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I don't know about you, but I think this was probably the best Share a Story - Shape a Future blog tour we've had. With the focus on literacy for infants through Kindergartners, we not only had lots of great ideas, but plenty of personal stories, too.
I'll be back in the next day or two with a full recap and all the posts. In the meantime, though, there are folks waiting to learn if they won one of
our fabulous book giveaways!
This year, we have two submissions and two winners for our week-long Writing Prompts contest!
On Monday,
Michelle Breum answered the question:
If you were creating a children's library from scratch, what ten books would you start with, and why.You'll enjoy her answer,
10 Really Good Books for Children on the
Parents: Feel Successful Today! blog.
On Wednesday, Ingrid answered the question:
Have there been any books that you originally borrowed at the library and then ended up buying because your toddler loved reading it so much?You'll enjoy her answer
From Library to Home Bookcase: The Winners That Broke Through on the Short Tales blog.
I gave each entry a number and used the random number generator at
mathgoodies.com to determine the winner for our Grand Prize - a complete set of the
STEAM Multicultural Book Collection for their favorite school or public library.
Michelle has won her choice of any of the five book packages donated by The Reading Tub.
Thank you all for another great Share a Story - Shape a Future blog tour.

Welcome to Friday's Writing @ Reading prompt challenge. We think of it as Our Closing Ceremonies!
We've had lots of fun this week exchanging literacy ideas, reliving special times with our little ones (who may not be so little anymore), and sharing creative ideas in words and images. Here are the final Writing @ Reading Prompts for our 2013 Share a Story - Shape a Future event.
- Have you read a book with your child that you want to save and share with them when they get to middle or high school?
- Today is Poetry Friday ... here's your chance to write a poem for a Kindergartener!
- The other day we asked what characters you like to "play" when you read ... what / who are the characters your toddler- to Kindgergarten-aged child likes to imitate (e.g., dress up as).
Can't decide on just one topic? Yeah! We hoped that would happen. Remember, you are welcome to write a post for any or all of them! Each post = 1 entry for our fabulous book prize packages.
Rules Reminder:
- Winners will be selected in a random drawing. Each post written as part of our Writing @ Reading series will count as one entry for the contest.
- Each set of Writing @ Reading prompts will be published at Noon each day, March 4 to 8, 2013.
- We accept entries all week long, so if you decide to write to Monday's post on Wednesday, that's cool!
- All entries must be submitted by Saturday, 9 March 2013 at Noon Eastern time.
- The drawing will be held on Monday March 11, 2013, and winners contacted by email by Tuesday, March 12, 2013.
All week long, I've had a song stuck in my head ... "
This Magic Moment" by the Drifters. The song title may be the only refrain I can remember, but each time I *hear* it, I smile.
Why? Because it reminds me of all of the times I had the honor of being with a new reader the moment they discover they are
really reading. Here are a few of those magical reactions over the years ...
- "I mean it, I can read ... it's not because I mesmerized (sic) the book!"
- "Do you have something you want help reading?"
- "I got this!"
- "Can I read another book?"
With my daughter, it was a 30-minute spree of picking out every word or phrase she saw: road signs, newspaper headlines, cereal boxes, toys, ... you name it. If she could see it, she wanted us to know she could read it.
Those moments are priceless! I often liken that moment to the joy we see in in the surprises children discover on Christmas morning: anticipation and reality coming together.
In 2011, the theme for Share a Story - Shape a Future was the
Gift of Literacy. All week, we explored ways of nurturing and celebrating literacy in all its forms. Literacy truly is a gift - one that we receive and one that we share.
Being there as a child - or adult - opens their gift is the opportunity of a lifetime. Discovering the joys of reading and writing is lifelong journey. Here's to magical moments every day!
Do you remember that moment?
For those of us who are passionate about raising readers, we nurtured that spark and now it is a flame we carry with us always.
Just as it excites us to watch our toddlers and preschoolers explore the world around them, being part of that moment when a child has discovered reading is pretty darned special, too.
Although we tend to equate Kindergarten with learning to read, not every child is ready to read quite yet. It becomes a balancing act of guiding and helping (but not pushing too hard) and minimizing the peer comparisons.
Lucky for us, our guests today have great ideas on ways to encourage your reader-to-be and nurture a love of literacy, too. We're hosting "Graduation Day" at
Family Bookshelf, and these are the posts to get us started:
I will be back later with a post about that magical moment of discovering "I Can Read." In the meantime, we would love to hear YOUR stories about literacy with Kindergartners ... or your journey to being a bookworm and writer.
Add your links in the comments here or on the Family Bookshelf post and we'll incorporate them into the Event Summary.

We hope that you've been enjoying all the posts so far this week for our 2013 Share a Story - Shape a Future literacy blog tour.
Before we know it, the school bells will ring, and we'll alternately worry about how our "babies" are doing and dreading the spelling lists! But lets not rush it! So today, we'll enjoy the footloose, creative creatures who are our preschoolers.
Today's Writing @ Reading Prompts reflect the joys of the dramatic life ...
- Is there anything your preschooler has taught you about reading?
- Help: what do you do when the rhyming book doesn't rhyme like it should? Tips please!
- Create a book ad! Susan Stephenson, the Book Chook sent us this one as an example of the limitless possibilities.
Our kids are bombarded with commercials and advertisements for cereal, toys, the latest Disney movie ... you name it. What if we substituted those pitches with book ads? Think: image or video like a book trailor, but tailored to lure a 4-year-old. What book would you advertise, and how would you pitch it to a preschooler?
Can't decide on just one topic? Yeah! We hoped that would happen. Remember, you are welcome to write a post for any or all of them! Each post = 1 entry for our fabulous book prize packages.
Rules Reminder:
- Winners will be selected in a random drawing. Each post written as part of our Writing @ Reading series will count as one entry for the contest.
- Each set of Writing @ Reading prompts will be published at Noon each day, March 4 to 8, 2013.
- We accept entries all week long, so if you decide to write to Monday's post on Wednesday, that's cool!
- All entries must be submitted by Saturday, 9 March 2013 at Noon Eastern time.
- The drawing will be held on Monday March 11, 2013, and winners contacted by email by Tuesday, March 12, 2013.
Our thanks to
Winter Storm Saturn for making yesterday the perfect Share-a-Story kind of day. For many of us, the snow & high winds brought down power lines, creating adventures of playing outside, sitting in front of the fire, and reading books.
Although I loved having the opportunity to “do nothing,” the lack of access to the Internet made it a bit challenging to add and schedule today's kickoff post.
Ultimately, it pushed me to think a little more creatively ... like we often do when we're trying not to sound like a broken record with every “teaching moment” that presents itself. Preschoolers are a savvy lot, and it doesn't take too many letter games for them to realize what we're doing!
There are tons of wonderful ways to engage four-year-olds and help them with reading readiness. Do you have a post about engaging four-year-olds? We'd be honored to have you join the conversation, and welcome posts old and new.
Last but not least, save a little energy ... our
Writing @ Reading prompts will go live at Noon today.

Our theme today, about preparing children for preschool and beyond, could easily be called
I am three, watch me read!
I don't know about you, but in our house, the threes were much more terrible than the twos! More vocabulary = more ideas, more ways to express herself, etc.
It wasn't that our then 3-year-old could actually read, but she thought she could ! She morphed into the Bedtime Stories Casting Director. When she wasn't reciting her books herself, she was correcting us when we
skipped missed a [word, sentence, page] or didn't use the right character voice.
Today's Writing @ Reading Prompts reflect the joys of the dramatic life ...
- Is there a book your child loves (or loved) to read to you? What is it, and what do you love about their reading style?
- Tell us about a time when a book first came to life for you.
- Let's turn one of your toddler /3-year-old's/preschooler's books into a mini-movie. What is the book, what stars would you cast in the various roles, and why?
- Have you ever had a situation / event in your adult life that reminded you of a book, story, or character from a children's book? [Either one you read as a child, or one you've shared with your kids]
Can't decide on just one topic? Yeah! We hoped that would happen. Remember, you are welcome to write a post for any or all of them! Each post = 1 entry for our fabulous book prize packages.
Rules Reminder:
- Winners will be selected in a random drawing. Each post written as part of our Writing @ Reading series will count as one entry for the contest.
- Each set of Writing @ Reading prompts will be published at Noon each day, March 4 to 8, 2013.
- We accept entries all week long, so if you decide to write to Monday's post on Wednesday, that's cool!
- All entries must be submitted by Saturday, 9 March 2013 at Noon Eastern time.
- The drawing will be held on Monday March 11, 2013, and winners contacted by email by Tuesday, March 12, 2013.
Oh, how time flies ...
our babies grow up too fast, days just zoom by, and weeks are here and gone before we know it. In addition to getting taller, our kids are learning and practicing literacy skills the best way they know how: talking!
And oh, the things they say!
Lucky for us,
Debbie Alvarez (
The Styling Librarian) is here to help us create and savor some magical moments.
She has created a
page on her blog just for today's theme, and is also writing posts throughout the week. Today, as host, she's letting us in on her
secrets of early literacy preparation. She's also linking to these great bloggers ...
Do you have a post about reading with kids who are three? We'd be honored to have you join the conversation, and welcome posts old and new.
Last but not least, save a little energy ... our
Writing @ Reading prompts will go live at Noon today.
Welcome one and all ...
We hope you've enjoyed reading the posts this morning and saved some energy for Writing @ Reading! Today's Share a Story 2013 theme is The Terrific Twos, and our writing prompts center on literacy-related ideas and activities for toddlers. So without further ado ...
- What (or who) are your favorite characters to "play" when you share stories with your child(ren)?
- Please share three, non-book literacy activities that you use (or have used) to engage toddlers.
- Have there been any books that you originally borrowed at the library and then ended up buying because your toddler loved reading it so much?
Can't decide on just one topic? That's okay ... you're welcome to write a post for any or all of them!
Rules Reminder:
- Winners will be selected in a random drawing. Each post written as part of our Writing @ Reading series will count as one entry for the contest.
- Each set of Writing @ Reading prompts will be published at Noon each day, March 4 to 8, 2013.
- We accept entries all week long, so if you decide to write to Monday's post on Wednesday, that's cool!
- All entries must be submitted by Saturday, 9 March 2013 at Noon Eastern time.
- The drawing will be held on Monday March 11, 2013, and winners contacted by email by Tuesday, March 12, 2013.
Welcome new fans and fellow literacy passionistas!
We hope you enjoyed
Oh, Baby! Literacy the First Year and had a chance to visit, comment, and/or thank the bloggers who shared their experiences and ideas for creating a literacy-rich environment for babies.
There's still plenty of time to add links to posts you've written on the topic, too. Just
click here and add your link in the comments so we can incorporate it into our event summary.
Today we move to the T
errific Twos. Yes, there are plenty of challenges with toddlers, but it is also a year to treasure. Now that our children can begin to express themselves, we can see the world through their eyes: the excitement, the unending curiosity, the fearlessness, ... the list goes on.
We are hosting
Day 2 of Share a Story 2013 right here. Today, we have experts who understand the boundless energy a two-year-old! They've also lived to tell about it and are happy to share their experiences, too.
Do you have a post about engaging toddlers with literacy activities? We'd be honored to have you join the conversation, and welcome posts old and new.
Last but not least, save a little energy ... our
Writing @ Reading prompts will go live at Noon today.
Although we tend to think of literacy as "reading," it is so much more. Literacy encompasses communication and the ability to express ideas and comprehension, as well as critical thinking and its cousin problem solving.
Books are one tool for building these skills, but not the only ones. In our quest to "walk the talk" of literacy, we created
Writing @ Reading. Each day this week we will post two or three writing prompts build around the daily theme.
Just as we have in years' past, Writing @ Reading is a contest. Thanks to our generous sponsors -
Reading is Fundamental and
The Reading Tub, you can win books for your school, public, or personal library. For each post you write, you receive one entry in our random drawing for one of six sets of books.
Today's prompts:
- If you were creating a children's library from scratch, what ten books would you start with, and why.
- In a still image or 30-second video, share what "literacy with baby" looks like in your house.
After you write your post, be sure to come back here and add the link in the comments. That's how we'll be able to enter you in the drawing.
Rules Reminder:
- Winners will be selected in a random drawing. Each post written as part of our Writing @ Reading series will count as one entry for the contest.
- Each set of Writing @ Reading prompts will be published at Noon each day, March 4 to 8, 2013.
- We accept entries all week long, so if you decide to write to Monday's post on Wednesday, that's cool!
- All entries must be submitted by Saturday, 9 March 2013 at Noon Eastern time.
- The drawing will be held on Monday March 11, 2013, and winners contacted by email by Tuesday, March 12, 2013.
Welcome to the best Monday in March!
Yes, we said the
same thing last year, but truth is truth! We are excited to kick off the Share a Story - Shape a Future Literacy Blog Tour.
To celebrate our fifth year, we are going to celebrate the early years of literacy. More specifically, the first five years. Each day this week moms, librarians, and educators - all of us literacy passionistas - will share ideas and tips for engaging young children in literacy-related activities.
To start us off,
+Maria Burel is hosting
Oh, Baby: Literacy the First Year on her blog
Once Upon a Story. Maria and her guests are sharing personal stories and recommendations for early literacy love and bonding over books with baby.
The trademark of
Share a Story - Shape a Future is that
everyone can participate. There are no "set number" of participants ... our goal is to share ideas for raising readers as far and wide as possible.
So if you blogged about literacy with infants five years ago, write a comment and include the link! We'd be honored to have you join the conversation.
One last note as we get started ... We're continuing the tradition of our
Writing @ Reading contest. Look for those daily writing prompts at noon each day.
March is here!
On Monday we open
Share a Story - Shape a Future 2013. Today, though it is
+Dr. Seuss birthday and +Read Across America Day!
To celebrate reading and build some excitement for next week, we wanted to unveil the prizes we'll be giving away as part of our Writing @ Reading series.
Our Grand Prize is a complete set of the
STEAM Multicultural Book Collection for their favorite school or public library. Our thanks to
Reading is Fundamental for this incredibly generous donation!
STEAM means Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Math. and is an expansion of the STEM framework used in education today.
Each title in this 40-book collection was "carefully reviewed and selected by RIF's Literary Services team with guidelines provided by RIF's Literature Advisory Committee, national panels of educators, and exports in books for children.
A round of applause for RIF, please!
Thank you again Reading is Fundamental! Please show your love to RIF on your favorite social media platform and in the comments below, too!
We also have five (!) smaller collections that are built around this year's Share a Story Theme:
Literacy in the First Five Years. The prize packages include a cloth or vinyl book suitable for infants, board books for toddlers and preschoolers, easy reader books for developing readers, and picture books for Mom and Dad to read, too.
Package 1:
Happy Baby cloth book;
I'm a Little Teapot and
This Little Piggy board books;
Animals Talk board book;
Elmo's Bedtime Stories (6-book set),
Usborne's Stephen Cartwright 1-2-3 picture book;
Usborne's Stephen Cartwright ABC picture book;
Sid the Science Kid: Everybody Move Your Feet (Stage 1 easy reader);
The Crayon Box that Talked paperback
Package 2:
My Happy Baby cloth book;
Little Critter Bedtime Stories paperback set;
The Dancing Clock paperback,
The Fox in the Dark paperback,
How to Drive Your Sister Crazy (I Can Read);
Batman (I Can Read); and a set of six
Little Critter Phonics Fun (I Can Read) books
Package 3:
Busy Bath vinyl book;
Elmo's ABCs, 3 storybook set;
Snappy Little Pets board book;
Pinkalicious Tickled Pink paperback;
Pinkalicious and the Pink Drink paperback;
Mia The Sweetest Valentine paperback;
Mia The Easter Egg Chase paperback;
Mia and the Tiny Toe Shoes (I Can Read)
Package 4:
Goodnight Moon cloth book;
Welcome Song for Baby board book;
The Best Pet Ever paperback;
Animal Jamboree;
Mia the Sweetest Valentine paperback;
The Wonderful World of Fancy Nancy, 4 picture book set;
Fancy Nancy: Too Many Tutus (I Can Read);
Alice in Wonderland (All Aboard Reading)
Package 5: Splat the Cat, Funny Valentine paperback;
Sporty Puppy: Lacing board book;
Splish Splash Splosh: 4 3-D board books;
Baby's Day board book;
Usborne Things that Move board book;
Every Thing Goes: Opposites and 1-2-3 board books;
Funny Bone Readers Set 1, with CD
Here are the rules:
Winners will be selected in a random drawing. Each post written as part of our Writing @ Reading series will count as one entry for the contest.
Each set of Writing @ Reading prompts will be published at Noon each day, March 4 to 8, 2013. We accept entries all week long, so if you decide to write to Monday's post on Wednesday, that's cool!
All entries must be submitted by Saturday, 9 March 2013 at Noon Eastern time. The drawing will be held on Monday March 11, 2013, and winners contacted by email by Tuesday, March 12, 2013.
For being a short month, February sure packs in a lot of literacy-related stuff. There are a slew of awards for children's literature and festivities for sharing a love of reading.
That's not to say there isn't plenty of literacy fun in March!We’ll kick off the month on Friday, March 1 with NEA’s Read Across America Day. It’s an annual event to promote reading that also coincides with Theodor Geisel’s birthday.
What better way to celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday and all that he means for children's literacy than to be part of Share a Story - Shape a Future?
This year, as we mentioned, our theme is Literacy: The First Five Years. It is partly a tribute to the fifth anniversary of our blog tour for literacy, and also a chance to recognize all the literacy work we do in the early years of our children's lives.
I am excited to introduce our hosts for this year's events ...
We don't have any limits on participation, so if you'd like to participate, please drop us a line with your post idea at shareastory [at] thereadingtub [dot] com.
It's was a real treat to write a post for your week long celebration.
Thanks Erica ... we were so glad you could join us!