Do not adjust your dial. There is nothing wrong with your computer. Technically speaking, this is what professional photographers call, “Kind of a crummy shot.”

But it also captures a perfect moment, and I’m grateful to Eliot for sending it along. He wrote:

“Jack loves to be read to before bed, and he also liked to ‘read’ to us. The book is called Bear In Love by Samantha Davis. It’s beautifully illustrated by Sophie Fatus. The photo is not the best quality. Apologies. All the best on your project.”

* Do you want boys to write? Start a blog! A primary school in Greater Manchester, England, claims that getting students to blog has helped make writing “cool.”

Pupils at Heathfield County Primary in Bolton regularly write blogs which are published on the school’s website.

Formerly, boys especially were not interested in writing, said the school.

But the number of students blogging has flourished while their results have risen almost seven-fold.

“The enthusiasm levels of the children are really, really high,” said deputy head David Mitchell who has pioneered online teaching at the school which includes blog writing.”

* Eight fights not worth having with your children (Check out #2). Judith Ancer writes:

2. It’s not worth fighting with your kids about what they’re reading, unless they’re not reading at all.

* Local football players visit classrooms to inspire boy (and girl) readers. Reports Linda Stein:

Photo: Geoff Patton.

TOWAMENCIN —     Not even shoulder surgery could keep T.J. Smink from reading to students at General Nash Elementary School.

Smink, a center for the North Penn High School Knights who’s also a baseball player, was one of 70 football team members who fanned out to elementary schools in the district to read to younger children for the annual Reading Super Bowl on Thursday.

Cheryl Neubert, a parent who spearheaded the event in 2005, said the event  has grown over the years to include all 13 elementary schools in the district.

<snip>

“A lot of kids look at football stars as their ideals,” [reading specialist Stacie] Moseley said. “A lot of boys, reading isn’t their priority.”

* The Brown Bookshelf, an absolutely great blog, recently ran a terrific interview with author Torrey Maldonado, a public school teacher who has some things to say about boys and reading:

“If we want better men, we must get more boys reading, period. Boys from A to Z connect to Secret Saturdays. I joke and say I use a few magic tricks to grab the interest of guys. Here’s one secret: I wrote Secret Saturdays so alpha male teens wouldn’t feel soft carrying it. And they do. On one hand, a maximum security jail for high school boys asked me to visit because their inmates LOVE my book and, on the other hand, honor roll student-fans phone i

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Start ‘em when they’re young! When mom is Julie Halpern, an acclaimed author and librarian, and dad is Matthew Cordell, I don’t see how this poor child can grow up to be anything other than a book-lover. Let the brainwashing commence.

Matthew wrote:

Five Things About Me as a Young Reader

1. Picture books I most remember liking were Dr. Seuss and Richard Scarry. And, sad to say, crappy series books like Berenstain bears. Hoo-boy.

2. I remember liking superhero comics very early on. Maybe even before I could actually read. It lasted til around middle school then tapered off. Quite significant here, being comics that made me want to be an artist.

3. I also was obsessed with Archie comics. They were easy to get because the Archie digests were at the grocery store checkout. These I liked for the gags and the weird 50’s vibe. Not so much for the cool factor. But I loved hanging out with these funny, upbeat, wholesome characters.

4. I loved Beverly Cleary books. The Ramona stuff, but especially the Henry books. I remember liking that it wasn’t over in just one book. Like you could still hang out in that world with these characters for the follow-up and so on. I guess like I did with my pals back in Riverdale.

5. There was this book, The Fledgling by Jane Langton, that was burned into my memory for years. I didn’t finish this book (it was required reading in 5th grade, which never really worked for me as a reader… I even fudged a book report on the thing). But I actually liked it and had always regretted never finishing it. Years went on and I eventually forgot the title and wanted more and more to go back and finish it. Last year, I finally sleuthed it out and remembered the name and re-read it. It was very surreal.

Matthew Cordell is a Chicago-based illustrator (and sometimes author, too!) of many terrific books, including: Justin Case (Rachel Vail), Toby and the Snowflakes (Julie Halpern) . . .

Here’s Alastair reading with Audrey, Michael, and Aiden.

I was going to make a dingo joke, but then decided it might be in poor taste. My new and improved self-edit function, honed over 50 years of accidentally insulting people, has nearly destroyed my sense of humor.

Fortunately, when it doubt, there’s always Rule # 137: Go with a wombat baby photo and get out as quickly as possible:

Well, it’s certainly nice to see Jeff Kinney’s little book finally get some attention. Cough-cough.

The man in the wonderful photo is Don Tate, illustrator of many books for children, among them: Say Hey! A Song of Willie Mays, Ron’s Big Mission . . .

. . . I Am My Grandpa’s Enkelin, She Loved Baseball: The Effa Manley Story, and many more. Don also sporadically writes a pretty fierce, honest, and open-hearted blog. Thanks for stopping by, Don, much appreciated.

Author Michael Northrop takes a quiet moment in Columbus Circle, NYC, to read from his new  young adult novel, Trapped.

* A veritable spate of articles lately about how e-readers appeal to kids. C. J. Lovelace reports on a Chambersburg, PA, middle school that features a boys Kindle reading club:

“They spent all of last year with Kindle clubs with the reluctant readers and they had phenomenal results,” [district head librarian Joanne] Hammond said. “They tracked the progress of the students and so many of them read so many books by the end of the year because they liked reading on the Kindle much better (than) the print book.”

Not sure if this trend has legs or not, but it’s worth tracking. From an article by Julie Bosman for The New York Times:

“The young adults and the teenagers are now the newest people who are beginning to experience e-readers,” said Matthew Shear, the publisher of St. Martin’s Press. “If they get hooked, it’s great stuff for the business.”

It is too soon to tell if younger people who have just picked up e-readers will stick to them in the long run, or grow bored and move on.

But Monica Vila, who runs the popular Web site The Online Mom and lectures frequently to parent groups about Internet safety, said that in recent months she had been bombarded with questions from parents about whether they should buy e-readers for their children.

In a speech last month at a parents’ association meeting in Westchester County, Ms. Vila asked for a show of hands to indicate how many parents had bought e-readers for their children as holiday gifts.

About half the hands in the room shot up, she recalled.

“Kids are drawn to the devices, and there’s a definite desire by parents to move books into this format,” Ms. Vila said. “Now you’re finding people who are saying: ‘Let’s use the platform. Let’s use it as a way for kids to learn.’ ”

Cats like ‘em, too! Photo: Joyce Dopkeen for the New York Times.

* Virginia’s Reading Teacher of the Year, Ashleigh Fisher, a reading specialist in Roanoke, is determined to hook ‘em all. She plans to use the $500 prize money to establish a book club for boys:

“It is pretty devastating. Boys score lower than girls; they don’t see reading as a masculine activity. Boys aren’t as engaged in reading as girls,” she said.

Fisher is setting out to change that by launching a lunchtime book club for third-, fourth- and fifth-grade boys. She said she would like to begin with The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by local author and former Roanoke Times columnist Tom Angleberger. The only thing keeping Fisher from beginning immediately is a lack of funding to buy several copies of the book.

* Many young boys are missing out on quality time with their fathers.

Ben writes from Stockholm:

Glad to see the Fathers Read blog is going strong. I just came across this pic of Teddy, Amelia, and me reading after dark in a hammock during a visit to Tanglewood (we stayed overnight at a little cottage in Lenox).

What kids wouldn’t love reading when it involves a night light, Curious George, and a hammock? I mean, what choice do those kids really have? In some places, Sweden perhaps, this might be considered brainwashing.

This delicious photo was sent in by Kyra Teis, who wrote: “Great idea! I’m forwarding this request to my friends.” Actually, Kyra, I think you’ve got the great idea — yes, please spread the word. If folks don’t send in photos, then game over, the terrorists have already won.

Just so everyone knows, Kyra is a talented author and illustrator. Her books include Words Are Like Faces . . .

The Magic Flute . . .

Look! and many more.

..

This photo came with a nice note from a sixth-grade teacher . . .

Hello Mr. Preller,

I came across your Fathers Read blog recently and love the idea.  As a dad myself I am looking for a few good photos to send you, but in the mean time I have attached a photo of our Guys Read Book Club.  As well as being a dad I am also a middle school teacher and a few years ago I took Jon Sczeiska’s idea and created a book club for guys only. This is a photo from our last club meeting.  If you would like you can visit our blog at SMS Guys Read: Proving Guys Really Do Read Since 2005.

Thanks for pushing us guys to be good reading role models.

And all I can say is: No, thank you, J. Michael Hutchinson, for already being such a great influence on young male readers.

Amy wrote: “Here’s one I thought of right away, from when our daughter was a baby.”

And lordy, doesn’t dad look fresh as a daisy? That special morning glow of many young parents with new babies at home. I can remember those days. And yes, like dad here, I found that nothing settled my kids quite like a snuggly and the latest issue of Popular Mechanics.

* Clint over at the Dadventure blog briefly reflects on reading with his children, and begins with this great, wise quote from Jim Trelease:

Fathers should make an extra effort to read to their children. Because the vast majority of primary-school teachers are women, young boys often associate reading with women and schoolwork. And just as unfortunate, too many fathers would rather be seen playing catch in the driveway with their sons than taking them to the library.

* In this piece by Maureen Downey, writing for the AJC Get Schooled Blog, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan points out that less than 2 percent of the nation’s teachers are black males:

Says Duncan, “We need more men of color in our schools, especially at the elementary schools.” He also advocates for more mentor-based programs in schools.

* Men Encourage Boys to Read: The Men Read Program is a volunteer program designed to help reluctant boy readers by using male role models from the community. Writes Sarah Stegall:

At Crystal Lake Elementary, eight men — seven from a local Army recruitment office — read to more than 50 students, said Crystal Lake’s media specialist, Lindsay Persohn.

Persohn said a lot of boys aren’t used to seeing men read at home.

“The idea for a grown man to not only read himself, but read with them was a whole new idea for some of those kids,” she said.

RICK RUNION/THE LEDGER

* Sherrill Nixon asks the question: Is any reading good reading?

* At Dance With Strangers/Parenthood Explained, Adam Cohen, a father of three boys, writes beautifully about their shared reading adventure, especially as it concerns finishing the 7th and final book in the Harry Potter series.

Here next to me is a boy who on Halloween said to me, “Dad, when I wear this costume I really feel like I AM Harry Potter,” before running off into the woods with his wand high and robes trailing.  For all th

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This one arrived with a note:

Someone just alerted me to your “Fathers Read” blog and so I am sending along this cherished picture of my son, Grey Lowry, reading to his thirteen-month-old daughter, Nadine. Reading in German, I might add (the word for butterfly is “schmetterling.” My toddler granddaughter taught me that.) He lived in Europe when his little girl was born, and she became blingual even as she learned to talk.

My son died in a plane crash six months after this photograph was taken. Because she was so small at the time, my granddaughter’s memories of her father are blurred and vague. But they are memories that include warmth and love and lap and books.

Lois Lowry

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The sender of this photograph, author Lois Lowry, has twice been awarded the Newbery Medal.

On a personal note, I’ve never met Ms. Lowry. It’s an honor and a surprise that she reached out to me, to this site, this cause, and offered up something so deeply felt. Thank you, Lois.

Boy, was I surprised to get this image in an email from NYC ad man, Don Draper. I didn’t even know he owned a computer. Obviously “Don,” as we’ll call him, believes in the cause: If we want our boys to grow up to become enthusiastic readers, if we want to help close the literacy gap, perhaps the most powerful image to instill in the minds of boys is to see adult males . . . reading. Because it’s a guy thing.

Thanks, Don! I mean, Richard. Or Don! Whatever, it’s cool.

Pictured here: Jay reads to Wolfie. And no, that’s not the dog’s name.

Debra wrote:

“This is a wonderful idea!  I am going to spread the word to my friends. I’m certain they have photos to contribute. I am so happy that the West Springfield Library in MA posted a link to your blog on Facebook.”

“Just sound it out, silly: EX-IS-TEN-TIAL-ISM. It’s a philosophy that emphasizes the uniqueness and isolation of the individual experience in a hostile or indifferent universe, regards human existence as unexplainable, and stresses freedom of choice and responsibility for the consequences of one’s acts. In other words, Little Piggy didn’t go to market; he’s cowering in the closet in grim despair. Covered in boils, probably.”

Andrea writes:

“I read your blog post about fathers reading and agree that it’s incredibly important for kids to see their male role models reading. Thank you for doing this. I know I have more photos and will send them when I’ve tracked them down.”

* The Roots of Reading Planted Here: Judith Ancer, a Johannesburg-based psychologist, makes the argument for raising children in a language-rich environment.

* The Culture of Low Expectations . . . and How It Holds Some Boys Back: An education watchdog organization, Ofsted, concludes in a recent report that some schools “set their sites too low for children from disadvantaged groups.”

Many schools “limit their ambition” for pupils from deprived backgrounds because they do not believe they can perform as well as other children, said Ofsted.

A culture of low expectations often contributed to poor standards of literacy among large numbers of children at a young age, it was claimed, holding them back throughout compulsory education.

* Video Games Boost Brainpower, says research:

Parents, the next time you fret that your child is wasting too much time playing video games, consider new research suggesting that video gaming may have real-world benefits for your child’s developing brain.

Daphne Bavelier is professor of brain and cognitive sciences at the University of Rochester. She studies young people playing action video games. Having now conducted more than 20 studies on the topic, Bavelier says, “It turns out that action video games are far from mindless.”

* Tips for Boy-Friendly Educational Approaches: The article, by Jeannette Kavanagh, looks at the literacy gap between boys and girls and offers these eight tips:

To ensure greater academic success for boys, our literacy teaching strategies must be more engaging for boys. We must:

* Allow greater choice in topics and the way assignments are completed, presented and assessed.
* Focus classroom activities on ways to harness boys’ energy.
* Ensure that lessons allow for movement rather than expect hours of sitting still and being sedate.
* Make learning more activity-centred rather than pen and paper
* Increase the range of literacy practices that are taught
* Encourage team effort and collaborative lea

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Author Lewis Buzbee and his daughter Maddy tackle a big fat book.

Lewis wrote:

Five Things About Me as a Young Reader

1.  I was not a voracious reader as a child — I watched a lot more TV than I read books.  My love for reading didn’t start until I was in high school.

2.  Neither of my parents had gone to college, and were not what you would call literary.  But they read, for their own pleasure and information.  My mother read Gothic novels, the precursors to today’s Romance novels.  My father read the newspaper every morning at breakfast — he’d read it to us — and he read magazines like Argosy and True Stories.

3.  My favorite way to buy books was through the Scholastic Books catalog.  My second favorite way was at the local five and dime.

4.  My favorite early books were all very generic — The Long Bomb, Murder by Moonlight, Mystery Under the Sea, Radar Commandos. I loved those books.

5.  I can still remember the moment, when I was six, when I realized the word “says” on the page was pronounced “sez.”  That was a moment of profound understanding.

Lewis Buzbee is a San Francisco-based author of many fine books for both adults and children, including: The Haunting of Charles Dickens . . .

. . .