Posts filed under '2010 Reading Challenges'
Welcome to the bimonthly children’s literacy and reading news round-up brought to you by Jen Robinson’s Book Page and Scrub-a-Dub-Tub. As a reminder, while Jen, Mheir and Baby Bookworm are settling into routines, I (Rasco from RIF) am “filling in” for Jen, so here’s a *wave* to Jen and Baby Bookworm who is growing quite fast! It has been exciting recently to see Jen back on twitter and posting on her blog; check out some of her latest posts!
While the air doesn’t have even the hint of autumn yet in the Washington, DC area, the calendar says September, the windows of many commercial establishments show fall colors, the school busses are back on the streets and children are now not always running along the sidewalks more carefree but stooped forward with the weight of backpacks. It is easy to allow our thoughts to immediately leave summer behind….
But I encourage each of us to stop, think and go to work on preparing for next summer! There is no better time to reflect on our communities’ programming for summer learning than now when the summer of 2010 is fresh on our minds. I am a broken record, yes, I know it but summer is such a critical period for literacy for our children. Make sure your community has individuals attending the National Summer Learning Association’s (NSLA) annual conference SUMMER CHANGES EVERYTHING! By the way, *wave* a Happy Anniversary greeting to NSLA and read about their productive year for children.
As school does start up sights often turn to “back to school” nights or regular family engagement nights, mornings, afternoons…Reading Rockets recently shared an article Creative Literacy Events for Families listing some new ideas, different twists on often-used, good ideas. A family game night or cultural cookout sound intriguing to me! Also, if you have not reviewed a copy of School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Your Handbook for Action by Joyce Epstein and others, you will want to do so. Dr. Epstein is the Director of the National Network of Partnership Schools and the Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships, Principal Research Scientist, and Research Professor of Sociology at Johns Hopkins University; the Network will be hosting the annual Leadership Development Conference in Baltimore October 26 and 26; you do not have to be a member of the Network to attend. It is a great opportunity for networking and learning more about the critical school, family and community partnerships critical to children’s educational progress.
Another potential community or even Family Literacy Night activity that builds on the “One Community, One Book” concept was recently announced by Boston: One City, One Story. I can see this as a great school night activity – what about you?
The school “start up” period also brings about a new flurry of discussion about types of reading: book, e-readers, audio reading. While the article was posted in April, I only recently had it called to my attention and it notes: 81% of the top iPad book apps (13 of the top 16) are for kids; whether in print, on screen, really it’s just a book to the kids. And did you see the WSJ article recently labeled “THE ABC’S OF E-READING”? In brief, it notes a study of 1200 e-reader owners found that 40% said they read more than they did with print books, 58% read about the same amount and 2% said they read less. And 55% said they would use their device to read more in the future…worth a read. And there is already an article that makes one think about the future of that thing we know as an APP!
Now, in case you are worried about friends who do all their reading by e-reader and you want them to remember “the print book” or you yourself are pining for the “good ole days”….you can order this if still carried:
This is weird. But that also makes it fun. Perfume that smells like an old book! The maker of this scent, Christopher Brosius, loves his books. He describes the odour of his product as: “English Novel taken from a Signed First Edition of one of my very favorite novels, Russian & Moroccan leather bindings, worn cloth and a hint of wood polish”. He made four varieties of his “In the library” scent. It comes as Perfume Absolute 15 ml and 2 ml, a Water Perfume and a Home Spray. You can find out more about it, and order it if you dare, here.
In talking about their new book pictured above, Sandra Feinberg and James R. Keller have said “How parents and caregivers act within the library setting often influences how children feel and how often they will come to the library. How children feel when they use the library will affect their attitude and behavior not only when they are children but also when they become parents.” One article commenting on this quote by the authors noted you can “substitute the word ‘reading’ for library…and is it any different?” By the way, if you haven’t met Sandra Feinberg in print or in person, you must do so. She is the Library Director at the Middle Country Public Library in New York, what a librarian, what a library!
Speaking of Libraries, have you seen this great game? The Library Adventure Game! It uses a web-based simulation to teach reference skills….sounds very interesting to me as a former sixth-grade teacher who struggled to find engaging activities on just this topic.
RIF invites you to join us along with US Airways in packing your bags and taking off with the the 2010 Read with Kids Challenge! Remember, one part is where participants log the number of minutes they spend reading to and with children. This year, our nationwide goal is reading with kids for 10 million minutes between September 1 and October 31. Think of the incredible benefits kids will receive by spending quality time with you and some good books! (and there are nifty prizes, check it out!)
DON’T FORGET these events:
National Book Festival, September 25
Even if you can’t attend this 10th Annual Festival on the Mall, there are things on the website you’ll find interesting and more will be posted as the day draws closer! Also, remember the next installment of The Exquisite Corpse Adventure begun at the 2009 National Book Festival will be posted on September 10, don’t miss it!
Lights on Afterschool, October 21
Twitter: @RascoFromRIF
P. S. RIF has located THE bookcase we want given we have programs in all 50 states…is this not the BEST? Thank you Shelf Awareness for this great find:
September 2nd, 2010
Welcome to the bimonthly children’s literacy and reading news round-up brought to you by Jen Robinson’s Book Page and Scrub-a-Dub-Tub. As a reminder, while Jen, Mheir and Baby Bookworm are settling into routines, I (Rasco from RIF) am “filling in” for Jen, so here’s a *wave* to Jen and Baby Bookworm!
We knew book five was going to be a PURPLE cover and its release would be November 9. This week we have learned the fifth book will be titled The Ugly Truth. But we don’t know what is ugly or what is true about the Diary of A Wimpy Kid and author Jeff Kinney says that will remain a mystery until the November release of an initial printing of 5 million copies! Kinney is currently working with producers on the second Wimpy Kid movie due in March 2011.
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Harper Lee celebrated its 50th anniversary in mid-July with many commentaries written about the book, its contested place in history, its real meaning(s) and its elusive author. I have made no secret of the fact it is a book with a special place in my life, one that is an integral part of “me.”
Josie Leavitt struck a chord when she posted on Shelf Talker a piece titled: DON’T GOT NO BOOKS AT HOME. It was a stark reminder of a truth those of us in the kidlit world work to alleviate daily; the comments were also a reminder of the great work going on across this country and indeed around the world, a motivator for us all to “keep on keeping on”! A posting by Gordon Campbell , President of the United Way of NYC, titled “Reading & the 3rd Grade: How to Keep Kids on the Right Track” received wide coverage after appearing in The Huffington Post the latter part of July; it is always encouraging and motivating for me to see persons like Gordon writing forcefully about this issue.
The questions about poverty and its effects on children and their families is brought up to date across several facets of daily living with the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s July release of The 2010 KIDS COUNT Data Book. Ten key indicators are covered by the report which has interactive features to help you learn about a particular state, across states and national findings. The ten factors are critical enough to our children’s well being I repeat them here as a reminder to all of us of their importance.
We discuss often the plight of inner-city, our most urban children but often forget the status of a significant number of rural children, a fact discussed in alarming terms in a recent posting FOR CHILDREN FARMWORKERS, LIVES OF POVERTY AND DANGER. I point this out in a literacy round up as these are children certainly needing more advocate voices for their education.
July found eye opening articles about the number of digital or “e-books” being sold in relation to paper books, the significant and ever growing rise in numbers for e-books. I was reading an article about a project Permanence Matters Initiative when the following sentence jumped from the page as I realized it summarizes my own personal feelings about this issue of “p-books” and “e-books”: While we realize that much of the publishing industry is moving their attention to e-books, we still believe there is an important place for print books in the future of publishing, and want people to recognize that e- and p- books are not an either/or proposition, but rather an “and.” Did you see Jeff Bezos’ interview where he predicts Kindle e-book sales will surpass paperback sales sometime in the next 9-12 months? And he talks with the reporter interviewing him about interactive features within e-books. This issue is also covered in a New York Times article “E-Books Fly Beyond Mere Text” by Julie Bosman. I was recently introduced to a blog TeachPaperless; and while the entry I reference today – Hey Teachers: This Is How I Learn – was posted in June, it has significance with its commentary in young students’ own words as to why “interactive” makes sense to them. And The Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA) issued a report in July “eBook Feasibility Study for Public Libraries” which has some interesting observations and recommendations sure to be debated within and without the library walls.
I must admit I was rather surprised to read recently that parents and educators in Russia were protesting and even holding hunger strikes over the lack of preschools in their country; frankly, I don’t believe we have seen the concern in America reach that level. Very interesting…I now want to know more about their preschool programming.
Congratulations to the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) on the excellent TIME cover article: The Case Against Summer Vacation. As Ron Fairchild, CEO of NSLA, noted in his announcement email about the article “Editor-at-large David Von Drehle thoughtfully researched the issue, and reached out to experience some of the innovative solutions our field is creating to make summer learning interesting and engaging for young people.” You can also listen to TIME managing editor, Richard Stengel, talk about the cover story. I have been a bit concerned personally that some people commenting on the article simply read the title and have not carefully read the real attributes of effective programming; I hope more people will study this article as it is a critical issue that cries out to our communities for action. One positive step is for each community to send a delegation to the NSLA annual conference; I can attest to the quality of programming and specific information presented that will lead an organization and/or community to action that is meaningful for the children in need.
Curious George and his friend The Man In The Yellow Hat are in the news! The Library of Congress in partnership with The Advertising Council have launched a campaign to encourage parents to read to their children. Thank you to both the LOC and the Ad Council for this valuable promotion! And there is news out this weekend Illumination Entertainment is developing a new film version about the curious monkey and his yellow hat friend.
In the READING TUB Terry reminded us of her love for historical fiction and shared an excellent post of Trevor Cairney’s Making History Come Alive with Literature: The Importance of Historical Fiction. What a treat to “find” posts I have missed at their publication date! Terry also shared information on COMIC BOOK LITERACY, an independent documentary film showcasing the use of comic books to promote literacy; the trailer for the film has me ready to be in the viewing audience given my support of comic books for hooking many a student on reading!
A final playful note to ask about your vote: Slinky and Etch A Sketch face off in new toy campaign. Have you cast your ballot?
It promises to be another hot day, this last day of July. I’m stretching out on the couch with books today, only wishing additionally for a reading nook like this one shown at WE HEART BOOKS, great spot for an aging back!
Happy Reading!
Carol
July 31st, 2010
Welcome to the bimonthly children’s literacy and reading news round-up brought to you by Jen Robinson’s Book Page and Scrub-a-Dub-Tub. As you know Jen and her husband Mheir have a new Baby Bookworm. During this time when Jen, Mheir and Baby Bookworm are settling into routines, I am “filling in” for Jen. As Terry noted in the mid-June Roundup, Jen periodically sneaks a peak at what’s going on in the Kidlitosphere … so just in case she’s reading, here’s a *wave* to you, Jen!
THE big event in late June was the American Library Association’s convention in Washington, DC or ALA for short. If you missed the convention or any part of it, a wonderful summary has been distributed by ALA in a Special Post-Annual Conference issue of AL Direct. I was one of those who missed the majority of the conference due to other RIF business and then through airline delays, I did not make it back for the Newbery/Caldecott banquet which you can enjoy through Betsy Bird’s eyes and ears and “the tats.” As I left town again on Tuesday the 29th I saw a sea of red shirts coming from the Hill; I asked one librarian to allow me to take a picture of her back! I had spent Monday morning and a good part of the afternoon on the exhibit floor meeting authors whom I have come to know through twitter, what fun! Once I have hit “send” on this roundup I am looking forward to reading much more from the AL Direct summary; first up will be the sections on Better services to the underserved (Cognotes, June 29, p 8); Strategies for reaching Latino Youth (Cognotes, June 28, p 8, 10); Bookmobiles on parade (of course!); and the always fascinating Book Cart Drill!
The federal Institute of Education Sciences announced during June it is awarding $100 million in grants to researchers for a new Reading for Understanding project for students preschool through high school ages.
An article receiving attention on a number of blogs was the report in which a professor – Thomas Newkirk – at the University of New Hampshire makes a case for “slowing down (reading) as a way to gain more meaning and pleasure out of the written word.”
There were several pieces throughout this month highlighted online on SCIENCE. The first at CELEBRATE SCIENCE, a blog by Melissa Stewart, was a posting titled Behind the Books: Integrating Science and Language Arts. The following quote hit me between the eyes: According to a recent study, nearly 86 percent of scientists who reported loving their jobs could trace their interest in science to someone they knew or an experience they had when they were 7 to 10 years old. This finding demonstrates the critical importance of solid science instruction for elementary students.
Other “science” articles I commend to you are a book list for summer reading from Reading Rockets; Girls Solve STEM Mysteries at Spy School; and one from the New York Times that caught many people by surprise and had a record number of “tweets” I do believe: Many Schools Teach Engineering in Early Grades! (image by Ozier Muhammad/The New York Times)
Do you know a teen between 13 and 18 making a difference by volunteering in your community? Is there a young person you know who has impacted the lives of others? Check out the Nestlé Very Best In Youth program. I have attended some of the ceremonies for this program which are actually several days of these outstanding young people and their parents meeting together – truly inspiring!
As June moved forward, there were more and more articles about summer reading which led into a great Summer Learning Day sponsored by The National Summer Learning Association. Of note were book lists like the Bank St. Best Children’s Books of the Year released the first time for free online and Shelf Talker’s updated roundup of 2010 kid/YA book receiving starred reviews as of June 17, 2010. Many children attend summer camps and it was interesting to note an article this month from the American Camp Association outlining what summer camps can and should do to promote continued summer learning. Summer is a great time to promote young artists as outlined by Imagination Soup and writers with the “story box” concept outlined by The Book Chook. Summer 2010 is the first summer a reading program has been instituted by the Defense Department with the hope military children will be further inspired to read. Finally, Tiger Tales spent the month of June focusing on How Children Play Around the World…I like the idea of promoting “play” during the summer! I am looking forward to learning more about the program track on “The Promise of Play” from posts from this year’s Aspen Ideas Festival.
The summer months can be great fun for many of our children, but for too many children the summer months mean “hunger, fear, disengagement and regression.” I was disturbed to read in the newest report from the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) “Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation: Summer Nutrition Status Report (2010) that fewer children received the services of feeding programs in the summer of 2009 than previously; and this followed a school year where free and reduced meal participation had increased. Hungry children cannot enjoy nor concentrate on reading, it’s that simple. Be sure to read the suggestions for change in the summer feeding program and also think about how your community is addressing this basic need for children. I invite you to read my Rasco from RIF column “What about Rhonda, Ted and their friends?” regarding the children in our communities most at risk of reading and academic failure. Don’t forget, it is not too early to be making plans to attend the excellent annual conference produced by The National Summer Learning Association; this year’s program “Summer Changes Everything” will be held in Indianapolis November 9 and 10.
When you travel do you include exploring children’s bookstores as I do? We Heart Books asked readers to share favorites from around the world and has had three columns to date on the subject. I personally feel fortunate to have finally had the opportunity to visit Books of Wonder in New York City this past week when Reading Is Fundamental kicked off our annual 
Book a Brighter Future campaign with Macy’s. I hope you will shop at Macy’s during July and in so doing, help bring more books and literacy resources to children in your area and throughout the country; thank you in advance!
July 5th, 2010
As I write this post, it is the final day in May; and it is Memorial Day which is a day of reflection for me and for thinking about my father and his colleagues who served their country with such pride and instilled in us as children a pride of country and of service. Thank you to all Veterans for your service which allows me to live in this country of many freedoms.
It is also a day of reflecting on what I learned this month of May that will inform my thinking, will challenge my thinking, will inspire me as I work to further advance RIF’s mission, a love of literacy and reading among all children.
LIBRARIES: As an ongoing and needed focus on the negative plight of many libraries of all types around the country which I discussed in the April review, the latest AL DIRECT outlines continuing developments. I call particular attention to “Frontline Advocacy Is Everybody’s Job” in which ALA “President Camila Alire explains on video the urgency of frontline advocacy, which involves learning to articulate the message both inside and outside the library.” Most notably, her concept of “frontline advocacy” as discussed contains lessons for all of us in promoting the value of libraries and other significant literacy causes.
NATIONAL LAB DAY and the relationship of science and literacy instruction: With the May 12 observance of National Lab Day there seemed to be a heightened awareness regarding the importance of sound reading skills to the success of students in STEM content (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). Corporations like Hewlett-Packard issued statements showing support and educational websites throughout the month published materials about “content area”.
While the information shared on this topic may appear to be only for classroom teachers or school administrators, I believe it speaks to all of us interested in the literacy field - including parents – and is worth studying.
Dr. Catherine Snow, the Harvard Graduate School of Education Shattuck Professor of Education, has written and spoken extensively on this topic of reading in content areas; three articles sharing information from Dr. Snow and highlighted in various e-newsletters and blogs this month:
-Rx for struggling readers
-In Schools, a Way to Keep Language From Getting in the Way of Science, part 1, part 2
There were also articles found throughout the month referring to the importance of elementary teachers integrating science with math and literacy instruction as well as the scientific process coming naturally to very young children.
Education Daily shared information about The Creative Coalition’s partnership with National Lab Day to put into action the belief of many in the two organizations regarding the importance of the integration of arts and STEM curricula. The article in ED Daily quotes Don Pemberton, director of the University of Florida’s Lastinger Center for Learning which is one sponsor of the STEAM Learning Network of which Pemberton is the Project Executive Director. And what is “STEAM” you ask? Adding the “A” for Arts to “STEM.”
Also during May the Literacy Toolbox posted about using informational text to motivate reluctant readers. There are some excellent ideas for using children’s magazines (great gifts for kids you know!), trade books, picture books.
And finally, posted just today on The Principal Difference is a post again pointing out the need for a strong literacy background and continuing literacy instruction for all students; thank you, Andres Henriquez, for passing along this information through ”Twitter.”
BOOKS: Paper or E-Book? The second area I found dominating the discussions in May among those devoted to children’s literacy is the topic that will be debated for years to come…must we give up the book as we best know it today? The New York Times alone during May had several pieces, editorial, news reporting and musings; among them Further Thoughts of a Novice E-Reader; In Ink on a Flyleaf, Forever Yours; At Book Expo, Anxiety Amid the Chatter, Digital Wizardry in Children’s Literature. I was seeing on twitter items like that in Stephen’s Lighthouse where he showed an e-book that can be rolled up and put in your pocket? And from the Joan Ganz Cooney Center Report: iLearn: A Content Analysis of the iTunes App Store’s Education Section is this fact: 60% of iTunes education apps target preschool age students. Finally, the National Literacy Trust (with which RIF has a relationship) in the United Kingdom reports a study finding in the UK that “nine out of 10 school pupils own their own mobile phone, compared to less than three-quarters who have their own books at home.” All of this is serious food for thought, is it not?
BRIEFLY
The Condition of Education report is released annually by Congressional mandate through the U. S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. The 2010 Condition of Education report was released in May and features a special section reviewing high-poverty schools which are defined as more than 75 percent of students eligible for subsidized meals. This special report reveals among other findings: In 2007-08, about 20 percent of all public elementary schools and 9 percent of public secondary schools were considered high-poverty schools, compared with 15 percent and 5 percent respectively in 1999-2000.
May is National Foster Care Month, a month that annually points out to our nation the job we are not doing in providing properly for foster children and in particular the lack of quality preparation for these children to leave the system when they turn 18. A new study released this month outlines problems faced by these young people. Over the years the difficulties in many areas faced by young people “aging out” of the system often point back to lack of basic education skills, chief among them literacy. RIF is currently studying how we might assist foster families and the children for whom they care; do you know of foster care programs carrying out special work in the literacy area? If so, I hope you will share it with me.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation in May released a 2010 KIDS COUNT special report, “Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters,” which makes the case that reading proficiently by grade three is a fundamental benchmark in developmental success and overall childhood well-being.
LOOKING AHEAD
Just in time for June 14 Flag Day preparation, the Smithsonian’s Share Your Story Project encourages people to share their stories and photos linked to the American flag. The mosaic alone is worth a look. Many lesson plans for different grade levels are also provided in the section How to Use This Resource in Your Classroom.
DON’T FORGET! With school out in some parts of the country and about to dismiss in others: National Summer Learning Day June 21.
IN CLOSING
Last month I featured The Book Bike as a way of distributing books and the Penguincubator as a historical note; same pattern here in closing for May.
Book distribution: The Weapon of Mass Instruction via Book Patrol
And from friends who know I like to see how books are used in unique ways: An 18th century traveling commode, you must read about it.
Happy Reading, have a great June!
Carol
May 31st, 2010
CORA COOKS PANCIT by Dorino K. Lazo Gilmore and illustrated by Kristi Valiant initially caught my eye for two reasons: I did not know what “pancit” meant or its language of origin, and I loved the picture of the food which looked almost like a photograph. I know now from the website the story is about a Filipino family. You’ll also note at the website Ms. Gilmore grew up in a Filipino-Italian family with significant time spent in the kitchen; and the illustrator, Ms. Valiant loves cooking, monkeys, penguins and red walls…all of which it notes we will find inside these pages! Let’s open a copy now…
Happy reading!
Carol
Cover Story is a feature every Monday on Rasco From RIF where I share with you the “face” of a book that has caught my eye or that readers have submitted. Cover Story does not discuss the full content nor review the book. I hope you will share your favorite “cover story” with me now and then!
Twitter: @RascofromRIF
February 1st, 2010
I am reflecting this afternoon on the January topic of Religious Freedom in the Social Justice Challenge hosted in 2010 by Hannah, Amy and Natasha. Each month for this particular challenge I am working to meet all three criteria presented: read a book, study additional material whether written, film, or other; and perform action related to the topic.
During January I read Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay which relates to the Holocaust period, a topic I regularly study because of what I consider a deficit in my formal education on this period. I noted in reading a short piece about the novel, Sarah’s Key, it was based on an event called Vel’ d’Hiv’ which took place in Paris on July 16, 1942. I was taken aback by the large number of children involved in this roundup which was a Nazi decreed raid, one of several throughout the country to reduce the Jewish population in Occupied France. More than 10,000 people were rounded up and taken to the Velodrome d’Hiver in Paris which was an outdoor stadium used for bicycle races, concerts, boxing matches and other outdoor events. Of this large number of people, it is estimated 4000 or more were children. The French Jews were held there for up to a week with little food and water and no toilet facilities in the summer heat, often standing room only available. These individuals were then shipped by rail to Auschwitz with very few surviving.
The author noted in materials included in the book she knew as she began to learn about Vel’ d’Hiv’ as an adult she must write about it, but she did not feel a historical novel would adequately portray what she wished to convey, she wanted a contemporary feel to the story as well. She then created the stories of Sarah, a child of the Vel’ d’Hiv’, and Julia who is an American living in modern Paris who experiences the horror of learning about Vel’ d’Hiv’; their stories are told in alternating chapters with a surprising lack of confusion in this constant travel of the reading mind between time periods.
I was viscerally shaken by the book and the research I did on the topic after completing the story; de Rosnay’s writing is quite powerful as I have read numerous books, both fiction and non-fiction, on the Holocaust. Today as I type these words, I feel some of those powerful emotions and ”close-to-sick” feelings again.
Only in 1958 was this infamous place in Paris completely demolished. And it took another thirty-five years before action was taken to officially remember the horror and to honor the lives taken at Vel’ d’Hiv. In 1993 President Francois Mitterrand commissioned a monument to be erected on the site; on July 17, 1994 Mitterand’s successor, Jacques Chirac, inaugurated the statue with a ceremony that included strong remarks about the guilt of the French police and gendarmerie in collaborating with the Germans. The statue sits on a curved base representing the cycle track and is the work of sculptor Walter Spitzer and architect Mario Azagury. Interestingly, Spitzer and family members of his were survivors of deportation to Auschwitz. While the persons represented on the statue represent all French deportees, it is particularly those of Vel’ d’Hiv who are honored with inclusion of children, a pregnant woman and a sick man. The inscription on the base reads:
The French Republic
in homage to the victims of racist and anti-Semitic
persecution and of crimes against humanity committed
under the de facto authority of the so-called “government of
the French state” 1940-1944
Never forget
Reading this book, studying about the subsequent demolition of the Velodrome d’Hiver and my re-reading of many of the student essays written as part of the Holland and Knight Holocaust Remembrance Project all helped to prepare me better for discussions I have led among youth groups this month on the topic of religious freedom.
Carol H. Rasco
January 31st, 2010
This is weird. But that also makes it fun. Perfume that smells like an old book! The maker of this scent, Christopher Brosius, loves his books. He describes the odour of his product as: “English Novel taken from a Signed First Edition of one of my very favorite novels, Russian & Moroccan leather bindings, worn cloth and a hint of wood polish”. He made four varieties of his “In the library” scent. It comes as Perfume Absolute 15 ml and 2 ml, a Water Perfume and a Home Spray. You can find out more about it, and order it if you dare, here.
