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!
What a special morning at Books of Wonder in New York City as children from St. Aloysius Education Clinic heard Susan Sarandon read Wild About Books and talked with her about books, movies, and more as RIF and Macy’s launched the fifth year of Book A Brighter Future. Wild animal masks for each child, a multicultural book distribution with Susan helping each child place her/his name in the chosen books, cupcakes, and wild animal bingo were all part of the experience for the children who left with yellow backpacks stuffed with books and literacy goodies! A special morning for a special cause – now it’s time for some serious shopping at Macy’s!
Carol talking about the Book A Brighter Future campaign on "Shop Talk".
For months, I’ve been looking forward to telling you about this day, and it’s finally here! From June 30 through July 31, Macy’s and RIF will hold the 2010 Book A Brighter Future™ campaign where you can help provide new books to children in need.
I’m still amazed by the extraordinary success and outpouring of support so many of you gave us last year, and I know this year can be even better. It’s so easy to participate–just stop by your local Macy’s and give $3 and get a coupon for $10 off one purchase of $50 or more. Macy’s will donate 100% of every $3 to RIF.
As in previous years, RIF is offering a fun Macy’s shopping spree through a special sweepstakes during the campaign. Tell three friends about the campaign through the Tell-A-Friend feature and you’ll be entered to win a $1,000 Macy’s gift card from RIF.
Book A Brighter Future, now in its fifth year, has raised more than $13 million for RIF, which means RIF has been able to provide more than 2 million books to underserved children. This is a great accomplishment, and we want to reach even more children with free books this year!
So please, get with a friend and plan to stop by your local Macy’s to shop, have fun, and help make the future brighter for children across the country.
Happy Reading!
Carol
P.S. I’m headed to the campaign launch event in New York City. Look out for a special Muse Flash! with photos of the fun.
Display of multicultural books at Phoenix regional gathering. Kappa Kappa Gamma alumnae at the gathering (L to R): Henrietta Kobley, April Hendrickson (RIF), Julie Mangis, Carolyn Simpson, Susie Hughes, Edie Mayo.
Greetings from sunny (and hot!) Phoenix! It’s Kathryn Jackson, director of corporate relations, and April Hendrickson, manager of special events here! We had the pleasure of attending a great event on June 22 to help kick off the 2010 Book A Brighter Future campaign for RIF and Macy’s, which officially starts on June 30. More than 30 enthusiastic RIF supporters gathered at the Macy’s in the Biltmore Fashion Center to celebrate the work of RIF volunteers in Phoenix and across the country.
The event also helped celebrate the beginning of the 2010 national Kappa Kappa Gamma Convention, which is being held in Phoenix this week. RIF is proud to be the Kappa’s national philanthropy partner and we were thrilled to have several Kappas in attendance at the event, including Carolyn Simpson, the Philanthropy Chair for Kappa Kappa Gamma. Carolyn is also a member of RIF’s Board of Directors and she spoke eloquently about the impact RIF makes across the country and the incredible work volunteers do every day. The Kappas are an integral part of RIF’s sustained success at the local level, with chapters getting involved with RIF programs in their communities through their “Reading Is Key” events.
In Arizona, more than 130,000 children receive books and literacy resources through the help of over 9,000 volunteers. Without the commitment of the local volunteers, RIF could not reach these children. For us, Tuesday’s highlight was meeting the local coordinators, volunteers, and RIF supporters and being able to thank them in person for the difference they make in their community.
Fun, fun, fun from the moment I entered the doors of the Children’s Museum of Phoenix on March 2, Dr. Seuss’s birthday and Read Across America day. It was “BooksEggstravaganza!“ : a first-annual breakfast to provide Arizona’s children with the opportunity to grow up with books and a love of reading sponsored by Reach Out and Read Arizona (RORAZ). Adding to the playful mood set by the Museum’s incredible play spaces were the tables where books were placed at each guest’s place.
Welcomed by Lara Yoblonski, M. D., Board Chair and Carol Kochlin, RORAZ Executive Director, the morning program was kicked off by emcee Donna Rossi of KPHO-TV Channel 5 who introduced a video about RORAZ which recalled with nostalgia for all present some favorite bedtime stories.
The RIF-Macy’s Partnership was proud to be honored alongside Eddie and Nadine Basha as well as Dr. J. Kipp Charlton. The Basha’s have devoted significant time and energy to “advocating for Arizona’s children, particularly with regard to early childhood education.” Dr. Charlton? He is the pediatrician every parent dreams of being their child’s doctor!
Shopping for dinner? Macy's representatives and Ginger Ward joined me in shopping in the Museum's Food Market.
It was great to visit with RIF and RORAZ friends Ginger Ward, CEO, and Alan Taylor, Director of Training at Southwest Human Development which brought Reach Out and Read to Maricopa County and is the home to a large, multi-site RIF program as well! It was fun as well spending time with RIF’s Arizona Ambassador for 2010 Charlotte Forte! And it is always a treat to visit with my friend Naomi Karp, former Director of the National Institute on Early Childhood Development and Education (ECI) in the U. S. Department of Education and now President of Arizona AEYC.
I'm serving Charlotte Forte, RIF's 2010 AZ Ambassador some stone oven pizza from the restaurant area of the Museum!
Thank you, RORAZ, for your dedicated work and for the tribute you paid to Macy’s and RIF on Tuesday; we are honored to be colleagues in the children’s literacy mission with you.
Now let me tell you, they almost had to drag me out of this Children’s Museum…such a fun place, a place where you can “play to learn.” I want to sit in the flying, claw foot tub and soar high through childhood again!
As we wind down the week in which RIF turned 43 I have found myself reflecting on some of those wonderful little moments in time over my eight years here that say “Guess what, RIF, you really made a difference for a kid.” I am flooded with faces of people young and old from all across this country who have shared with me what it means or meant to them to get a book, a free book, a book to keep “all for my own self.”
The most recent of these episodes happened in a store in the Charlotte, North Carolina airport. A clerk said she would be more than happy to get the information I was seeking about a product and email me; I handed her my business card and she became very excited…I was glad to see it appeared to be a “happy” excited! She then said “Could this be the same RIF that gave me books at St. Aloysius Center in New York City years ago?” I said well, yes, it is; she said “Is Ms. Beth still the head lady and does she still do RIF there at the Center?” and again, I said yes and told her of the growth at St. Aloysius and how students at Harlem Academy which comes under St. Aloysius for RIF programming had assisted in the launch of a Macy’s campaign for RIF at NASDAQ and then appeared on the plaza during a CBS Early Show. She was even more excited at this point and extolled the benefits of RIF and all that it had meant to her. Other customers were somewhat spellbound during this unsolicited testimonial as was I. She asked “Is RIF in North Carolina” and in addition to saying yes (I was doing lots of answering “yes”), I told her how to look up RIF program sites on the web. My new friend and I said goodbye, and I told her I would check back with her the next time I am in the airport. Despite feeling oh, so tired after a day of “too close for comfort” connections in a couple of airports and crowded planes, I all but skipped to my gate. What a thrill to know after all these years she clearly remembered the excitement of book distribution day and even told me the stories from a couple of those books!
Just think…since 1966 more than 350 million books and a whole lot of people like my new friend in the airport who are excited about reading still. Thank you RIF!
RIF and Macy’s Staff with the $6.5 million check from the Book A Brighter Future campaign.
My name is Erika Ekdahl, and I am the director of corporate relations for RIF. It has been a busy week at RIF, and I’d like to share a bit about two events that RIF hosted in New York City.
On Tuesday, September 29, RIF hosted the Fourth Annual Partner Summit, where we were pleased to hear a thought-provoking presentation on cause-partnerships from Kurt Ascherman, president of the Foundation at Charity Partners, and a powerful statement on the need for reading in education from Dr. Lucy A. Calkins, Robinson Professor in Children’s Literature, Teacher’s College, Columbia University. Each year, RIF brings together our top partners as a way to engage in candid conversation on the best practices in cause partnerships. Highlights from this year included the mock RIF distribution, an engaging roundtable conversation, and two outstanding presentations from our special guests.
Later that evening, RIF hosted the New York City Regional Gathering where we had a group of over 60 local RIF volunteers, partners, board members, supporters, and staff in attendance. This event was an ideal way to learn more about RIF’s local impact and to celebrate the success of the 2009 Book A Brighter Future Campaign with Macy’s, which raised over $6.5 million for RIF!
During the gathering, we heard remarks from Bob Diamond, vice chairman of RIF’s board of directors; Carol Rasco, RIF’s president and CEO; Janine Meehan, RIF coordinator for P.S. 19 Roberto Clemente School; and from Robin Reibel, group vice president, media relations, cause marketing & visitors services at Macy’s. Carol highlighted projects that Macy’s has supported including RIF’s Multicultural Book Collections, which were displayed throughout the room. I was reminded of the powerful impact that books can have when Janice shared quotes from RIF kids and fellow teachers at P.S. 19 about RIF’s multicultural books. At the end of the event, Carol encouraged all attendees to take a book with them to read with a child. We also were excited to raffle off three signed copies of books written by Dr. Calkins, a new friend of RIF.
Following Carol and Janice’s remarks, there were lots of cheers when Robin announced the final results of the Macy’s campaign and presented the giant check for $6.5 million to RIF.
Many thanks to all of those friends (and family) that attended these events! We look forward to seeing you soon.
Yesterday, Macy’s held its 4th Annual Spelling Bee Grand Finale hosted by RIF. The event took place just outside of Macy’s Herald Square store in New York City.Twenty-six finalists from spelling bees held in Macy’s stores throughout the country were vying for the title of National Winner. The competition was intense as the participants carefully belted out each letter of “eco-friendly” words given by the judges. Alas, Shivani Angappan (9 yrs old from Bedford, MA) prevailed as the winner after successfully spelling “plateau” and “poinsettia” in the ninth round. Shivani received a $5,000 Grand Prize Kaplan Tutoring Scholarship and a $500 Grand Prize Scholastic Gift Certificate.
“Bee” sure to tune in to the CBS Early Show on Monday, September 28, 2009 to see the national winner show off her super spelling skills in a spell off with the Early Show anchors. Children and volunteers from a New York-based RIF Program will also be on the show’s plaza cheering the winner on!
At the regular monthly All-Staff meeting this week RIF started our ceremonies for closing the fiscal year on September 30. Each month we honor selected staff members with the President’s Award for Customer Service and then at the end of each quarter we also honor deserving staff with the McNamara Award. This latter award is named for our founder, Margaret McNamara, and the award is made to individuals who exhibit the spirit of Margy McNamara, a spirit of deep devotion and action toward children being able to readily access books and all that books and literacy can bring them. All staff members can nominate individuals for the awards which are decided by the senior management team who are not eligible for the awards. Book gift cards for both awards are given with McNamara awardees also receiving a Jefferson Cup engraved with Mr. Jefferson’s words to Mr. Adams “I cannot live without books.”
Pictured here in the lower right corner are some of the recent Customer Service award winners and some of the McNamara recipients are seen in the top photo. A complete listing for this quarter includes:
President’s Customer Service Award : Trish Heath, Mark Limm, Kim Nakashima, Layla Wright Contreras, Matt Wolf, Sue Ryan, Alex Howarth, Jonathan Hedgpeth, Nia McLean, Darryl Robinson, and Jeffrey Brown.
McNamara Award: Crystal Hemphill, Rebecca Chrystal-Armstrong, Rachel Hutt, Erika Ekdahl, Pati Carrada, Wendell Bassett, and Daniel Osborne.
Also at the meeting we honored those who had put forth “extra efforts” during the Macy’s Book a Brighter Future campaign during July and August. Some of those winners are shown in the lower left photo. There was also a great celebration and competition among staff teams simulating a Macy’s “new employee training”…we had teams vying for best gift wrapping, best packaging of clothing purchases, bargain hunters and “finding the right shoes for back to school for Carol Rasco.” A “great time was had by all” as they say in my hometown paper; and at the conclusion, a RIF favorite was served: cake and more cake!
As many of you know, during July and August, Macy’s has been hosting the Book A Brighter Future™ in-store campaign to benefit RIF. This great campaign has a huge impact on RIF and is very easy to support–just visit your local Macy’s this weekend and give $3 to get a $10 off coupon for your next in-store purchase of $50 or more. This is the last weekend of the 2009 campaign, and we need everyone’s support!
RIF is also running a special sweepstakes during the campaign. Tell three friends about the campaign through the Tell-A-Friend feature on www.bookabrighterfuture.com and you will be entered to win a $1,000 gift card for Macy’s from RIF!
This year, we’ve had all kinds of supporters rally around the campaign. A big thank you to the Macy’s associates, the women of Kappa Kappa Gamma, RIF staff and the many RIF volunteers who have done such an outstanding job spreading the word about the campaign. Stay tuned in September to see just how much your support has raised for RIF!
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!
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.
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!
As many of you know, during July and August, Macy’s has been hosting the Book A Brighter Future™ in-store campaign to benefit RIF. This great campaign has a huge impact on RIF and is very easy to support–just visit your local Macy’s this weekend and give $3 to get a $10 off coupon for your next in-store purchase of $50 or more. This is the last weekend of the 2009 campaign, and we need everyone’s support!