Rasco From RIF

Children’s Literacy and Reading News Roundup – June 2010

July 5th, 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 29^th 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!

Filed under: 2010 Literacy Roundups, Book A Brighter Future, Children's Books, Libraries, Reading in the News, Summer Reading

Tags: AL Direct, ALA, American Camp Association, Aspen Ideas Festival, Bank Street College, Book A Brighter Future, Books of Wonder, Celebrate Science, Defense Department, FRAC, IES, Imagination Soup, Jen Robinson's Book Page, Macy's, Nestle Very Best In Youth, New York Times, Reading Rockets, Scrub-a-Dub-Tub, Shelf Talker, The Book Chook, The National Summer Learning Association, Tiger Tales, We Heart Books