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Our guest blogger today is author Tony Medina, whose book “DeShawn Days”, from Lee & Low Books, is part of First Book’s Stories For All Project.

“As a child in the Throgs Neck Housing Projects in the Bronx, I did not grow up with books. The only person I saw reading was my grandmother, who occasionally read mass-market paperback fiction and her Bible that was as big as a phone book. If the Bible fell from the top of the dresser where she kept it, it could take your kneecap off and crush your foot in the process! The only time I recall being exposed to children’s books was at school when the teacher took us to the school library and the librarian allowed us to take out Curious George books.

It was as an adult that I really began to appreciate children’s books. I remember being fascinated by the marriage of art and text. The stories and poems were depicted so beautifully and richly that it seemed as if they blended together seamlessly, creating a world by which even adults would be captivated. I knew right then that I wanted to be part of that magic. I thought, if I as a grownup can be taken with the majesty of these portable art galleries and museums, children must truly love them.

Soon after, I began buying children’s books and taking some out from the library. I not only found myself interested in the wonderful stories and poems, I wanted to teach myself how to write them—by reading them. The more I browsed through shelves in bookstores and libraries, the more I noticed that many of the books I came across did not speak to or from the point of view of a kid like me from the projects. I yearned to read about what a child from the ’hood had to say about his life and his world. I remember reading an interview with the African American novelist and Noble Prize-winner Toni Morrison, She said she wrote the books she wanted to read. That nugget of wisdom stayed with me as I made my way to fulfilling my dream of becoming a writer.

By the time I decided to write my own children’s books, a child’s voice began to present itself in my mind. It belonged to a kid named DeShawn Williams, and he was talking about his life growing up in the projects. Not surprisingly, his words seemed to mirror my experiences as a child. Poems in DeShawn’s voice began to take hold of me and I began to write them down. Before I knew it, DeShawn was telling me about the people he loved and lived with: his mother, who was in college; his grandmother, who helped raise him; his uncle, who stood-in for his absent father; his cousin Tiffany, who was like his sister, even though they fought like crazy; and his best friend from school, Johnny Tse, who taught him Karate, which he assumed was from China, but finds out was from Japan. Thus, DeShawn Days, my first book for children, was born.

There was no greater feeling than to see the publication of DeShawn Days, which was initially embraced in manuscript form by my editor and subsequently published by multicultural children’s book publisher, Lee & Low Books. At that time, no books like DeShawn Days were around. The only thing that topped seeing DeShawn Days out in the world was sharing it with children, particularly children who came from a world similar to DeShawn’s. I remember encountering a youngster who had the same name—DeShawn—who was also being raised by his grandmother. This boy exclaimed about me, the author, “How does he know about my life?”

This experience made me realize in a real way, outside of my own literary aspirations, the power of books: how they can matter and make a profound difference in a child’s life, especially when they speak to and from the child’s own experiences and validate his or her life.”

To learn more about our awesome Stories For All Project partner, Lee & Low Books, check out their blog.

The post The Stories for All Project: African American Author Tony Medina on Connecting Multicultural Books with Children of Color appeared first on First Book Blog.

Our guest bloggers today are students from Holy Family Catholic School located in Toronto, Canada. Holy Family is an elementary school that recently signed up with First Book Canada, and they’ve already received over 1,000 books for their small school.

Forget the electronic games, nothing beats spending time with a fun book. That’s what the students at Holy Family Catholic School discovered when First Book Canada donated a variety of exciting books to the students of the school.

“I like the books I got because the topics were interesting,” said Daniel, a third-grade student at Holy Family. “My books were Traitor’s Gate, Ancient Rome and Medieval Times. These books are my favourites. Thank you First Book Canada, I hope you will send more cool books to us.”

The books included fiction as well as nonfiction catering to readers of various reading levels and ages.  The older students at Holy Family shared in the joy of reading and were similarly appreciative.

“First Book Canada has given kids around Canada an opportunity to read different books on different topics,” said Micah, a sixth-grade student. “Every book tells a story. Even kids from JK were given a chance to get a head start on reading. Most importantly, First Book Canada has let us learn information we never knew before. Thank you for giving our school a chance to turn the TV off and open a book.”

The post Students at Holy Family Catholic School Receive Over 1,000 Books appeared first on First Book Blog.

Today’s blog post is from Jenny Helber. Jenny is a parent volunteer at Bonne Ecole Elementary School located in Slidell, Louisiana. She has created an initiative entitled the ‘Twelve Books program’ at her children’s school. The program ensures that the children in her community have the access to books they need to succeed.

How does a school address the “summer slump” and ensure that when the school’s doors are closed, the opportunity to read is not closed as well?  Bonne Ecole Elementary in Slidell, Louisiana came up with the idea to create the Twelve Books program which gives emergent readers twelve self-selected books to take home and keep on the last day of school.

Funding this project on a small budget and relying on outside support were the biggest challenges faced in the initial year. Thanks to First Book and funds raised from grants and community donations, Bonne Ecole’s Twelve Books program served 130 students (every first grader), distributing 1,561 books for a total cost of $3,300.

Highlights from the first year of Twelve Books’ included a week of celebrity readers, a book fair, and the year-end Twelve Books for Kids event where students received a bag of books in the style of an Oprah show giveaway.

According to first grade teacher Susan Schwaner, “you cannot imagine the incredible anticipation, excitement, and desire of the students to have twelve books of their own to read over the summer.”

The impact of giving kids access to books is demonstrated in feedback from parent Diane Ripley who said her son, “was so excited to show me the books he chose…and this is my son who ‘hates to read’ as he says almost every time he has to read.”

If you want to make the kind of difference Jenny made at your local school, talk to your child’s teacher, librarian or reading specialist about First Book and help them get signed up today!

Today’s guest blog post is an excerpt from avid reader, Jacquelyn Adams. She is currently in medical school where she is pursuing her dream of becoming a doctor. Education has always been an important issue for Jacquelyn. She lends her support to this issue by raising money for First Book through a virtual book drive in which she created for her love of reading.

Reading has been an enormous part of my life for as long as I can remember. I used to get sent to the principal’s office in third grade for leaving my desk to hide in the corner of the room and finish my latest Box Car Children Mystery. Without the novels of my childhood, I have no idea what my life would be like. I grew up in a world of stories, adventures, romances, and mythical creatures. It is why I am who I am today.

Last semester, I heard a story that brought me to tears. One of the surgeons I was shadowing was talking about a story he saw online. It was about a program called First Book that had come to southern West Virginia and was helping provide books to children in need. He said that over half of the middle schoolers in that area had never owned their own book. I was blown away.

By seventh grade, I had multiple bookshelves filled to the brim and more overdue library books than a thesis student. How could a seventh grader not far from my front door not own a single book? I asked him as much, and he said “That is why you are in medical school and they are struggling to graduate high school.”

Every time I think about this conversation, I feel guilt and determination. Every child deserves the joy of reading. Every child deserves the chance to live in a world of stories, adventures, romances, and mythical creatures. Every child deserves his or her own first book. That is why I am starting this fundraising page. I hope you all can help, and I hope you will choose to get involved with First Book.

Jacquelyn aimed to raise $200 through a virtual book drive and has already succeeded in reaching her goal. Just like Jacquelyn, you or anyone you know can create a virtual book drive to support First Book in an effort to get books to children in need.

Today’s guest blog post is from Ann Shaw, Director of Philanthropy for Pi Beta Phi Fraternity. Ann has held this volunteer role for the past six years. She received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Arkansas and her Master’s in Education from the University of New Orleans. Ann taught for over 25 years as an early childhood teacher and is passionate about literacy.

Ann Shaw, Director of Philanthropy for Pi Beta Phi Fraternity

In 1987, the U.S. Congress designated March as Women’s History Month to ensure that the history of American women would be recognized and celebrated in schools, work places and communities throughout the country.

Pi Beta Phi Fraternity for Women was founded in 1867 by 12 students at Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois who were the pioneers of the women’s fraternal movement. While our country was rebuilding after the Civil War, few women attended college. The women of Pi Beta Phi were visionaries of their time not only because they founded the Fraternity and patterned it after the men’s fraternal organizations of that time, but also because they were philanthropically minded and wished to better society.

Pi Beta Phi members continued their philanthropic interests by creating a school in 1912 in the remote Appalachian Mountain hamlet of Gatlinburg, Tennessee to provide formal education. In November 2012, Pi Beta Phi members celebrated 100 years of literacy service in Gatlinburg. From their original mission to the continuing legacy of Pi Beta Phi Elementary School and the Arrowmont^® School of Arts and Crafts, Pi Beta Phis are proud of their commitment to literacy not only in Gatlinburg but across the United States and Canada.

Kyle Zimmer, president and CEO of First Book, reads to girls at a local DC program

In the next 100 years, Pi Phi’s Read. Lead. Achieve.^® literacy platform will continue to provide direction for Pi Phi’s mission “to lead the way to a more literate society” through its partnership with First Book, Champions are Readers program, Arrow in the Arctic, Fraternity Day of Service and local initiatives.

Kyle Zimmer, president and CEO of First Book, is a visionary too, as she had the dream to put books into the hands of undeserved children through the inception of First Book. Both organizations work to end illiteracy and realize the importance of reading and how it is a predictor of success in school and life.

Both organizations work to end illiteracy and realize the importance of reading and how it is a predictor of success in school and life.

Pi Phi strives to lead the way to a more literate society and has supported First Book’s mission financially and through the volunteer efforts of our members. First Book and Pi Beta Phi are making a difference in the lives of children through their philanthropic efforts to create rich literacy environments, improve interest in reading and encourage children to be readers.

While we celebrate the accomplishments of women during National Women’s History Month, let us remember not only the women who have made significant accomplishments to better society but those women who read to their children, surround their children with books and encourage their children to love reading.

Pi Phi recently made a special edition of the title, Remember the Ladies: 100 Great American Women available to First Book’s schools and programs. If you work with kids from low-income families, sign your program or classroom up with First Book.

Yesterday morning, Andrew Meyer, the operations manager for the First Book Marketplace, sent an email to the First Book staff sharing his thoughts about a young foreign service officer killed in Afghanistan while bringing books to children in need.

I was touched by Andrew’s email, and asked him if I could share it on the First Book blog.

Anne Smedinghoff (Photo from washingtonpost.com)

Many of you probably heard that six Americans were killed in a suicide attack in Afghanistan this past Saturday. It seems that we have something in common with at least one of them: Anne Smedinghoff, a 25-year-old foreign service officer from Chicago. Anne was killed while delivering textbooks to children at a school.

Certainly we’re far from the chaos of Afghanistan, but I can’t help but feel a kinship with this young woman. I know as well as anyone that this business — this business of doing good — can be extremely challenging: long hours, increasing demand, lower salaries, uncertain funding sources, etc.

But never forget that we are all doing our part to increase knowledge and level the playing field. We are contributing to a movement that will have an impact centuries from now.

I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on life since my wife’s passing back in September and I know that when my time comes I hope to be comforted by the fact that I’ve done my part to make the world just a little bit better.

The post Young Diplomat Killed While Bringing Books to Kids appeared first on First Book Blog.

Teacher Appreciation Week provides us with the opportunity to celebrate great teachers who change lives and inspire young people to reach for their dreams. First Book is especially grateful to teachers who work tirelessly to fight illiteracy and  introduce children to the joy of  of reading.

In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, we asked our guest blogger, Sabrina Stevens Shupe, to share her advice on how to inspire students to discover the joy of reading. Shupe is a teacher, writer, and education activist in Colorado. She has worked with students in struggling communities in Philadelphia and Denver, and currently works with grassroots education movements around the country.

I’m sure it’s not surprising to hear a teacher say this, but I absolutely love books. Some of my earliest and fondest memories of childhood involve reading: being read to by my parents and teachers, cuddling with a book while the weather was too bad to play outside (or even when it wasn’t!), sharing a book with my sister or a friend. I still enjoy those things today, and feel a little rush of endorphins whenever I step into a library or smell fresh pages as I enter a bookstore. 

When I first started teaching reading two and a half years ago, I began with some questions: Why do we read? Why is reading important?

I was so depressed when I heard my students’ first responses. “Because that’s what we’re supposed to do in school.” “To get a good grade.” “Because we’re told to.” “To pass a test.” Clearly, reading had become a “have to” instead of a “want to”—which isn’t surprising given how hard it is for working families to find time to read together these days (when the parents can themselves read, which isn’t always the case), and the resurgence of boring, often humiliating, drill-(and-time-and-graph!)and-kill methods of reading instruction.

It was clear I had my work cut out for me—we needed some positive, fulfilling experiences with books!

After lots of read alouds (one of my favorite things to do!), Readers Theater, buddy reading, and book clubs, here are some of the better answers we discovered.

We read because…

• Reading, and being read to, open us up to experiences we may never be able to have in real life. In real life, money or time or physical constraints might keep us from traveling to the Moon, or around the world, or backwards and forwards in time. But we can go to all of these places in books, stretching our minds in the process.
• Reading makes us think and see things in new ways. By looking at different books, examining characters, or reading multiple perspectives on the same topics or events, we learn about new things, and learn how to consider multiple perspectives and possibilities. That helps us not only become better readers and students, but better theoreticians, better problem-solvers, better friends, better family members, and better community members.
• Reading helps us escape when times are tough, and celebrate when times are good. Reading is a great way to take your mind off of your own problems in life, or commemorate special events by reading about how others greet those same events.
• Reading teaches us how to write. By reading the writing of accomplished writers, we learn about how to effectively tell a story or impart information. Mentor texts are powerful tools for learning how to do everything fro
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Today’s guest blog post is from Sheila Frye (teachingliteracy):

Short Bio: Sheila has been in education for over thirteen years serving as a Special Educator, Gifted and Talented Teacher, Reading Teacher, Reading Specialist, and Adjunct Professor of graduate education. A lifelong lover of reading, Sheila is currently a doctorate candidate studying the relationship between literacy learning and technology.

Books.

Some may think they are merely printed words inked onto pieces of white paper.

But to a child, they can be so much more.

Research shows that children who grow up in print-rich environments and have access to high-quality books fair better academically in school. They are more self-confident learners and believe in the power of exploration and imagination.

Unfortunately, many families in low-income areas often lack money to buy books, and all families, including those in high-income ones, typically do not frequent their local libraries. The result? Stunted literacy development and a missed opportunity to be a lifelong reader.

Organizations like First Book are “putting books in the hands of children who need them the most.” First Book works tirelessly to make books available in homes, classrooms, and programs in North America and end illiteracy once and for all.

Interested in learning more about this valuable organization? Just click here.

Today’s guest blog post comes from Ron Rauss,  an author, illustrator, and published photographer.  Ron lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and son. He was announced as the 2010 Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories New Author Contest Grand Prize winner in March 2011 and will have his first picture book “Can I Just Take A Nap?” published by Simon and Schuster in 2012.

Last October I received an extra treat with my Halloween goodies.  Not just another chocolate bar or bag of candy corn, this treat came in the form of a phone call from General Mills letting me know that I had won the grand prize in the Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories New Author Contest.  I remember thinking that someone must be playing a Halloween trick on me, I loved my story but could it really be the big winner? It was no trick; Can I just Take a Nap? (a story inspired by my son Aiden) was chosen from over 8,000 contest entries and the manuscript would be reviewed by Simon & Schuster.  Wow, does it get any better than that?

Believe me when I tell you that it does.  In mid December I received another special call; this time it was from an editor with S & S and an early Christmas present, a publishing deal for my story. What a wonderful way to end 2010 and bring in a new year.

 Six months later the excitement of the big win has not worn off and I still have to pinch myself now and then to make sure it’s not all a dream.  The only negative is that I have to wait until next spring for the best part.  That’s when my book will debut in paperback free inside millions of boxes of Cheerios^®, giving kids all over the country the opportunity to enjoy the book before the hardcover edition ever hits the bookstores.  It’s the part of the contest that is really special and reminds me why I started writing for children in the first place.  I write to make children happy, I write for the smiles, and because of First Book and General Mills Can I Just Take a Nap? will be responsible for millions of smiles in 2012 (I have my fingers crossed!).  That’s what I call an overwhelming success.

There are many ways for authors to judge whether their books are successful or not.  Sales figures, critic reviews and literary awards are just a few.  These things are all nice and they can give writers the validation needed to create day to day in a world filled with constant rejection. But in the grand scheme of things these numbers, opinions and medals are secondary to the enjoyment and wonder of a child.  All the other things are just icing on the cake.  With the Spoonfuls of Stories contest you can have the best of both worlds, helping get books to kids who need them while fulfilling your dreams of becoming a published, award winning author. Not to mention the pride of being associated with a wonderful organization like First Book whose main goal is to get new books to schools and programs that serve low-income children.  

The contest is open for submissions now at spoonfulsofstoriescontest.com, but only until July 15^th.  So put on your creative thinking caps and get to work, your story could be the reason for millions of smiles in 2013 and the biggest will belong to you.

Passionate about literacy? Want to share your thoughts on literacy issues? Have literacy tips that you want to share? Then we want you!

The First Book Blog is always interested in featuring fresh and exciting new voices on our blog. In particular, we are looking for dynamic writers who are interested in blogging about literacy issues in a weekly column for the First Book Blog.

If you are an educator or “thought leader” who thinks that you have what it takes,  please email rjeffrey@firstbook.org with a brief bio and a link to your blog. Feel free to pass this along to anyone you think would be interested in lending their voice to our blog.

Happy blogging!

Today’s guest blogger is Laura Geringer, beloved children’s book author and one of First Book’s favorite people.

Last night First Book’s Chandler Arnold and I attended the final exciting performance of Cover to Cover, a lively collection of seven brief musicals all based on children’s books available on the First Book Marketplace, including my own book, A Three Hat Day.

My hope is that the many children who receive and read this special twenty-fifth anniversary edition of my book through First Book will learn to love reading as much as I do and that books will become a very important part of their lives.

The show was created and produced by the Kaufman Center’s Summer Theater Workshop, directed by Sean Hartley, and performed in Merkin Hall, here in New York City. For twenty years, the Kaufman Center has been commissioning new playwrights and songwriters to create short child-friendly plays and songs. Like First Book, this non-profit organization is dedicated to enriching the lives of children from all walks of life through the magic of storytelling.

To quote one of the beautiful songs in last night’s new stage adaptation of A Three Hat Day, a reading a book can be like “Opening a door / where there never was a door before.”

We hope this first collaboration of First Book and the Kaufman Center will pave the way for future programs that offer music, art and story to more and more children throughout the nation, and that bring families together with authors, artists, educators and community members in a celebration of the joy of reading.

During National Aerospace Week, First Book is sharing stories about science and engineering from some of our friends at Lockheed Martin, sponsors of First Book’s Springboard to STEM program. Today’s guest blogger is Ray Burick, Vice President of P-3 Programs and Greenville Operations, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company. 

 

Airplanes. Space shuttles. Drones. Satellites. Space stations. Fighters. Cargo planes. Commercial jets. Stealth technology.

The aerospace industry is not only fascinating, but is also the very definition of cutting edge technology. Aerospace is challenging, innovative, progressive and dynamic.  And, it impacts so many other industries.  Just imagine how different our lives and world would be without contributions from the aerospace industry.
From a larger picture, the aerospace industry brings the world closer together ? literally ? with the products that it produces.  It also ensures that the freedoms we value as a country are there for future generations.

From a career perspective, the aerospace industry offers growth and challenges to the people it employs. My first job involved installing engines into new aircraft designs.  Today, I have the privilege of overseeing operations for one of the world’s most unique and vital aircraft ? the P-3 Orion.

Each job I’ve had as an aerospace engineer has come with a certain set of responsibilities.  Not only has each role expanded my knowledge of an aircraft, it also enabled me to manage teams, budgets, logistics and operations in varying degrees.  Everything I learned from working with a small team of engineers, I use every day in working with the entire P-3 team that includes more than 1,300 individuals.

Being a part of the aerospace industry offers you the chance to gain experience from day one on the job. You have access to a variety of jobs, from conceptual design to supporting aircraft on missions once they are delivered to the customer.  I remind myself daily that not a lot of other industries have such a range of career opportunities like the ones found in the aerospace community.
I love my career.  I wouldn’t change it for the world.  My hope for the future of my industry is that today’s students are as amazed by the possibilities of working in aerospace as I am.  If you want to literally help shape and design the future, check out what the aerospace industry can offer you.  I can promise you that you’ll never run out of opportunities to literally shoot for the moon ? and beyond.

Today’s guest blogger is Laura Geringer, beloved children’s book author and one of First Book’s favorite people.

First Book goes to Broadway! It’s gratifying to announce the highly successful completion of the first stage of First Book’s partnership with the Kaufman Center. The collaboration gave rise this summer to a pilot program of seven colorful and comical musicals for children, all based on children’s books available from First Book’s online Marketplace store.

In the lineup were “The True Story of the Three Little Pigs” by Jon Scieszka, “Chrysanthemum” by Kevin Henkes, “Kenny and the Dragon” by Tony DiTerlizzi, and my own “A Three Hat Day“.

The show was called “Cover to Cover”, and was a tribute to the power of storytelling in our lives. It was tremendously moving to me as over a hundred children sang the lyrics to the closing song:

There will always be a new book to discover
And the books I love
will always be
A part of me …

Through this new partnership with The Kaufman Center, First Book makes its theatrical debut on stage, bringing books into the lives of children in need through story and song.

Today’s guest blog post is by Teneasha Pierson. Teneasha is a proud alum of Howard University and has recently accepted an invitation to serve as a Health Education volunteer with the Peace Corps in Kenya. Find out more at www.teneashapierson.com.

At six years old, I was the princess of a magic kingdom eponymously named “Teneashaland”. I started my day greeting animals while skipping through the glittery, hot pink paths of the forest. I feasted on cotton candy plucked from the sky, and after a full day of presiding over my kingdom, I slept on a super-sized pillow made of the super soft fluff that fills teddy bears.

Teneasha Pierson

I loved fairy tales. Fairy tales taught me that I could overcome. They taught me that strength of character was a critical factor in my success. Most importantly, they gave me hope that my potential was not limited by my environment or my lack of possessions.

This lesson was priceless and changed the trajectory of my life.

I grew up in Oakland, CA in the eighties when Oakland transitioned from the progressive home of the Black Panthers to a major hub of the crack epidemic. My neighborhood unraveled quickly.

Despite my circumstances, education was always presented as a way to avoid the pitfalls of my community. In my home and in my neighborhood my love of reading was nurtured. I wore wire-framed glasses very similar to Simon the Chipmunk and was equipped with a backpack filled with the greats: Dr. Seuss and a selection of the Disney classics, among others. I was a princess in my mind and in my community I was considered a scholar.

As I grew older, I hung up my tiara but I held tightly to the contents of my backpack.

Education and reading has made good on every promise it made. I was the first college graduate from my family and my community. I have had the opportunity to work in the fields of public policy, public health, intellectual property law and I will soon have the opportunity to serve in Kenya with the Peace Corps.

Books can change lives and inspire hope. I am proof of that.

We have come quite a long way since our New Orleans outreach and the mileage is only a small part of it.  This leg of the trip has been a true testament to hospitality and the willingness of complete strangers to step up and pitch in. This trip is surely becoming the story of the power that reading and books have to unify people, people who otherwise may have never met.

After leaving the Big Easy we made our way toward Houston Texas. We stayed the night with a family we had met in Tampa through the Head Start program there. The Bolden family has been part of Bess’ Page Pals program since they moved to Houston last year.  We have known them for four years. Seeing them was a joy. 

It was a pleasure to sit around the dinner table as part of the family discussing the books that I had read to the four of them through the years and the ones they still had, and treasured. It was even more exciting to have these kids giving my sister and me advice and recommendations on great authors and thrilling reads. Dinner was wonderful. After dinner, we all went out to Bess the Book Bus so they could pick a variety of books to get them through summer. They were so excited. A couple of the books they chose finished collections they have been working on.

Our next stop was Mesa, AZ.  Our author friend Sabine Goldman had set up three schools for us to visit.  Peralta Trails Elementary had collected over 400 books for Bess to distribute at two less fortunate schools. Longfellow, Elem. and Four Peaks Elem. What a wonderful group of kids these were. They were so excited to show us the books they chose to donate. It was obvious that they worked very hard to help their neighbors. Again, a love of reading has a way to unite people, and kids are more powerful than most adults dare to imagine. I think our future is in good hands, especially if we allow kids to start helping now.

The kids at Longfellow and Four Peaks were wonderful. We were able to meet over 1,000 very enthusiastic young readers. They were beaming as they waiting in line to get on the bus and were all anxious to tell us how much they read and what their favorite books are. One boy inquired as to the price of the books. “How much are the books?” he asked. When we told him they were free his face lit up. “Whew, because I don’t have any money and my mom doesn’t get paid till next week” he exclaimed.  I wish we could have given him 100 books.

Next, we had an event at Changing Hands Books in Tempe, Az. What an incredible store. I think I could spend a week in there. Brandi and the staff had done a book drive that collected over 600 books for Bess. They also honored Bess as a special story time guest and invited three schools to come get free books.  Kids never cease to amaze me with their enthusiasm for a good story and a book to keep.

That night we were invited to participate in a poetry slam at Queens Pizza in downtown Mesa. It was my first, and the crowd was full of pros.  I made it through three rounds coming in 4^th of 4! What an honor as I was quite out of my league. As the The Klute, the MC for the slam had made announcement about Bess the Book Bus prior to the event and explained that as the reason a non-local was allowed to compete, Bill- the winner, decided to give the pot to us! He insisted that we use the money ($11 that had been collected in a Kool Aid Man pitcher)to put towards our food costs. Thanks Bill! This was the second impromptu fundraiser in a week for Bess. Reading really is the great unifier.

Friday was to be our final night in town. Much to our amazement Evermore Nevermore one of the coolest stores I have b

Guest Blogger Rachael Walker is the Outreach Consultant for Reading Rockets, a national multimedia initiative which aims to inform and inspire parents, teachers, childcare providers, and others who touch the life of a child by providing comprehensive, accessible information on how to teach kids to read and help those who struggle. Rachael began her career in children’s literacy at Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), has also served as a consultant to the NEA’s Read Across America campaign, and was most recently the Executive Director of Reach Out and Read of Metro DC.

Asian Pacific Heritage Month

At Reading Rockets and its sister site Colorin Colorado, celebrate the family traditions and the rich diversity of Asian and Pacific Americans through books and authors.  Find great books written about a wide range of Asian and Pacific American cultural experiences. Meet authors Janet Wong, who grew up in Los Angeles where she observed the rich community life that comes from many cultures blending together, and Laurence Yep, who writes books that draw from his Chinese American background yet speaks to common feelings and experiences. Reading Rockets’ one-page Parent Tips offer ways for parents to help kids become successful readers and are available in 11 languages, including Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, and Hmong.

The Exquisite Prompt Writing Challenge Continues!

The Three Bears retold, inventions, obituaries, tall tale lunacy, dead words, cliff-hangers, and more! Lemony Snicket (A Series of Unfortunate Events) and Steven Kellogg (Pecos Bill) provide the inspiration for this month’s writing prompts. Give your K-12 students the chance to flex their writing muscles — and win fabulous prizes in the Exquisite Prompt Writing Challenge!

Summer Reading

Watch and learn about some of the best ways to keep kids engaged with learning during the summer break — and avoid the “summer slump” —  in Adventures in Summer Learning, the newest episode of Launching Young Readers, WETA’s award-winning series. Then dig into a virtual beach bag of resources to help families get ready for fun, enriching summertime experiences.  Make sure kids have a summer companion by browsing the 2010 Big Summer Booklist from Reading Rockets.