Today at Getting Kids Reading Joyce Grant has an article that summarizes and expands upon ideas from one of my very earliest blog topics: Why You Should Read Children's Books as an Adult (Joyce's post, my original post). I hope that you'll take a few minutes to check out the new post and admire Joyce's snazzy new look for her blog. Here's a snippet from her post:
"When kids see adults reading they’re more likely to read, themselves. It isn’t just a theory, there’s been research done on this. When a kid sees an adult reading a children’s book, he’s even more likely to read."
I think it's true (not to mention all of the other excellent reasons to read children's books). What say all of you? Have you found that by reading children's books, you've helped to encourage your students and/or your children to read themselves?
For more on ways to encourage kids to read, check out part 1 of the January Children's Literacy and Reading News Roundup at The Reading Tub. Among other interesting news tidbits, Terry links to a podcast interview between Franki Sibberson and Donalyn Miller at Choice Literacy on Modeling Literate Lives. Two of my favorite literacy champions, talking about how to let kids know that reading is worthwhile. Don't miss it!
I'll be back tomorrow with Part 2 of the January Literacy Roundup. Thanks for reading!
Just a head's up, for those who haven't been paying attention. The fourth Percy Jackson and the Olympians book, The Battle of the Labyrinth, will be released TOMORROW, May 6th. Advance copies were not released of this title, so there's a lot of excitement among readers wondering what to expect. I think that this will be THE summer reading book for the 10 to 14 year old set (and doubtless will appeal to many older readers, too).
Personally, I'm holding out to buy my copy at Hicklebee's on May 15th, when author Rick Riordan will be visiting. I've been very determined in protecting my schedule that day. But it will be hard to wait... I'm dying to know what role Rachel Elizabeth Dare plays. If I still lived in Austin, I'd be camped out at BookPeople.
Meanwhile, here are some links to keep you occupied:
I have four quick posts that I simply must bring to your attention today:
- Linda Urban (author of the delightful A Crooked Kind of Perfect), has a post about Kids Books that Appeal to Grown-Ups. Certainly Linda's book falls into that category, but there are plenty of others. Share your suggestions in the comments over at Linda's. There's quite a discussion going on.
- Meanwhile, over at Chasing Ray, Colleen Mondor is thinking about books that appeal to teenage boys. More tangibly, with about 20 other bloggers, she's planning to "create a site that is teenage boy friendly and will provide a lot of book reviews on books boys will like." How cool is that? I can't wait to see what they come up with. And if you have any thoughts on an appealing name for such a site, please head on over and share them.
- Moving over to think of books that appeal to women and girls, Robin Brande's excellent book, Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature, was just chosen for the 2008 list of the Amelia Bloomer Project. Robin's post says: "The Amelia Bloomer Project creates a list of quality fiction and nonfiction titles that affirm positive roles for girls and women." What a perfect fit! I look forward to seeing what else ends up on the list
- I know, I know, I keep talking about Just One More Book! But today they have a podcast that I found especially interesting. Mark talks with actor / producer / author Henry Winkler about his children's books, and his dyslexia. Among other interesting tidbits, Mr. Winkler said that when he speaks to kids, he tells them something like (and I am paraphrasing a bit) "I'm in the bottom 3% academically, and look what I've accomplished. You can do it too." He also discusses how important it is for parents to understand dyslexia and let kids learn the way that they learn best. He even addresses people's impressions of celebrity children's book authors, and makes it quite clear that this is far from just a whim for him. He speaks very highly of his Hank Zipzer books co-author, Lin Oliver, and their plans for continuing the series. This is must-listen stuff, especially for parents of kids with learning differences.
OK, now you can go back to your regularly scheduled programming.
Via the Kane/Miller Newsletter:
"Good children's literature appeals not only to the child in the adult, but to the adult in the child." - Anonymous
I really love that!
I'm not one of those people who has to run and tell you about every single time that my name is mentioned on someone else's blog. However, I particularly enjoyed a post today at Jason Kotecki's Escape Adulthood blog. Regular readers of this blog will know that I'm a fan of Jason and the Escape Adulthood crew. Jason and his wife Kim promote "helping grown-ups of all ages to Escape Adulthood, whether it's through a stress-reducing chuckle or a nostalgic reflection at a treasured childhood memory." Their site is a lot of fun, and they also work towards improving the lives of children.
Today Jason writes about the difficulty of being childlike while meeting life's many grown-up responsibilities. Jason says:
"I don’t think it’s an all or nothing choice. I believe it’s possible to be childlike, have fun, and enjoy life while still being a responsible and successful mom, dad, boss, teacher, employee, or even President of the United States."
And then he gives an example of a friend of his who is an Industrial Engineer and co-founder of a software company, but who also blogs about children's books. That would be me! So very fun to run across this post this morning, as I was checking the blog updates.
What pleases me most about Jason's post (and this is feedback that I've received from others offline, most recently from Adrienne) is the notion that it's ok, and perhaps even something to proud of, having this strange dichotomy between the work that I do professionally, and my personal passion for children's books and literacy. Sometimes I worry about linking the two publicly. Will prospective customers of my company think that I'm not taking the work side of things seriously enough, if I'm using my spare time to review children's books? Will visitors to my blog have less confidence in my recommendations because I don't have a background as a librarian or a writer?
Well, yes, both of these things could, and probably do, happen in some cases. But this is who I am. This is where my life has ended up so far. And for all of the people who would look down on one side or the other, I'm sure that there are others who think that it's interesting, or who think that the one side rounds out the other. Jason would say that this two-faceted lifestyle is one "that actually gives you a better chance of reaching your full potential as a person, and one that guarantees that you’ll have fun along the way."
What do you think? Do you try to balance the responsible adult with the childlike spirit within?
