Labyrinth. He quotes Mo Willems on how "presenting is theater", and makes the same argument for books. He says: "I love having a story full of secrets that will not be revealed until the book is published. I love keeping people in suspense. I am so looking forward to May 6, when Battle of the Labyrinth comes out, because that is my ‘big entrance.’ An ARC would take all the magic out of that." I do think that the lack of ARCs is one reason why this book didn't show up on many of the "what I want to read in 2008" lists that were floating around last week. But I have no doubt whatsoever that the many, many kids who are fans of the series will be waiting eagerly for the book on May 6th. And they will find magic. A sneak preview of the book is available, too. You can now watch a video of Rick reading a short selection from Chapter 1.
• There's more on the PaperTigers new book group. I quite enjoyed this post, about how "bright adults frequently read books written for children". Speaking of some classic children's books, Janet says: "The element that these books all share are the magic created by a writer who placed highly original characters in a world that was constructed by considering the story, not the age of its readers, nor any underlying didacticism." I love that, especially the bit about "nor any underlying didacticism." But go read the whole post - it is a love letter to children's books and reading.
• Wendy chimes in with excitement (and considerable detail) on the re-issuing of the Melendy Family books at Blog from the Windowsill. I think she hits it right on the nose with this statement: "I think what makes the Melendys seem like the quintessential literary family is that the books strike a perfect balance between realism and idyll."
• And this news just in from HipWriterMama: the 2008 commencement speaker at Harvard will be ... drumroll, please! ... J. K. Rowling. How cool is that? I love it.
• Two of my favorite blogging authors, Liz Garton Scanlon (aka Liz in Ink) and Sara Lewis Holmes (aka Read, Write, Believe), will be co-blogging this week about "the physicality of writing". Details are here and here. Hmmm... maybe they'll inspire me to some more physical exercise.
• This is a small post, but I thought that it was insightful. At Books Together, Anamaria talks about how "One of the benefits of reading aloud to your kids that's sometimes overlooked is that it develops their sense of story." She gives a real-world example of her young son's ability to see from Chapter 2 where The Invention of Hugo Cabaret is headed. I know that I have a well-developed (some who have the misfortune of watching movies and television shows with me would say over-developed) sense of story, and that it comes from reading so many books. I didn't realize it could kick in so young, though.

And last, but definitely not least, how 'bout those Patriots!!

As regular readers of this blog know, I'm a huge fan of Donalyn Miller's Teacher Magazine blog, The Book Whisperer. Donalyn's bio says that she has a gift: "She can turn even the most reluctant (or in her words "dormant") readers into students who can't put their books down." Clearly, I think that's a valuable and important gift, and one to be nurtured. I often end up mentioning her posts, because they are well-written, and they are about helping teachers to help raise readers.

This morning Donalyn commented on last week's Children's Literacy Round-Up to say:

"Thanks for regularly mentioning my blog, The Book Whisperer, on your site. You are helping teachers and their students by providing a forum for discussion about books and reading.

May I release it here first? I just signed a contract to write a book based on the opinions I express in my blog and articles. Forget whispering, I guess I will be shouting my beliefs about reading and children from now on!"

This is cool for a number of reasons. But the main thing is that her book is going to be must-read stuff, a book that I really think will help teachers to help kids learn to love books. A book that will make a difference in the world. I feel comfortable, based on reading many of Donalyn's articles, in recommending this book to all and sundry, sight unseen. (Though of course I do look forward to seeing it.) If you have any doubt, head on over to The Book Whisperer now, and read her two most recent posts, about how One Size Does Not Fit All (part II) in selecting books for classroom reading.

And the fact that Donalyn Miller thinks that my blog is helping teachers, well, that's a lovely bonus, and was a wonderful thing to see first thing this morning.

Book: Babymouse: Puppy Love
Author: Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm
Pages: 96
Age Range: 7-10

I've said it before (here and here), and I will say it again. I LOVE Babymouse! For those of you have somehow missed this series, the Babymouse books are a series of graphic novels for elementary school kids, about a young girl mouse. In this eighth installment, Babymouse: Puppy Love, our brave heroine is on a mission to acquire and keep a pet. She tries goldfish (they either die or disappear), and then moves on to hamster, hermit crab, ferret, turtle, salamander, sea monkey, and Venus fly trap. But alas, her pets keep disappearing. After a particularly ill-considered experiment with an ant farm, however, Babymouse finds a stray dog, and makes Buddy her own. Having a dog brings a whole host of new challenges, but Babymouse is up to the task.

There are so many fun things about this book. It's a rare book indeed that makes the reader laugh aloud on the copyright page. Then there's what happens to the lost pets, living quite comfortably just outside of Babymouse's notice, eating cupcakes. They even have a disco ball. I think that kids will be rolling on the floor with laughter. But my favorite thing is that in a book about a child seeking a pet, the Holms manage to reference (with a trademark combination of sincerity and irreverence) several of the classic "child and animal" stories, including Charlotte's Web, National Velvet, Emily Elizabeth and Clifford, and even Calvin and Hobbes. For instance, when little Fern tells "Babypig" that "Daddy's going to kill you!", Babypig's response is "What kind of children's book is this, anyway?"

As with the other books in the series, this graphic novel features a combination of live action and dream sequences. The dream sequences have a pink background, making it easy for kids to visually distinguish them from reality (though this is usually also quite clear from the context). Deadpan humor is added to the live action sequences, in large part by the interjections of the narrator. He doesn't let Babymouse get away with anything. For example: "I'm sorry to say, but I saw that one coming a mile away" and "Uh, Babymouse? Hobbes isn't a dog. He's a tiger."

Babymouse's personality remains distinctive, hopeful and filled with big dreams, yet also wryly accepting of her less charmed lot. I love her trademark muttering of "Typical" when things don't go her way. Realities like mud puddles and dog poop make their way even into her fantasies.

Matthew Holm's black, white, and pink illustrations are a delight. My favorite in this book is one in which Babymouse's mother spells out her responsibilities in taking on the stray dog. We see a picture of Babymouse's smiling face, with the words streaming "in one ear" and "out the other". It's jokes like this that make the Babymouse books fun for adults, as well as kids.

Babymouse: Puppy Love is perhaps not as profound as my favorite in the series: Babymouse: Beach Babe (which showcases the relationship between a girl and her attention-seeking younger brother). But I think that the theme of a child seeking the right pet, and reacting to the joys, inconveniences, and responsibilities of pet care-taking, will resonate with many kids. I also think that the authors are doing a fabulous job at keeping this series fresh and interesting. It's clear that siblings Jennifer Holm and Matthew Holm take joy in creating the Babymouse books, and their joy passes on to the reader.

If you have a relatively new reader in your house, especially a reluctant reader, or one who does better with illustrations than text, I highly recommend that you give the Babymouse books a try. Although the pink coloring and presence of hearts on the cover suggest that these are more girl-friendly than boy-friendly books, I have heard first-hand from parents and librarians that many young boys who like them, too. You have humor, you have themes that are of universal interest to elementary school kids, and you have a graphic novel format. This combination is tough to beat. And if you're already a Babymouse fan, Puppy Love will not disappoint. Don't miss it!

Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Publication Date: December 26, 2007
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher
Other Blog Reviews: The Well-Read Child (Where, I saw after I had written my review, Jill said "If your child is reluctant to read books with longer paragraphs and pages of text, give Babymouse a try." Great minds, I guess.) This book was also recommended today in the Chicago Sun-Times (via Matthew Holm's blog).

Book: The Five Lost Aunts of Harriet Bean
Author: Alexander McCall Smith
Illustrator: Laura Rankin
Pages: 117
Age Range: 7 to 10

Background:

Over the holidays, a young book-loving friend recommended a book that he was enjoying: The Five Lost Aunts of Harriet Bean, by Alexander McCall Smith. The opening chapter made him laugh. I am always on the look-out for early chapter books that truly engage the reader, and so I took his recommendation seriously, and went out and bought myself a copy of the book. And I was not disappointed. Perhaps I can start using my young friend as a cub reporter for the blog, when he gets a bit older.

The Five Lost Aunts of Harriet Bean is the first of a three book series written by Alexander McCall Smith, best known for his No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series. I don't care all that much for the No. 1 Ladies series, but it's not because I don't enjoy Smith's writing. It's because the books are too episodic for me (at least the ones that I've read), more a series of vignettes than a single plot. But I've always enjoyed his humor and characterization.

Smith's other children's books include Akimbo and the Elephants, three other Akimbo books, two books about Max and Maddy, and several others. [Side note: I was a bit put off by the fact that Smith doesn't list any of his children's books on his website in the UK. Is he not proud of writing children's books? But I digress.] Most of his children's books, including The Five Lost Aunts of Harriet Bean, were originally published in the UK in the 1990s, and have been recently brought to the US by Bloomsbury USA.

Review:

The Five Lost Aunts of Harriet Bean is a mystery aimed at early elementary school readers. Nine-year-old Harriet Bean lives alone with her absent-minded inventor father. One day, her father remarks: "Your aunts would like to hear about that!". This is somewhat surprising to Harriet, given that her father never mentioned the existence of aunts before. It turns out that her father had five sisters, with whom he has been out of touch for many years. He sadly shows her an unfinished portrait of himself with his five older sisters, none of their faces filled in. Being a determined sort of girl, Harriet decided to track down her missing aunts. It's not so much a mystery as a quest.

Harriet's search for her aunts is filled with over the top adventures, unusual skills, and creative problem-solving. One aunt is incredibly strong, so much so that she can pedal a caravan like a bicycle, and drive along the roads without an engine. Another aunt is a gifted voice-thrower, and a third is the bossiest woman alive. The last two can read minds. Harriet herself is intrepid and resourceful, with a streak of sentimentality. She extracts information from her father by the simple expedient of bribing him with scones. She sets off on what turns out to be a lengthy journey with not so much as a spare change of clothes, and without a word of complaint.

This book has a bit of the feel of old-fashioned adventure stories like the Boxcar Children series. Here's a sample passage:

"... we found a farmer who was happy to let us camp on his land, and we parked in a field by the side of a river.

It was a beautiful spot. In the evenings, as we waited for our dinner to be ready, we would sit and watch the cows amble back from their pasture. Then, as the shadows grew longer, Aunt Veronica would make a fire in a small ring of stones, and we would barbecue the juicy trout that we had caught in the river in the afternoon." (Page 70)

There are no cell phones or computers mentioned. There are, however, innovations like a magnifying glass that can translate French into English, and a book that automatically turns its own pages.

The Five Lost Aunts features moderate length chapters (12 pages or so), with one full-age illustration in each chapter. Laura Rankin's greyscale pencil illustrations also have an old-fashioned feel, and they add to the characterization of the story. The aunts are all distinctive, but bear an underlying family resemblance. Harriet observes whatever is going on with a keen eye. One picture shows Harriet laughing with two of her aunts, all three mouths open wide, with both differences and similarities evident between the three relatives. Their joy leaps from the page.

I recommend this book for readers who are just making the transition to non-illustrated chapter books (as the illustrations are relatively sparse). Although the main character is a girl, I think that the lively story is completely boy-friendly, too. I recommend it especially for kids who like mysteries, and kids who enjoy humor. Really, you can't go wrong with this book. I think that parents and children will both enjoy it. And in truth, I feel quite comfortable recommending, sight unseen, the two sequels: Harriet Bean and the League of Cheats and The Cowgirl Aunt of Harriet Bean.

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books
Publication Date: April 2007 (this edition. Originally published in 1997 in the UK)
Source of Book: Bought it
Other Blog Reviews: Confessions of a Bibliovore, Chasing Ray

There's lots going on this week, so I thought I would share a few links today, rather than waiting until Sunday.

• First up (I've been meaning to mention this all week) Julie defended the honor of KidLit bloggers at ALA this week. She recaps a discussion on her blog, Reader's Carousel. Make sure you read the comments. There's a lot of discussion about what additional value blogs bring to book reviewing (like the ability to discuss books via the comments).
• And, for a somewhat quirky, yet interesting, discussion, check out Books & Other Thoughts. Darla asks: serendipity - does it influence what you read? In other words, if you keep seeing a particular book in different contexts, do you decide it's a sign that you should read the book? Personally, I think that this form of serendipity just means that a book has captured your attention, so you notice it more when you run across it. But of course, that is a sign that you should probably read the book.
• Via Publisher's Weekly, great news! Square Fish, and imprint of Macmillan, is reissuing the Melendy Quartet, by Elizabeth Enright (The Saturdays, The Four Story Mistake, Then There Were Five, and Spiderweb for Two). These are among my all-time favorite books, and I'm delighted to see them getting fresh attention. (They've been available in hardcover, but these will apparently be new paperback editions, with the original artwork.) According to the article, Square Fish publisher Jean Feiwel "believes that the books, despite being more than 50 years old, will continue to resonate with children. "The kids don't come across as dated," she says. "Whether they're filled with mischief or a sense of independence, the feelings are true. Spending a Saturday afternoon in a way that's an adventure--that has an appeal no matter how old you are."" That's pretty much what I said when I reviewed The Saturdays in 2006. I adore Elizabeth Enright's books.
• In other book news, Wands and Worlds reports that a release date has been set for the third book in the Christopher Paolini's Inheritance series: Brisingr!. It will be released on September 20th, 2008, complete with midnight bookstore parties. I know that lots of kids will be thrilled, and that makes this great news, too (though I'm personally more excited about the Melendy books).
• I just wrote about the ALA Awards, but I forgot to mention this post, in which LibrariAnne recaps the details of the Best Books for Young Adults session at ALA, complete with teen comments on the books.
• The Brown Bookshelf team has come up with the list of 28 authors and four illustrators that they'll be highlight during their 28 Days Later feature: a black history month celebration of children's literature. You can download a PDF of their poster here.
• The PaperTigers blog is starting The Tiger's Bookshelf: A Community of Readers. But they need your input. The post says: "In addition to providing an online book group where children and adults can discuss books that they love, PaperTigers also would love to provide a spot where experienced book group participants give pointers to those who are beginning to explore the pleasures of reading and chatting with others of like mind." They have a bunch of specific questions about book groups, so if you have something to share, do head over.
• After attending a reading workshop at ALA last week, Cloudscome wrote a couple of great posts about reading over at a wrung sponge. The first one is about Reading and the Elementary School Library Media Specialist. She talks in particular about "the connection between the growth of reading comprehension, vocabulary development, school success and the sheer volume of pleasure reading children partake in by their own selection." She adds: "Reading for pleasure in open free time is not just for fun. It's how lifelong readers develop. It is essential. Not many of the studies referenced in NCLB legislation mention that, but more and more researchers are bringing it up. Kids can and should read above and below their "level" in a wide variety of materials just because it interests them." But click through to read the whole article. It's great stuff. Her second post recaps several references on reading and libraries from the conference, with links.
• In case you've somehow missed it, there have been tons of posts around the Kidlitosphere this week about planned reads in 2008, with many of the posts emphasizing new books that will be released this year. Colleen Mondor kicked things off, and has a roundup of related links at Chasing Ray. So many great books ... where on earth am I going to find the time to read them all. Hmmm... perhaps if I spent less time reading blogs...
• And speaking of planned reads of 2008, our own TadMack from Finding Wonderland just sold her second book. Her upcoming first book popped up on lots of the planned 2008 reading lists. 
• Also not to be missed: Jules and Eisha interview Camille Powell from BookMoot over at 7-Imp. Camille is one of my favorite bloggers, and not just because we share a high degree of fandom for the man she calls "Rockstar Rick Riordan". When kids come to her house for trick-or-treating, she makes them tell her the name of one of their favorite books, before she gives them candy. Don't you love that?
• This one is for Kelly Herold, who I know is a fan. The Book Witch has an article about author Henning Mankell. She also has a follow-up post about Mankell's Sofia trilogy, a fictionalized children's series based on a real girl (now woman) who was devastatingly injured by a landmine in Mozambique. I'm a fan of Mankell's adult mysteries (set in Sweden, very dark police procedurals, but tautly written and atmospheric), but haven't yet read this series, or any of his other children's fiction.
• Trisha has an intriguing post at The YA YAs about the difference between popularity and appeal in young adult fiction. Since Trisha was one of the people who selected the Cybils YA Fiction shortlist, I was especially interested to hear what she had to say about this. She says "Ultimately, this is what I came up with: books that are popular with teens obviously have teen appeal, but unpopular, or not yet popular, books don't necessarily lack teen appeal. And just because a book has teen appeal does not automatically mean it will be popular." Well said.
• Speaking of the Cybils shortlist titles, did you see the cool widgets in my left-hand sidebar? They were assembled by Adaptive Blue, which also offers SmartLinks functionality for blogs. Read more at the Cybils blog.
• And last, but not least, it's somehow become Friday at Farm School as I write, and Becky has the beginnings of the Poetry Friday roundup.

And that is quite enough for a sharing "a few links". Happy Friday, friends!

Tonight I will be sending out the new issue of my Growing Bookworms weekly email newsletter. If you would like to subscribe, you can find a sign-up form here. The Growing Bookworms newsletter contains content from my blog focused on children's books and raising readers, all in a convenient email format. There are currently 152 subscribers.

This week's issue contains reviews of three books (one picture book, one early reader, and one for middle grade/middle school readers), my children's literacy and reading news round-up, and a Kidlitosphere round-up with links to useful posts from the week. I also have a new article that resulted from the work that I've been doing over at the PBS Parents site, Helping Kids Learn to Enjoy Reading, in which I assembled input from many wonderful contributors, including parents, librarians, and teachers. You can also download the article via a printable PDF file, which you may freely share with others. I hope that you find this article useful. I also have two other posts with further discussion about raising readers. Content from the blog not included in this week's newsletter includes:

• A reprinting of Justina's Fab Five Ways to Support Your Local Bookstore, from Justina Chen Headley.
• The schedule for the Complete Jane Austen on PBS.
• A listing of some of the titles coming out in 2008 that I'm most eager to read.

The Growing Bookworms newsletter contains a subset of content already included on my blog, Jen Robinson's Book Page, for readers who may not choose to visit the blog every day. It is also my hope that parents, authors, teachers, librarians, and other adult fans of children's books, people who may not visit blogs regularly, or at all, will learn about and subscribe to the newsletter. If you could pass it along to any friends or colleagues who you think would be interested, I would be very grateful.

Thanks for reading, and for growing bookworms. I hope that you'll stop by and see me at the PBS Parents: Expert Q&A this month.

Over at The Miss Rumphius Effect, Tricia just shared some results from the National Center for Education Statistics report America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being. You can (and should) read the details at Tricia's, but the gist is that in 2005, only "60 percent of children ages 3–5 who were not yet in kindergarten were read to daily by a family member", and the exact percentage was highly correlated with other socioeconomic factors. Tricia says: "The fact that 40% of children in this country were NOT read to every day is very discouraging." And she asks an important question:

"how do we reach out to folks who don't read blogs, or much of anything else, and get them to understand how incredibly important reading to children is, and what a long-term impact this practice (or lack of it) makes?"

Jill T. and I were talking about this a little bit over in the comments on this post at The Well-Read Child. I also wrote earlier today about an opinion piece in The Age (Australia) with some big picture ideas for governments. I wrote last January, in an article about a talk that I heard by read-aloud advocate Jim Trelease that:

"He (Trelease) suggested that we need some sort of national campaign to inform people all over the country of the importance of exposing their kids to more words every day, and encouraging them to enjoy reading. He gave an analogy to the campaign that was used to successfully cut the incidence of smoking in this country by 50% over 40 years, a combination of informing people, scaring people, and insulting people, and thinks that we need to try something similar in American homes re: reading."

I think that programs that give books to newborn babies before they leave the hospital, and the Read Out and Read program that gives books to kids on their well-baby visits, are steps in the right direction. As are programs like First Book and Dolly Parton's Imagination Library and Cops 'N Kids, that give books to kids.

But what else can we do? How do we reach people with this message that so many of us understand is critically important? Is there anything that we, as ordinary citizens, can do, besides supporting the above organizations? What I want to do is jump up and down and tell people: "Just read to your kids. Every day. Here are some books for you. Keep on reading to them for as long as they'll let you. We'll find you some more books as they get older." And I pretty much do that with people I know in the real world, and with people who read my blog. But, like Tricia, I wonder how to reach more people with the message. Different people. People who really need to hear it.

Sadly, I don't have any answers right now. But thanks for making me think, Tricia. Readers, if you have any thoughts on this, please share them here or over at Tricia's. Thanks!

I figured I'd better get the children's literacy round-up out today (Sunday), because tomorrow all eyes will be on the ALA Announcements (Newbery, Caldecott, Printz, etc.). Thanks to Anastasia for the previous link. For the record, I'm not getting up at 4:45 PST to hear them live. The good news for me, though, is that by the time I do get up, the results will be widely available. Anyway, moving on, here are some highlights from this week's children's literacy and reading news:

• Newsday.com has a new article by Liza N. Burby about turning reluctant readers into enthusiastic ones. The article focuses in particular on middle school readers, and quotes new National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Jon Scieszka, along with several librarians. The article talks about the importance of parents continuing to read aloud as their children get older, and notes "That "reading" can even take the form of listening to books on tape while you're all running to activities or discussing a newspaper article over breakfast. The point is to rethink how you go about encouraging reading at home, says Scieszka". I'm happy to see an article like this in Newsday, and hope that lots of parents will see it.
• Meanwhile The Age (Australia) also has an opinion article, by Agnes Nieuwenhuizen, about "how to help our young enjoy reading." Clearly, a popular topic this week. Rather than focusing on parents, however, this article is more about what Australia could and should do as a country, like appointing a National Ambassador for Children's Books, hiring more librarians, and arranging for more review space in the major papers. The author even mentions a Dutch program that "made reading for young men "cool" by linking beer and books in ads."
• In a just-released post, Donalyn Miller, The Book Whisperer, writes at Teacher Magazine about the many problems with classrooms in which the entire class studies an entire novel at the same time. She says "Teaching whole-class novel units does not create a society of literate people... Teachers can always point to a few students who loved these books, but I doubt it was the majority or that any became future readers as a result," and runs through a series of "truths" about whole-class reading. She promises some ideas of compromises and alternatives next week.
• Via the International Reading Association blog, I learned of this guest column by Walt Gardner in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer: "From feds on down, AP students are being neglected." The author begins with the strong statement that "Faced with the daunting challenges posed by the new global economy, the U.S. is squandering one of its greatest assets in the form of its gifted and talented students. Yet the issue remains curiously absent from public debate among presidential candidates." He also includes tidbits like: "when school districts need to pay for after-school tutoring or other remediation, they siphon money from programs for the gifted,", and suggests that Advanced Placement programs are also suffering a backlash. While this isn't directly literacy-related news, I think it's something that the same parents who are working to raise young readers now should be paying attention to for the future.
• Also via the IRA blog, I found this article in Stabroek News. It says that Guyana's "Education Minister Shaik Baksh is proposing a nationwide literacy programme in schools this year that involves classes being extended in the afternoons and on weekends and holidays, in an effort to improve the quality of education locally." Baksh is making this proposal in light of recent assessment tests showing a decline in literacy. "A similar programme targeting adults at the community level is also planned". See also this followup article.
• According to an article by Dominic Mahlangu and Mpumelelo Mkhabela in the Sunday Times (South Africa) the ANC is working on literacy levels in South Africa, and "has promised to promote the status of teachers by “remunerating them as professionals” and improving the conditions in which they work... This year, according to the ANC, will see the launch by government of a National Mass Literacy Campaign, which will see “80000 tutors engaged to enable 4.7-million adults to achieve basic literacy and numeracy by 2012”."
• At Reading Rockets' Page by Page blog, Maria Salvadore highlights a program in Nebraska which gives books to newborns. I wrote about the relevant Omaha World-Herald article a couple of weeks ago, but Maria also discusses the ALSC's Born to Read program, and her own early reading experiences with her son. On a similar note, the Literacy is Priceless blog highlights the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) website for early literacy educators and parents.
• The Times Colonist (Canada) reports that British Columbia's new lieutenant governor, Steven Point, "plans to concentrate on early childhood literacy and to do what he can to ensure that more reading material for preschoolers makes its way into B.C.'s most remote communities... Point has asked the Government House Foundation to help improve literacy "by collecting as many children's books as possible and to create a a distribution program through the assistance of local community service organizations such as the Rotary.''
• Here's yet another reason why we as a country should be focusing more on raising readers. Emily Kampschneider writes in the La Vista Sun (Nebraska) about the connection between low literacy levels and crime statistics. She quotes Jean Slowinski, children's librarian at Gretna Public Library, as saying that "she heard at a children librarians' conference that officials decide how many federal prisons to build based on how many second-grade students cannot read." There's no definitive reference included for that statement, and the rest of the article is about ideas for parents to increase their own children's interest in reading. But I think that a correlation between literacy levels and crime levels does exist. I know that the National Institute for Literacy reported that in 1997, only 13.4% of state prison inmates had any college education, and 14.2% had an 8th grade education or less.
• Speaking of the correlation between crime and literacy statistics, the Ventura County Star (CA) has an article today by Cynthia Overweg about an "escape through books" program by which the co-owners of The Book Bag, a nonprofit community bookstore in Thousand Oaks have been sending free books to 170 inmates in 12 California jails and prisons. Program founders Melissa Cook and Jeanne Johnson "have dubbed their inmate book program "Escape through books" and said they believe the company of a good book can help reduce a sense of hopelessness that contributes to anti-social behavior." Inmates request their own books, and pay postage.
• And here is a lively literacy program. The Charlotte Herald-Sun (Florida) reports on the Bikers for Books fundraiser, scheduled for this weekend. The Defenders Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club is co-hosting the event with Chili's. 100% of the proceeds will go to the Meadow Park Elementary School's Family Center, with a goal of giving a free book to each of 500 children.
• According to an article by Preeti Jha at iExpressIndia, a program in India is focused on teaching street children how to read, in their own environment. "Zubair Idrisi, 22, and Pawan Sharma, 25, founders of this education programme for street children, explain why their informal approach works. “If these kids won’t attend school because they need to earn money, then we thought why not go to their workplace and bring education to the traffic lights,” says Sharma."
• The Wisconsin State Journal talks about the use of graphic novels to enliven literature for students, in an article by Gena Kittner. "Libraries have long been aware of the value of such "sequential art" in helping students become better readers, said Hollis Rudiger, a former librarian at UW-Madison's School of Education. "It's the classroom teachers that are finally starting to see the value," she said. This fall, students at Monona Grove and DeForest high schools studied graphic novels in English classes. Next year, if there's enough interest, Monona Grove plans to offer an art class focusing on the novels and cartooning."

And that should leave you with plenty of food for thought for one day. Thanks for caring about children's litereacy and reading!

This week was crazily busy in the Kidlitosphere. The final set of Cybils shortlists came out. (Don't miss this podcast interview with the nonfiction picture book panelists at Just One More Book!). The class of 2k8 launched with a big splash. There were carnivals and new blogs and interesting posts galore. Here are some of the many, many highlights.

• Speaking of the Cybils, Sherry has an interesting post about the gender gap in the middle grade fiction nominees at Semicolon. There were almost twice as many nominees in which the main character was a girl than in which the main character was a boy. This is particularly disturbing, given that the conventional wisdom says that girls are more willing to read books where the main character is a boy than vice versa. On a brighter note, Sherry also reports that a Penderwicks sequel is coming out in April.
• Just in time for cold season, Librarian Mom Els Kushner shares a list of books about illness. I hope that none of you need this list any time soon, but it's there just in case.
• Kris B. reports at Paradise Found that it's National Delurking week. So, if you're reading this and haven't commented before, consider dropping a quick little comment, to let me know who you are. Or you could even just email me, if that's easier for you.
• At Tea Cozy, Liz B. writes about the Cassie Edwards plagiarism debate, and the notion that yes, you are supposed to credit material that you take from another source. There is an impassioned discussion going on (in favor of giving credit, of course) in the comments. Also, congratulations to Liz and Carlie for getting a proposal accepted for the YA Literature symposium, to be held in Nashville in November.
• Robin Brande offers her blog readers a chance to help literacy and have some free coffee. She says "I’m part of an auction going on to benefit the great non-profit group Kids Need to Read, the charity project founded by author PJ Haarsma (The Softwire series) and actor Nathan Fillion...  Money raised through these auctions is used to purchase books for schools and libraries in need." In addition to a copy of her book, Robin is throwing in some goodies, if you're interested.
• Just in time for the upcoming ALA book award announcements (Monday!), A Year of Reading has assembled links to a collection of Newbery prediction posts from around the web. I made a couple of predictions/wishes in the comments over at PBS, in response to someone's question, but there's only one that I have a true feeling will get the nod. Oh, and don't miss Mary Lee and Franki's interview at Tales from the Rushmore Kid.
• Speaking of awards, Kelly proposes a Pen and Pencil award at Big A little a. Kelly asks "Which writing instruments would you award for their faithful service and why?" Me, I favor Dr. Grip pens, because they have nice cushioning for when I have to take lots of notes.
• Colleen discusses the relentless pessimism in futuristic YA fiction at Chasing Ray. Personally, I enjoy these sorts of books (I've reviewed two of them in the past week, and I have strong pessimist tendencies). But I'm cool with Colleen pointing out a couple in which the future looks a bit more hopeful.
• Little Willow has been on a tear this week at Bildungsroman, posting interesting topic after interesting topic. I especially enjoyed a short post that she did on the concept of Reader Resonance: "the reaction after completing the book - Does the story stay with the readers? Do the characters stay with the readers?" She's also written a well conceived rant on book banning, or actually, putting warning stickers on YA books. Also not to be missed is the 2007 Cybils Middle Grade Hall of Fame and her interview with Meg Cabot.
• Mitali Perkins reports (having heard about this from the Washington Post) that "during the Writer's Guild strike, Hollywood creative minds are writing books for children." Most people I've seen respond are less than enthusiastic. I think it's the 'well, we can't do real work right now, so we might as well do something easy like write children's books' impression given by this announcement. Still, some of these writers are pretty funny...
• Jules has started a new feature over at 7-Imp: Alice's Seven Picture Book Tips for Impossibly Busy Parents. She says "The idea is that I will list seven new picture books for busy parents as often as I can pull it off." She pledges to be brief, and to focus on books that are currently available for purchase or in libraries. I think that this is going to be a very useful new resource for parents.
• Edward Champion has a blog post at the Guardian Unlimited Arts Blog asking publishers to Stop Bowdlerising Books for Kids. The subheading says it all, really: "Children are much more sophisticated readers than today's squeamish editing allows for". But the rest of the article is interesting reading, and has inspired quite a few comments. Thanks to Monica Edinger for the link.
• Congratulations to Andrea and Mark from Just One More Book!. Their site was recently featured in Learning Magazine. And congratulations to Cheryl Rainfield. An anthology in which she has a short story has been nominated for a Preditors and Editors award for best anthology of the year.
• Sara Lewis Holmes has a nice, Kidlitosphere-friendly post about how she hears (in a virtual sense) the voices of her Kidlitosphere friends when she's browsing in the bookstore these days. She sparked quite a bit of discussion in the comments when she posited that, just maybe, "the root of the boy reading problem is that boys hate to shop". Check out the comments on this idea, especially the input from David Elzey, who shares a bookseller's observations, and Colleen Mondor, who talks about the importance of fathers as reading role models. Sara follows up with a post about Bookstore Design for Boys. I don't know how feasible it is, but there are some great ideas for making the book selection environment more friendly for boys. Lots of useful comments here, too.
• For all of you obsessive Life As We Knew It fans out there, Susan Beth Pfeffer has started brainstorming about a possible third book in the series. It's quite a glimpse into the brainstorming process of the author, and offers tantalizing glimpses into the future of the LAWKI/d&g universe. Of course if you're someone who wants the book (if there ever is one) to be a complete surprise, then don't click through. Generally, I'm very anti-spoiler, but I also have a poor memory, so I think I can safely read, and still enjoy the book if (hopefully!) it's eventually published.
• Walter Minkel reports at The Monkey Speaks on an editorial by a man who "says that he was thrown out of the main branch of the Atlanta-Fulton County Public Library simply for sitting and doing some research in the children’s area". Speaking as an adult who is frequently in the children's area of the library, unaccompanied by any child, I am sympathetic, and find it sad that people like that library's security guard feel that they have to react this way. Then again, I don't sit and do work in the children's section at my library, because it's posted that those tables are reserved for kids. I would be more bothered if the man was prohibited from selecting a few books off of the shelves.
• The 7th Edition of the Bookworms Carnival is now available at Reading with Becky. The theme is Best Books of 2007, and it is a veritable smorgasbord of book suggestions.
• Speaking of carnivals, the deadline for the next Carnival of Children's Literature is January 18th. The carnival will be held at Wizards Wireless. The theme is book awards. You can find more details here.
• Saddened by the lack of science books on the BCCB Blue Ribbon Awards in Nonfiction list, Tricia has published her own list of Outstanding Science Books Published in 2007 at Open Wide, Look Inside.

I've been collecting these links all week, and I feel SO much better having them all written up in usable fashion. I hope you find something here that catches your eye. Oh, and what do you think: does bolding the names make this easier or harder to read?

I think it's appropriate that my one thousandth post should be about discussions related to raising readers. As regular readers know, a few days ago I published an article (with much input from the Kidlitosphere), inspired by my stint as guest blogger at PBS Parents: Expert Q&A about Helping Kids Learn to Enjoy Reading. This article has received such a positive response that I even created a PDF version, so that parents and teachers could print it out more easily. Many thanks to everyone who commented, or read, or linked to my article. I really appreciate your support, and your interest in raising readers.

Clearly, inspiring young readers is a topic near and dear to the hearts of many members of the Kidlitosphere, because the discussion that led to my article has continued and proliferated. Here are some related posts that are worth checking out:

• Over at The Well-Read Child, Jill T. recaps an article from the UK's Daily Telegraph which "reminds us that parents aren't the only ones who can make an impact." Jill summarizes the article's suggestions for parents, authors, schools, and government for increasing both literacy rates and joy in reading. In the comments of that post, Jill and I are discussing the need for a national public information campaign on the importance of raising kids who enjoy reading. The appointment of our new National Ambassador for Children's Literature is a great first step, of course, but there's a lot more that could be done.
• At Lessons from the Tortoise, Libby has two related posts. The first is about reading levels: Too Young? Too Old? Just Right? In response to suggestions that it's a bad thing to push kids to read above the level that they're ready for, Libby suggests that "reading above one's level is actually a fine thing--if one is the kind of kid who stretches rather than shrinks when confronted with new things." She's not arguing for kids to be pushed to do this, but she does argue for the rights of kids who like the challenge of a big thick book, even one that they're not quite ready for, to try it out. This, of course, begs the question of where to draw the line. But I do take her point. I took pleasure in knowing, as a seventh grader, that I was reading Dickens. Did I enjoy it, precisely? I couldn't say. Would I have gotten more out of David Copperfield as an older reader? Sure. But I'm still glad that no one tried to stop me.
• In her second post, Libby asks Is all reading good? Specifically, she takes exception to the phrase (used in my article and other discussions) "let them read what they like." This post is basically a mini research treatise, complete with several footnotes, and ranging from Playboy to misogyny to censorship to whether or not we think that ideas have power. This academic approach is not surprising, since Libby teaches classes like Introduction to Children's Literature at the University of Richmond, but it does make for interesting reading. The issue of "stereotypical ideas about women, men, the disabled, the poor, etc., etc." in children's literature is one for which I don't have a good answer. And there are surely books that I wouldn't go out of my way to buy for my nieces. But there are other books that have admittedly dated ideas about gender and race roles, but which I, like Libby, would rather read and discuss than miss out on. 
• On a lighter note, Susan T. at Chicken Spaghetti writes about the importance of matching book with reader, giving as an example her son's fondness for Calvin and Hobbes, and graphic novels like the Babymouse books.
• There have also been some comments in response to the "helping kids learn to enjoy reading" post over at PBS, including a detailed comment by Sallie Wolf about the importance of reading aloud, and making reading fun. And there are some great comments on the article here, too.

That's all that I can recall now, out of the blizzard of posts and comments and emails from the past few days. But if you're taken on this topic at your blog, and I somehow missed it, please let me know. Thanks!

Book: Pa Lia's First Day: A Jackson Friends Book
Author: Michelle Edwards
Pages: 55
Age Range: 6-9

Pa Lia's First Day is the first book in Michelle Edwards' Jackson Friends series, a set of early readers about second graders who attend the Jackson magnet school. I learned about this series from Kelly Herold of Big A little a, who recently reviewed the fourth Jackson Friends book (and 2006 Gryphon Award winner): Stinky Stern Forever.

I think that there is a tremendous need for high-quality early readers, books that are engaging and well-written and speak to the true experiences of first to third graders. The Jackson Friends books, at least from what I've seen so far, fit the bill nicely. They have the added bonus of being about kids of different racial and ethnic backgrounds, which means that they'll appeal to a wide range of readers, and give young readers a glimpse into families different from their own.

In this first book, Pa Lia Vang, an apparently Vietnamese girl with long black pigtails, is about to start second grade, her first year at the Jackson school. Her older brother walks with her to school, but when she lags behind at the entrance, nervous, he leaves her to find her own way. Her fear and uncertainty are palpable, especially when a boy bullies her. But a new friend named Calliope James stands up to the bully ("Stinky Stern"), and helps Pa Lia to find her way.

In the classroom, Pa Lia encounters resistance from another potential friend, a black girl named Howardina Geraldina Paulina Maxina Gardenia Smith (Howie, for short), and gets more grief from Stinky Stern. Pa Lia passes notes, and gets in trouble with the rather firm teacher, but also demonstrates bravery and loyalty to her new friends. By the end of the book, she's made the transformation from outsider to someone who belongs. This doesn't feel message-y, though. It feels like a true story, a depiction of the first day of school by a real second-grader. Pa Lia's fears are universal: How will she find her classroom? Will people stare at her? Will she make  friends? Will the teacher call her mother?

Some elements that make this book work well as an early reader include: chapters with interesting titles (so that it feels like a grown up book); a predominantly accessible vocabulary, sprinkled with more challenging words ("dawdling", "Calliope", "Gardenia"); and pictures that aren't always literal representations of their subject. For example, there's a sketch of the teacher, Mrs. Fennessey, who Pa Lia sees as "tall, like a gigantic oak tree." The sketch shows a tree, with a face mid-way up the trunk, and wearing Mrs. Fennessey's glasses. Every page of text has one or more small sketches, mixed in with occasional full-size illustrations. The illustrations frequently reflect Pa Lia's mood, or her internal ponderings. I did think that the cover of this first book felt a bit old fashioned, which is too bad, because I'd like to see this book jump off the shelves and into the hands of first and second graders.

The sentences are short and direct, and easy for kids to understand. Here's a passage that I enjoyed:

"Pa Lia, Calliope, and Howie sat down.
Pa Lia's face turned hot and red.
Calliope coughed.
Howie's chair squeaked.
Stinky Stern farted.
The bell rang for recess." (Page 42)

Some of the metaphors are a bit cliched ("Her mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton", "Her stomach felt like it was filled with a thousand fluttering butterflies"), but the feelings that they describe are authentic.

The end material of the book, in addition to capsule descriptions of the other books in the series, includes short bios of each of the primary characters, complete with favorite food, and what the child is currently learning (to turn cartwheels, etc). This material adds to the feeling that the first or second grade reader will probably already have by this point - that the Jackson Friends are his or her friends, too. Highly recommended for new readers.

The other books is the series are Book 2: Zero Grandparents, Book 3: The Talent Show, and Book 4: Stinky Stern Forever

Publisher: Harcout
Publication Date: 2001
Source of Book: Bought it
Other Blog Reviews: None that I could find of this book, but see reviews of the fourth book in the series, Stinky Stern Forever, at Big A little a, Wordswimmer, and A Fuse #8 Production

Book: Eliza's Kindergarten Surprise
Author: Alice B. McGinty
Illustrator: Nancy Speir
Pages: 29
Age Range: 4-8

Truth be told, I wasn't sure about Eliza's Kindergarten Surprise, at first. It starts out with young Eliza saying goodbye to her mother before Eliza starts kindergarten. Eliza's mother, who seems a bit well-dressed for a regular day (with blue high-heeled shoes and a red dress), leaves her with a kiss in her pocket.

"You can carry my kiss in your pocket all day long," Mommy said. "It will be right by your heart. Then, I won't seem so far away."

Which seemed a bit sentimental to me. I was concerned that the book would overly "sweet". But Alice McGinty manages to stay just on the right side of the sentimentality line.

The sad-eyed Eliza is welcomed to the classroom by a rather stereotypical-looking teacher, with big round glasses, sensible flat shoes, and a pencil over her ear. The teacher's purple sweater and shoes, however, do point at a more multi-dimensional nature.

While the other kids seem to be adjusting well, Eliza remains melancholy, missing her mother. Eventually, however, Eliza finds a way to overcome her own sadness. She builds a little clothespin doll that looks like her mother (though how the school happened to have a napkins in exactly the same pattern as the mother's dress is a bit of a mystery to me), and carries it around in her pocket. Together she and the Mommy doll participate in kindergarten activities with joy. Then at the end of the day, she learns that her mother missed her, too.

And I was won over. I liked the put-together mother missing her child. And I liked that Eliza found a way to solve her own problem, instead of needing help from the teacher or the other children. This self-reliance theme is clear, but conveyed solidly through the story, and doesn't feel message-y.

Nancy Speir's crisp, understated acrylic illustrations convey Eliza's pensiveness perfectly. There's not much background on most of the pages, leaving the focus squarely on the people (and the doll). There's a scene where Eliza is standing on the playground, with one foot hooked behind the other, and her hands clasped, and she's the very picture of uncertainty, from expression to posture. By contrast, Eliza's joy when she leaps for her mother at the end of the day is a pleasure to see. The scenes in which Eliza constructs the doll are also engaging, and likely to make readers want to work on clothespin dolls of their own.

If you have a child who is starting kindergarten, or even nursery school, this title is well worth checking out. (I know, I should have told you about it back in August, but think of me as starting early for next fall.)

Publisher: Marshall Cavendish
Publication Date: July 2007
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher

Book: The Prince in Waiting
Author: John Christopher (pseudonym of author Sam Youd)
Pages: 182
Age Range: 9-12

I recently read, for what I think is the first time (though there's a chance that I read it back in the mid-70s), the first book in John Christopher's middle grade science fiction trilogy Sword of the Spirits: The Prince in Waiting (1970). I was inspired to read it after reading a review on Sam Riddleburger's blog in November, and due to my fond memories of Christopher's wonderful Tripods series.

The Prince in Waiting starts out a bit slowly. Well, not so much slow as threatening to be about things that I'm not interested in. You have a boy chatting with a dwarf. The dwarf is forging a sword, and the boy is lamenting not being chosen to participate in a Contest involving swords and jousting on horseback. No electricity or modern conveniences of any kind are in sight. It's like something out of Arthurian times, except for the presence of the dwarfs, and the polymufs, which are a race of deformed people who work as servants/slaves. Slowly, however, hints begin to appear that, in fact, this is not a society from the past, but a society from the future, after some great Disaster has overtaken the world.

And that, for me, is the hook that kept me reading (as I mentioned in my recent review of Exodus), and will have me tracking down the other two books in the trilogy. I find endlessly fascinating the notion that all memory of our society could be gone, with people left to guess at what we were like based on looking at the crumpled rubble of once-tall buildings and the occasional scrap of surviving printed material. I enjoy seeing which customs survive, and which disappear, in the author's interpretation. In this story, the Christians are a peripheral, struggling sect, looked down upon for their odd beliefs. Most people follow the guidance of "Spirits", as translated by a small cadre of "Seers". Armed battles between the cities of the land (the dregs of England) take place frequently, though certain customs of honor also endure. Our hero, Luke, is the second son of a "Captain" (basically Knights who serve the Prince who rules each city). Luke learns, however, that he has a destiny beyond that of being a Captain himself.

Contemplating the ruins of what was apparently a cathedral, Luke muses:

"They had buried their dead in its shade -- there were worn stones bearing names and dates set in the ground -- and it was said that the Christians had used it as a place of worship. That, too, was hard to believe when one thought of the Christians, a handful of wretches living mostly in the hovels by the North Gate, so warped and degraded that they accepted polymufs as members of their sect and as equals. (They would have accepted dwarfs, too, but got no chance: dwarfs had their pride.)" (Page 48)

There's so much food for though in this tiny passage. The fact that worn tombstones have survived a disaster that left the cities in ruins. The radical notion that Christianity could fall into disarray, but also the hint that Christians retain a sense of acceptance, willing to take in those that others reject. The polymufs are the lepers of their time. Christopher resists the temptation to give Luke sensibilities advanced beyond those of his peers. Though the reader may question the treatment of the polymufs, Luke does not. I respect this choice, and I think that it's typical of Christopher's respect for his readers.

As for the story itself, there are battles and betrayals, loyalties and losses, and surprises. Friendship and family play major themes. It's a bit bloodthirsty, with more than one head ending up on a pike. However, Luke is slightly removed from the violence, and nothing is described in graphic detail - I think that it's fine for younger kids. Certainly it's no worse than Harry Potter in that sense, though Christopher leaves a lot more between the lines, and open for the reader's interpretation.

All in all, I don't think that this book is for everyone (not to mention the fact that it's out of print, and may be hard to find). But for fans of stories about Dystopian, future societies, with buried artifacts from our own, this is a compelling read. It's also likely to please kids who like books about sword battles and quests. Like Christopher's other books, it will make kids think. As I mentioned, this one is the first of a trilogy, and the ending is particular intriguing. The sequels, which I will be checking out of the library soon, are Beyond the Burning Lands (1971) and The Sword of the Spirits (1972).

Publisher: Macmillan
Publication Date: 1970
Source of Book: Santa Clara City Library
Other Blog Reviews: Bookian Review Library. Sam Riddleburger did a John Christopher week in November, and discussed the Sword of the Spirits series in this post. His comments, combined with my own fond memories of Christopher's Tripods series, are what inspired me to read this book.
Author Interviews:  Sam Riddleburger also interviewed Sam Youd (Christopher's real name) during John Christopher Week.

As some of you know, yesterday I published a post (based on inputs from the amazing Kidlitosphere Yahoo Group), cross-posted here and in the comments at the PBS Parents Expert Q&A, about Helping Kids Learn to Enjoy Reading. By popular demand (and thanks to a suggestion from Megan Germano at Read, Read, Read), I'm making a printable PDF version of the post available for download. I hope that you'll find it useful.

My thanks, once again, to everyone who contributed to the article and to the wonderful discussions that have continued after it's publication.

As I've mentioned, I'm guest blogging this month over at PBS Parents Expert Q&A, and I am having a wonderful time. Most of the discussion has centered around the joy of reading, and favorite and recommended children's books. These are things I would talk about all day, if my schedule permitted it, and I'm thrilled to be having such lively discussion.

This week I had questions from two (apparently unrelated) parents each looking to help boys who are not just reluctant to read, but are having difficulty with it. One father called reading a "struggle" for his son, and sought ways to help his son "consider it fun and exciting rather than a challenge." Another mother said that her son finds reading very difficult, and seems to lack confidence in himself as a result. Both of these parents were looking for suggestions to make reading easier and more fun for their children.

I shared a few of own thoughts on this matter (read aloud with your children, let them read what they want to read, etc.), but I wasn't satisfied that I had given these parents enough help. So, I turned for assistance to my friends from the Kidlitosphere Yahoo Group (a discussion group for those who read, write, and blog about children's and young adult literature). This is an amazing group. Within 24 hours, I had heard back from about fifteen people, including teachers, parents and authors, with useful, concrete, and creative solutions for helping children learn to enjoy reading. In this article, I compile their suggestions, along with my own thoughts, in the hope of providing some helpful ideas for parents. There is no quick-fix, of course, no pill that your child can take to suddenly become a reader. But there are straightforward things that parents can do.

First and Foremost: Make Reading an Enjoyable Experience

The most important thing that a parent can do to help a child who is struggling with reading is make reading an enjoyable experience. If the child feels like reading is work or punishment, he or she will end up being a resistant reader instead of a joyful reader. Sixth-grade teacher Sarah (who blogs at The Reading Zone) says: "As a teacher with a whole lot of reluctant 6th grade boy readers, I can't stress enough - LET READING BE FUN! Too many parents use reading as a punishment. If I had to read any time I was in trouble, I would probably hate it, too!" Another contributor, Jill T. (who blogs at The Well-Read Child), points out that "parents must be patient and supportive. If parents get frustrated, it will only make the child more reluctant to read."

Read Aloud

The number one thing that parents can do to make reading enjoyable is to read aloud to and with their children. Well-known reading advocate Jim Trelease wrote an entire book on this subject (reference below). Reading together should be a fun, comforting, shared experience, not work, definitely not a test. By reading aloud to your child, you can read more advanced stories than the child is ready for on his own. You can stop and discuss the ideas in the books, together. You show your child that you value reading, and that you value your time together. The benefits of reading aloud to your child are vast, and will endure for a lifetime.

For parents who have difficulty reading aloud, try reading wordless picture books and telling your child a story based on the illustrations. Or try graphic novels such as the Owly books by Andy Runton (suggested by multiple contributors). Another idea is for parents and children to listen to audiobooks together. Just make sure you have a way to pause easily, so that you can stop and discuss things. Also consider listening to an audiobook at home, and following along with the printed book. The site Just One More Book! features picture book reviews via podcast (audio file), which can also be helpful for parents.

Parent Charlotte (who blogs at Charlotte's Library) says: "My own son is not taking to reading like a duck to water. So to make it fun for him, we will read books together. I will do the bulk of the reading, but he will be responsible for some of the dialog. When it's his turn, I wait a breathe to see if he's been able to keep up with his eyes; mostly he hasn't, so I point, and he reads. Sometimes he'll read it again, with dramatic expression. This way we can read more interesting books without frustration. Shared reading also works well with graphic novels--we've read many Tintin books this way. Ricky Ricotta and Captain Underpants work well also. So do the Magic School Bus books--on every page there is something even tentative readers can read."

Writer and volunteer librarian Gregory K. (who blogs at Gotta Book) echoes the importance of reading aloud, and adds "read EVERYTHING you can, from cereal boxes to store signs to books."

Let Your Child Read the Kinds of Books that He or She Wants to Read

One of the biggest reasons why kids, especially boys, end up resistant to reading is that they are often encouraged to read books that aren't interesting to them, and they are discouraged from reading the things that they most enjoy. One of the best things that you can do if you want your child to read for pleasure is support your child's selection of reading material. If your child only likes FACTS, get him an almanac. Get sports fans biographies of sports figures. Have a kid who is fascinated by war? Find some accessible nonfiction books. Try comics, joke books, computer game manuals, books of baseball statistics, movie novelizations, sport and car magazines, quizzes and puzzles. Whatever works. Whatever your child finds interesting is worthwhile. Yes, even Captain Underpants and Gossip Girl novels. Teacher Mary Lee Hahn (who blogs at A Year of Reading) adds that home should be a "safe place for reading books that are at an appropriate or easy level (especially when/if school is a place of stress and struggle)." Liz Garton Scanlon (who blogs at Liz in Ink) adds: "About reluctant boy readers -- or girls, for that matter: the Zack Proton books seem to work some sort of intergalactic miracle."

This topic is also addressed, in the context of reluctant teen readers, in a recent Horn Book magazine article by Philip Charles Crawford. A high-school librarian, Crawford discusses kids who are not just reluctant, but actually resist reading, and says: "To help these resistant readers, I avoid stigmatizing value judgments about reading materials. I try to change the negative experience that occurs when resistant readers encounter books--the immediate revulsion they feel when presented with something they view as academic or boring. This often means putting into their hands books that many librarians, teachers, and children's book expert snub... these books have the power to engage and excite teens who would otherwise read nothing."

There are two important sub-points here: 1) fiction is not all that there is. Women (who still make up the bulk of primary caregivers, librarians, and teachers) tend to enjoy stories. But anything that gets your child reading is valid, and the child should not be made to feel that his or her reading is less valuable because it doesn't fall into a traditional fiction-sized box. Reading of any sort, if it's enjoyable, will lead to more reading. That's our purpose here.

2) Suggested reading levels are guidelines, and may not apply to all kids. Kids shouldn't be pushed (especially at home, when reading for pleasure) to read at higher levels than they are ready for. There are kids who happily read dozens of Magic Treehouse books, to the frustration of parents who would like their children to advance faster. But if the child is enjoying those Magic Treehouse books, great. They'll move past the series eventually. But if you push them to read things they find difficult, you might turn them off of reading forever.

Teacher Marcie Atkins (who blogs at World of Words) suggests: "I always tell parents of 4th grade boys that it's not as much a concern of WHAT they are reading as long as they ARE reading. I tell them get them a copy of Sports Illustrated for Kids--anything that they LIKE to read about. Parents often really want their kids to read novels, but that's not always what boys want to read. My brother was a reluctant reader, but he would cut articles out of the newspaper about the Gulf War (the first one) because he was fascinated with tanks. He hated to read, but he read knew more facts about tanks than anyone I knew.

For a struggling reader (not one who is just reluctant, but really struggling with the mechanics) I would recommend the HI-LO readers. There are many good books out there with topics that are interesting to kids that are written on a lower reading level. Sometimes kids get frustrated with the "baby books" because they are not interested in the content but they have difficulty reading anything harder."

Former reading tutor Jill T. weighs in on the topic of age-appropriateness: "I used to tutor students (children, teens, and adults who had difficultly reading), and I can't begin to tell you how this impacted their self-esteem and how often they just wanted to give up because reading was so difficult. The only other advice I can give is to try to find age-appropriate material that is also aligned with their reading and interest levels. This can be quite a challenge because a lot of the beginning reader stuff is full of bunnies and bears and themes that will turn off older kids and even embarrass them if their peers see what they're reading. When I was teaching ESL to high school students, I had a hard time finding books that were simple enough for a beginning English learner to comprehend but also age appropriate. I was able to find a lot of nonfiction books and biographies that helped me and that also interested my students, and I tried to steer clear of the ones that had "Grade 2," or "Ages 4-8" stamped on them."

Several responders pointed especially to comic books and graphic novels as a tool for making reading more fun, and a bit easier, for struggling readers.

Kelly Herold (who blogs at Big A little a) reminded me about this recent New York Times article: Superman Finds New Fans Among Reading Instructors. The gist of the article is that "a growing cadre of educators is looking to comics as part of the solution" to literacy problems. The article notes that "Proponents of comics in the classroom say that they can lure struggling readers who may be intimidated by pages crammed with text. They also say that comics, with their visual cues and panel-by-panel sequencing, are uniquely situated to reinforce key elements of literacy, like story structure and tone." There are people who question the appropriateness of comics in the classroom, but it seems clear that comics and graphic novels can be used at home to help struggling readers find stories that they enjoy, and can read a bit more easily than more dense novels.

Parent and school librarian Anna W. also recommends Sports Illustrated for Kids, and adds: "Comic books, comic books, comic books! My fourth grade son loves the new Alex Rider graphic novels, and a series called Tashi (1st or 2nd grade reading, but good enough stories for a 4th grader), and now he's working through Diary of a Wimpy Kid (also 2nd grade-ish level). He also worked his way through some leveled non-fiction (step 2 & step 3) because he was captivated by the topic... If a child is significantly below grade level, have him/her listen to grade-level books on CD. It will help develop the vocabulary and narrative skills they're not getting with reading, and it also helps some with self-esteem, being able to discuss the same books that the stronger readers have read. The trick is to find easy (easier than ability = success, speed and practice) AND interesting. And don't make it a battle -- as long as a child likes the idea of reading, he hasn't given up yet.

And, if you are stuck for book recommendations for boys, Gregory K. reminds us that Guys Read, created by new National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Jon Scieszka, is a must-visit site.

Model Reading Behavior

Another important point about encouraging kids to read is that parents should, if possible, model reading behavior. Parent Libby (who blogs at Lessons from the Tortoise) suggests: "Talk about your reading at the dinner table, go to libraries and bookstores together, let your kids see that you are happy to read, that you get pleasure from it, that it is important to you. Just saying that reading is important won't cut it; kids do what we do, not what we say. And then, maybe, let up a bit. I think some kids freeze up when they sense they're not doing well at something their parents value."

This modeling of reading behavior is especially important for fathers. If the only people boys ever see reading are their mothers and their female teachers, it's very easy for those boys to absorb the message that reading is a feminine activity. But if even some of the time your son sees his father reading instead of watching television, that message goes a long way. Author Barbara Haworth-Attard says that her son "had a special time with Dad which was the half hour before bedtime when he and Dad (and only Dad unless Dad was away) would read together. He did this until he was twelve years old because it was one on one time with Dad, plus Dad did all the voices and they snorted with laughter and it was such a fun time together. I think fun is the key. Make popcorn, get a drink, be consistent in that you do it every night and make it so special kids can hardly wait to read. It also helped that my husband liked reading, too."

Other Concrete Suggestions

Tricia Stohr-Hunt from The Miss Rumphius Effect contributed three suggestions that she likes, all from an article at Reading Rockets:

"* Encourage activities that require reading - Cooking (reading a recipe), constructing a kite (reading directions), or identifying a bird's nest or a shell at the beach (reading a reference book) are some examples.

* Write short notes for your child to read - Write down his/her weekly household responsibilities for him/her to keep track of or put a note in his/her lunch bag.

* Give your child writing materials - Reading and writing go hand in hand. Children want to learn to write and to practice writing. If you make pencils, crayons, and paper available at all times, your child will be more inclined to initiate writing activities on his/her own.

Scroll down to the section on Helping your School Age Child (in the above article) for more ideas."

Make Words into a Game: Charlotte says: "We have a box of words written on pieces of paper, and every so often my son gets them out and makes stories with them. He ends up practicing reading as a result, with the added bonus of writing when he needs new words (and it's good grammar practice too, because of having to choose the right verb form and punctuation marks."

Try Reader's Theater: Author Barbara Bietz suggests: "Reader's theatre can be a fun way for parents to help kids with reading comprehension. After reading together, they can act out portions of the story or a short summary. It can be fun, even silly - and no pressure like a book report."

Visit Your Local Library: Mary Lee Hahn reminds us that regular visits to the library help reinforce the importance of reading.

Make Real-World Connections to Books: Jill T. points out: "It's always helpful if parents can find a way to use books to make real-world connections with things that their children are interested in... If I found that one of my students had a particular interest, I tried to find books about it and then point them to a place where they could actually GO to learn more and experience it first hand. For example, one student loved tigers, and the tiger at the National Zoo gave birth to tiger cubs. I found a fact book about tigers that she was able to read and also pointed her to the website where there was information about the tiger and the cubs."

Be Aware of Possible Learning Differences

If your child is having trouble reading, it may be time to have some tests done, to see if your child needs help.

Gregory K., inventor of the poetic form "the Fib", notes: "it's also a good idea to make sure that there isn't some other issue going on besides just not liking books. By this I mean things simple like a need for glasses or things like dyslexia or other developmental issues. Imagine the frustration for a child who cannot seem to make sense of the words, not knowing that it isn't a lack of intelligence or desire, but rather a slightly different mental wiring!

Most public schools have a reading specialist (in the district, perhaps) or a program where they can test and see if there is an issue. Talking to the teacher (or principal or someone!) is the best first step, in my opinion. (And that'd be true in private schools, too). I'd note that sometimes kids are clever enough that they can mask reading difficulties from the teacher, so you might be doing both teacher and student a HUGE favor if you mention concerns."

Anastasia Suen writes: "I am a former elementary school teacher, a children's book author, and the mother of a child who had a VERY hard time learning how to read. He loved books, that wasn't the problem! It was reading words that was hard. My son has dyslexia. Dyslexia is very common, 1 in 10 people have it. My son is grown up now and runs his own business (something that is also common for dyslexics!) PBS has a GREAT series about kids who find it hard to learn called Misunderstood Minds. The webpage has info about how kids learn and how to find help for kids who have trouble learning. One of the topics is Learning to Read. The Reading Responses page has lots of practical advice!"

Librarian Jenny Schwartzberg adds: "There's a wonderful new book by Maryanne Wolf, Proust and the Squid: the Story and Science of the Reading Brain, which specifically discusses dyslexia. I recommend it for anyone who is interested in how reading developed and why. It's absolutely fascinating reading."

Conclusions

The challenge of helping kids learn to enjoy reading is one that the members of the Kidlitosphere (the community of people who write and blog about children's books) take seriously. While I can't guarantee that this article is exhaustive (in particular, parents may need to find out more about the last topic, learning differences), I can say that these ideas all have the potential to help. In summary, to help your child learn to read and enjoy reading:

• Make reading fun, not work.
• Read aloud to and with your child.
• Let your child read the kinds of books that he or she wants, even if they are non-fiction, and even they aren't officially at your child's grade level. Explore a broad range of genres, including graphic novels.
• Model reading behavior yourself.
• Look for other activities, like going to the library, and performing reader's theater, that make reading enjoyable and relevant.
• Be aware of possible learning differences and vision difficulties that may be compounding the problem.

If you do these things, consistently and patiently, I truly think that they'll help, and that reading will become more enjoyable to your child. And you'll be able to share wonderful experiences along the way. I welcome your feedback.

Contributors:
Anastasia Suen
Anna W., school librarian and parent
Barbara Bietz
Barbara Haworth-Attard
Charlotte: Charlotte's Library
Gregory K: Gotta Book
Jenny Schwartzberg, librarian (read an interview with Jenny here)
Jill T: The Well-Read Child
Kelly Herold: Big A little a
Libby: Lessons from the Tortoise
Liz Garton Scanlon: LIz in Ink
Mary Lee Hahn: A Year of Reading
Marcie Atkins: World of Words
Sarah: The Reading Zone
Tricia Stohr-Hunt: The Miss Rumphius Effect

A Selection of Further Reading:

• Elissa Gootman, Superman Finds New Fans Among Reading Instructors. New York Times, December 26, 2007.
• Mark A. Yearwood, Boys Miss Out on Joy of Reading. Toronto Star, January 7, 2008.
• Beverly B. Swanson, Encouraging Your Child to Read. Reading Rockets, 1998.
• Jim Trelease, The Read-Aloud Handbook, Sixth Edition. Penguin, 2006. See also Jim's website: http://www.trelease-on-reading.com/, where there are lots of other great resources. Finally, see my notes on a talk by Jim Trelease.
• Philip Charles Crawford, Why Gossip Girl Matters. Horn Book Magazine. January, 2008. See also this list of books published in the last year that entice reluctant teen readers.
• The LD Podcast, about learning and learning disabilities.

A Few Recommended Titles for Reluctant Boy Readers (from Sarah):

• The Cirque du Freak series by Darren Shan
• Oh Yuck! The Encyclopedia of Everything Nasty by Joy Masoff
• The Bone series by Jeff Smith
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney
• Stanford Wong Flunks Big Time by Lisa Yee
• John Feinstein sports mysteries, like Last Show and Last Dance

I'll be cross-posting this post in the comments at PBS Parents Expert Q&A. Many thanks to everyone who has participated in the discussion so far. I look forward to further feedback! Please comment over at PBS if you have additional suggestions, so that more people will see your suggestions. Thanks!

Tonight I will be sending out the new issue of my Growing Bookworms weekly email newsletter. If you would like to subscribe, you can find a sign-up form here. The Growing Bookworms newsletter contains content from my blog focused on children's books and raising readers, all in a handy email format. There are currently 143 subscribers.

This week's issue contains reviews of four books (two for middle grade readers and two for young adults), my children's literacy and reading news round-up, and a Kidlitosphere round-up with links to useful posts from the week. I also have an announcement about the second round of Cybils shortlists (all of which you can download via a convenient PDF file), a lovely quote about children's literature, an overview post about the selection of the new National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, and an announcement about my guest position as an expert on the PBS Parents website. Content from the blog not included in this week's newsletter includes:

• A press release about the Cybils award short lists.
• An announcement that the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation is now accepting grant proposals from public schools and libraries.
• A press release detailing the winners of the 2008 Sydney Taylor Book Awards, given by the Association of Jewish Libraries.
• A more detailed announcement about the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, and his early plans for the position.

The Growing Bookworms newsletter will continue to contain a subset of content already included on my blog, Jen Robinson's Book Page, for readers who may not choose to visit the blog every day. It is also my hope that parents, authors, teachers, librarians, and other adult fans of children's books, people who may not visit blogs regularly, or at all, will learn about and subscribe to the newsletter. If you could pass it along to any friends or colleagues who you think would be interested, I would be very grateful.

Thanks for reading, and for growing bookworms. I hope that you'll stop by and see me at the PBS Parents: Expert Q&A this month.

The last four Cybils short lists were announced this morning, in:

• Young Adult Fiction
• Nonfiction Picture Books
• Graphic Novels
• Middle Grade/YA Nonfiction

These are amazing lists, and I highly recommend that you head over, check out the lists, and consider buying or checking out some of the books from your local library today. You can also read more about the short lists in the Orlando Sentinel Parenting Blog (thanks, Sandra).

As committee organizer, I would like to especially thank the MG/YA Nonfiction nominating committee for their hard work. The fabulous committee members included:

• Mindy (Propernoun.net)
• Susan Thomsen (Chicken Spaghetti)
• Vivian (HipWriterMama)
• Becky (Farm School at Home)
• KT Horning (Worth the Trip)

As a judge on the Young Adult Fiction committee, I'd also like to thank the YA nominating committee members for providing such a wonderful short list. I can't wait to get started reading these books, and discussing them with my fellow judges. Thanks to:

• Stacy DeKeyser
• Trisha (The YaYaYas)
• Anne Heidemann (Librarianne)
• Charlotte Taylor (Charlotte's Library)
• Becky Laney (Becky's Book Reviews)
• Eisha (Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast)
• Jackie Parker (Interactive Reader)

And of course, thanks to our esteemed Cybils founders and co-chairs, Anne Boles Levy and Kelly Herold, and our independent bookseller coordinator Sheila Ruth, who have both been working tirelessly behind the scenes to keep everything running smoothly. Today is a great day in Cybils-land, and I hope that all of you can find short list titles to enjoy.

There's a variety of news this week about children's books and raising readers. Of course the biggest literacy news in the US this week is about Jon Scieszka's selection as the first National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. Articles can be found at Voice of America ("Scieszka himself says that young people have to be reminded that reading is fun and can be an interactive, enjoyable experience, not a chore"), the Washington Post, Newsweek (includes an interview with Scieszka), and the New York Times ("Mr. Scieszka said that above all he hoped to encourage parents and teachers to support whatever reading their kids want to do"). This is a major story, and I'm thrilled that the US has a National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. But there are other stories out there, too, mostly consisting of encouraging news.

• Sara Lewis Holmes forwarded to me some information about a North Carolina literacy project organized by Donna Koppelman. Donna is arranging, for her second year, a Bedtime Story Night at a local K-2 school, one where many parents do not have a strong background in literacy. Donna said: "It's a literacy event that focuses on reading to and with children. The kids wear their pajamas and go to about a dozen different stations where they experience bedtimes stories of all different genres and flavors from singing and dancing to sign language to the mayor reading Dr. Seuss." She's looking for donations of books, bookmarks, author-signed postcards, etc., as door prizes for the event. She notes: "We also have a big Spanish-speaking populations, so donations in that genre (would be) helpful, as well. Anything related to illustrating is cool, too, b/c these kids really love the idea of illustrating at this age. We also do a used book exchange, so anything gently used and appropriate for elementary age kiddos is welcome." If you would like to donate to this program, contact Donna via email for more details. And I'm sure that Donna wouldn't mind if you decided to copy this idea in your own local elementary school. Anything that shows parents the importance of bedtime stories is well worth the time, in my opinion.
• By contrast, the Wilton Villager carried a sad article from Kansas City, MO about the decline in bedtime reading. The article discusses the evidence in favor of reading to children, as well as the results of the recent "Reading Across the Nation" study.
• I learned from an article in the Cape Breton Post that a documentary about Dolly Parton's children's literacy efforts is in the works. "The one-hour documentary is being produced by Sydney native Brad Horvath for Halifax-based Emotion Pictures, in association with Horvath’s own company, Amygdala Pictures. “The documentary is two-fold,” said Horvath, who serves as producer on the project. “(It) will show another side of Dolly and shed light on the importance of reading to preschool children. We hope it will also inspire people to get involved in this initiative.”"
• NovaNewsNow.com (Nova Scotia) has an article about local family literacy programs sponsored by the Hants Learning Network. "The school programs, for parents of P-6 students, gives tips on how to help your child with reading and writing and gives quality children’s books for your at-home library. Studies have shown that in families who spend time on literary activities, children are more likely to be successful at school, have increased confidence and problem-solving skills." Way to go, Nova Scotia!
• According to the Bemidji Pioneer (MN), local performance artist Sneaky the Clown kicked off a local library's season via a comedy performance that focused on "The Magic of Reading". The article says: "“I learned all my magic from books,” Sneaky told the children, showing them several books she had on hand." I like programs that make reading fun. 
• Tri-Town News (New Jersey) has a nice feature article about a local children's literacy program by which senior citizen volunteers read aloud to elementary school children. "The volunteers' goal is to enhance literacy, develop relationships with the children and to encourage them to interact and perhaps participate in a discussion."
• The Fond du Lac Reporter (Wisconsin) has a lifestyle article by Sharon Roznik about a literacy initiative at the local high school that includes broad dissemination of posters showing high school teachers and employees reading. ""Fondy Reads is role-modeling for our students," (Principal) Merwin said. "Adults in the building who hold literacy in high regard are anxious to impart its importance. We read and speak in the formal and consultative register, and we want to get more students to write and speak with that kind of extended vocabulary."" I love this program. I have a college professor friend who was on a READ poster for the State of Maine, and I thought it was very cool.
• Students at a Michigan elementary school have been making a literacy quilt that features their favorite books. According to an article in the Lansing State Journal, the idea was to come up with another way for kids to express what they've read. "It quickly evolved into each classroom choosing its favorite story, with students in each classroom taking the lead on the design of their quilt square. Students were involved in every aspect of the quilt's design, including the choice of which fabrics they would use on their square." My Mom would love it!

And that's all for this week. Happy reading!

Here in my house today, we're celebrating Armenian Christmas (no, I'm not Armenian, but Mheir is, and this is a big holiday in his church). In other houses, however, people have been getting back to blogging, now that the majority of the holidays are past. So I have lots of Kidlitosphere news for you this weekend.

• First and most important, congratulations to the newest readergirlz postergirl: Vivian from HipWriterMama! I'm so thrilled to have her joining the group, and I know that she'll be an excellent contributor to the readergirlz mission of connecting teen girls with great books. You can read the announcement on the readergirlz MySpace page (look for forum topic Our Newest Postergirl), and offer her your congratulations there.
• This week's Poetry Friday roundup can be found at A Year of Reading. Also, as I mentioned previously, Mary Lee and Franki had a four-day party at A Year of Reading this week, celebrating their two year blog anniversary. My favorite post was from day 4, from which I learned that January is "Hot Tea Month". Now there is a useful piece of information. I'm still suffering the lingering effects of my New Year's cold, and dedicating the whole month to drinking tea sounds like a pretty good idea.
• Bottom Shelf Books has a funny post about the little-known impact of the screen writer's strike on picture book production. Without professional writers you get things like this version of Make Way for Ducklings: "Mr. and Mrs. Mallard were looking for a place to live. Boston seemed like a nice place, so that's where they lived. Next to a Dunkin' Donuts." It made me laugh. Click through for more.
• The Kane/Miller blog recently carried a list of Resolutions for Raising a Reader, adapted from a post by Elizabeth Kennedy at About.com: Children's Books. The list is filled with great, concrete ideas, like "Take your children to the library once a week." It's well worth checking out.
• There are lots of other posts about resolutions and reading plans for 2008, and many of them are interesting. But my two favorite resolution posts come from Ananka's Diary (things like "become dangerous" and "explore the unknown") and What Adrienne Thinks About That (things like "watch plenty of movies" and "read every day").
• Also starting the new year, Jules and Eisha have a new feature going on at 7-Imp. On the first Sunday of every month they'll be featuring a student or newly graduated illustrator looking to break into children's books. This will be part of their regular "7 Kicks" feature (in which they, and many commenters, focus on the seven positive things that happened during the week). This week's illustrator is Ashley Smith, newly graduated from Brigham Young University. Also at 7-Imp, a newly compiled list of all of the 7 Impossible Blogger Interviews conducted to date. If you're new to the Kidlitosphere, perusing this list is a great way to get an introductory look at assorted blogs and bloggers.
• Colleen Mondor muses about what sorts of books teenage boys want to read (or lack of such books) at Chasing Ray. She notes: "It's something to think about, this keeping boys reading business. And I really do believe that they must be targeted as the specific creatures they are. What do boys like as boys - boys of all colors, races, locations, sexualities? What are not their common interests so much as their common traits? What makes boys tick in other words?" Not sure anyone knows the answer to that question, but we do know that Jon Scieszka is working on it.
• Meanwhile, Little Willows just says no to gender bias at Bildungsroman, talking about how, as a bookseller, she works to get boys interested in what might be considered by some to be girl books, and vice versa. She says: "First, I tell the hopeful reader about the story, why I like it, and why I think he or she will like it too. I make book recommendations based on the reader's personality, literacy, and interests, not on the gender of the reader, the writer, or the protagonist." She moves on to specific tactics. 
• Also via Little Willow, Olivia Kidney author Ellen Potter is sponsoring a short story contest for writers age 9 to 13. The deadline is January 14th, so get your young writers working now. First prize is a $100 gift card to Barnes and Noble. The contest page also includes helpful tips for young writers, so it's worth visiting even if your kids don't plan to enter.
• In response to a comment from Sheila Ruth, Sarah Miller re-addresses the issue of parents looking for reading for their "advanced" readers. She offers advice for parents on how to be specific in asking for books for particular young readers. On her own blog, Wands and Worlds, Sheila links to a gifted and reluctant readers catalog, prepared by the owners of an independent book store called The Book Barn. Via Read Roger, the Horn Book also has a new list of books for reluctant readers.
• Monica Edinger shares an announcement about the Children's Literature New England's planned CLNE Colloquy, to be held May 8-11 in Vermont. Speakers include M.T. Anderson, Susan Cooper, Sarah Ellis, Janice Harrington, Arthur A. Levine, Katherine Paterson, Pam Muñoz Ryan, and Brian Selznick.
• If you'll be attending ALA Midwinter in Philadelphia, Liz B. from Tea Cozy and Julie from Reader's Carousel are organizing a KidLit Lunch on Saturday, January 12th. Comment here or here if you are interested in attending.
• Tricia from The Miss Rumphius Effect has started a new blog called Open Wide, Look Inside. She says: "This blog is about throwing open the pages of books and using them to motivate and excite kids about learning math, science and social studies. I am taking this blog journey with my students, an enthusiastic bunch of men and women preparing to become elementary school teachers." She's started by providing lists of various resources, linked here.
• End of the year book awards and book lists abound. But ratcheting up the creativity, as always, is Betsy Bird with the Golden Fuse Awards. She includes listings like "weirdest cameos" and "best villains" (you'll have to click through to see).
• Susan from Wizards Wireless recently joined Yahoo Answers, where she's answering definitive (as opposed to subjective) questions about the Harry Potter books. I couldn't think of anyone better equipped for this position. And she's clearly having fun with it already (though she welcomes additional questions).
• Over at Makes and Takes, Marie, a former kindergarten teacher, discusses "Reading with the Kiddies". She includes a lovely tongue-twister poem by Richard N. Krogh that captures many of the reasons why English is a difficult language to learn (words that look alike, but sound different, for example). I discovered this post through Marie's thoughtful comments on my PBS Parents post. Many, many thanks to those of you who took time to click through and comment over there.   

That's all for this week. Hope you're all enjoying 2008!

Book: Julia's Kitchen
Author: Brenda Ferber (see her children's blog)
Pages: 160
Age Range: 9-12

Brenda Ferber's debut novel, Julia's Kitchen, isn't quite what I was expecting from the cover (which shows a girl taking a heart-shaped cookie out of the oven). But it is wonderful! Julia's Kitchen is about 11-year-old Cara Segal, and how she and her father cope with the sudden deaths of Cara's mother and younger sister in a house fire. Cara struggles to understand her own feelings, questions a God who could allow something like this to happen, and keeps secrets from her now distant and shell-shocked father. Eventually, however, Cara finds a way to adapt by honoring lessons that her mother taught her, and doing something that she loves and finds valuable.

It's been a long time since a book made me cry like this one did. But they're good tears, tears that come at the end, as Cara is making progress, and connecting with the people left in her life. The first part of the book, when Cara learns about the fire, is shocking, but handled in a gentle manner. Cara is so bewildered that her grief is blunted for the reader. After that the sadness is mingled with day to day activities, and eventually with fond memories, and is never too much for the reader to bear.

Julia's Kitchen won the 2007 Sydney Taylor Book Award, which recognizes the best in Jewish children's literature. Cara's Jewishness is an essential part of the story. The community from their local Synagogue supports Cara and her father in their tragedy. They follow the Jewish customs of mourning. Cara analyzes her feelings about God, in light of the events. She misses the food-related rituals that her mother celebrated, and eventually learns from her grandmother how to make challah. The details about Cara's family's Jewish customs are organic to the story, never over-explained or feeling "educational". The funeral details, in particular, give Cara, and the reader, something to focus on besides sadness. Here's an example:

"We weren't allowed to get any food for ourselves or help with the dishes or anything. Friends and relatives did it all. We didn't have to greet anyone or say thank you either. I liked those customs." (Page 24)

This is a book that truly touches the heart, in part because of the subject matter, and in part because Cara feels so real. Brenda Ferber has a knack for conveying the voice of an eleven-year-old girl, with straightforward language, and realistic concerns. There's a storyline in which Cara and her best friend, Marlee, have a fight, and that fight has just the right degree of emotional importance, relative to the larger events of the story. I like that Marlee doesn't treat Cara with kid gloves, and that Cara's dad isn't perfect. But the best part of the book, for me, is the way that Cara's joy bubbles forth, in spite of her grief, when she does what her mother loves, and feels her mother in her heart.

"All at once I felt my whole body tingle. I knew it seemed crazy, but I felt as if Mom were there with me in the kitchen. No, not just in the kitchen, but inside of me, helping me along." (Page 108)

Despite the pitch-perfect 11-year-old voice and well-rounded characters, I wouldn't recommend Julia's Kitchen for everyone. It is quite a tear-jerker, and younger kids might find it too difficult to read about the loss of a parent AND a sibling in a realistic setting (loss is easier to tolerate in a fantasy environment, I think). But for anyone who can handle a bit of sadness, and likes a good cry now and then, Julia's Kitchen is not to be missed. Pair it with Bridge to Terebithia, snuggle up on your couch, and keep some tissues ready. You won't be disappointed. This one is a keeper.

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication Date: March 2006
Source of Book: A review copy from the author
Awards: This book won the 2007 Sydney Taylor Book Award for Older Readers. The Sydney Taylor Book Award recognizes the best in Jewish children's literature. 
Other Blog Reviews: Young Readers (also posted at Deliciously Clean Reads), Chasing Ray, A Readable Feast, Cynsations
Author Interviews: GregLSBlog, Prairie Wind