By: Jenny,
on 4/2/2015
April 2 is International Children’s Book Day – championed throughout the world by the International Board on Books for Young People. IBBY was founded in the years after WW2 in the belief that quality books can promote international understanding and peace. This belief resonates in our own diverse and divided society and underlies the work of IBBY in South Africa. Books, print or electronic, are
By: Jenny,
on 4/13/2010
Announcement and call for papers2nd UNISA Storytelling Festival and Conference on Reading Promotion and Storytelling for Children6-9 October 2010Organised by the Department of Information Science of the University of South Africa and the Children’s Literature Research Unit of the Department.6-8 October: University of South Africa, Pretoria9 October: Polokwane, Limpopo Province (Venue to be
By: Aline Pereira,
on 12/23/2009
On January 5, 2008 acclaimed children’s author Jon Scieszka was announced as the inaugural U.S. National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. This position, named by the Librarian of Congress, was created to raise national awareness of the importance of young people’s literature as it relates to lifelong literacy, education, and the development and betterment of the lives of young people. As his two-year term comes to an end (the next National Ambassador will be announced at the Library of Congress on January 5, 2010!), Jon recently reflected on his experiences as National Ambassador in this article published in the The Huffington Post:
How is it possible? This is my last month as the first National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature – appointed by the Library of Congress and the Children’s Book Council. But I’ve only been to about 33 states and 274 schools, libraries, bookstores, conferences, and festivals in the past two years. And now it’s time to pick a new Ambassador? I still don’t have my Ambassador Attack helicopter.
It has been an incredible run. One of my favorite moments took place in a California school shortly after I was appointed. The kindergarteners made me a beautiful red sash with blue tape letters that spelled A-M-B-A-S-S-A-D-O-R. And then, as I walked into the presentation hall, a group of 5th-graders played an original Ambassador Fanfare, which they had composed, on kettle drum, trumpet, trombone, and xylophone. I put the Fanfare on my iPhone and played it everywhere I went after that.
At an incredibly poor school in Arizona, I got to speak to a very intense group of 3rd-grade writers and illustrators who had never seen any kind of author . . . let alone an Ambassador author. I read some books, talked about the process of writing, explained my job as Ambassador, showed them my official medal, and asked if there were any questions. The first question, from a little girl, was: “Can I try on the medal?”
I loved it. She posed, and I took her picture as Ambassador. Then everyone decided they wanted to try on the medal and be Ambassador for a moment. It was incredibly heart-warming. And you never know what dreams were created that day.
It was great, because the teachers and kids instantly “got” the whole idea of the Ambassador. And they made it even better. I was the same author, but people listened with new interest.
I used my two-year term to work on reaching the reluctant reader: that’s the kid who might be a reader, who could be one, but just isn’t that interested in reading. The new Ambassador will have his or her own program, and ideas on connecting kids with reading. Here is the advice that I have been giving throughout my tenure:
* Let each child choose what she or he wants to read. I’ll never forget my own son’s reaction reading Little House on the Prairie (a favorite of many readers): “Are they really going to spend this whole chapter making a door?”
* Expand the definition of “reading” to include non-fiction, humor, graphic novels, magazines, action adventure, and, yes, even websites. It’s the pleasure of reading that counts; the focus will naturally broaden. A boy won’t read shark books forever.
* If a kid doesn&rsq
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By: Jenny,
on 7/27/2009
The 6th annual Kids Lit Quiz™ is a major international literature competition where teams of students work together to answer wide-ranging literary questions. Exclusive Books is pleased to announce their sponsorship of the quiz for the fourth year and will be providing book vouchers and cash prizes to the winning teams. The Kids' Lit Quiz, dubbed the Olympic Games of Reading, aims to motivate
By: Jenny,
on 6/8/2009
Announcement and call for papersSeminar on Reading Promotion and Storytelling for Children20-21 August 2009Venue: University of South Africa, PretoriaOrganised by the Department of Information Science of the University of South Africa and the Children’s Literature Research Unit of the Department.We welcome abstracts (of not more than 250 words) that address particular issues regarding reading
