It’s a Beautiful Day to READ ALOUD!
07 Mar 2012 5 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: literacy, reading, World Read Aloud Day
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- Reading Aloud Builds Better Writers (twowritingteachers.wordpress.com)
- World Read Aloud Day (thereaderonline.co.uk)
An African-American Book Feast to Savor
03 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
in middle grade, Nonfiction, Picture Books Tags: American Library Association, Bryan Collier, children's book awards, Jerry Pinkney, literacy, Marilyn Nelson, Walter Dean Myers
Celebrating its 20th anniversary, the free African-American Children’s Book Fair returns 
Saturday to the Community College of Philadelphia. One of my favorites, the fabulous Bryan Collier (see this prior post), will be there, in addition to the indomitable illustrator Jerry Pinkney and author Walter Dean Myers, national ambassador for young people’s literature. Acclaimed illustrators such as E.B. Lewis, Floyd Cooper, and Sean Qualls are on the schedule, as well as the award-winning poet Marilyn Nelson.
And …
The American Library Association’s announcement of the 2012 children’s book awards is a great source for ideas for kids of all ages. Of those winners, many are great to read aloud to children 5 to 8, including …
and for ages 8 to 12, consider 
Congratulations to the beloved author/illustrator Ashley Bryan (see my prior post) for the Coretta Scott King – Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime achievement.
Dust Turns to Hope for an Afghan Girl
27 Mar 2011 4 Comments
in After 9/11, middle grade, Novels Tags: Afghanistan, Greg Mortenson, literacy, Patriarchy, Sexism, Taliban, Three Cups of Tea, Trent Reedy, War - Afghanistan, Words in the Dust
Reedy, Trent. Words in the Dust. Scholastic, 2011.
Dusty scenes of strife-filled Afghanistan have blanketed computer and TV screens in the last decade. But what do we know of the actual people whose lives have been warped by the Taliban?
Meet Zulaikha, a 13 year-old Afghan girl whose opportunities are constrained not only by fear, customs, and oppression, but also by her cleft lip. For Zulaikha, a mundane trip to the market can mean fresh torture, as at any moment she might hear a local bully’s dreaded cry of “Donkeyface!” Even at home she meets with harsh treatment, especially from her younger brother. How can she hope for a better life? Her sister, the only one with whom she can share her feelings, will soon marry and move out. That will leave Zulaikha with all the chores and, as her stepmother reminds her, little chance of her own husband and home. If only she could learn to read and write as her mother did … but that, too, seems impossible.
Words in the Dust, the debut novel by Trent Reedy, provides an eye-opening view of life in contemporary Afghanistan, particularly as experienced by women. Reedy’s perspective was hard won. When he was nearing the end of his six-year term in the National Guard, he was called to active duty in Afghanistan in 2004. He and his unit encountered a girl named Zulaikha who had a severe cleft lip, and arranged to have an army doctor perform the much-needed surgery.
Yet Reedy has not created some trite, reassuring made-for-TV story. As the plot unfolds, cultures clash, as when the American doctor unknowingly insults Zulaikha’s father, and the girl almost misses her chance at the surgery she so desperately wants. Most moving, though, is the gender-related conflict in Afghan society, as females encounter a web of sexist restrictions. Zulaihka finds she will need more than a pretty face to thrive in her harsh environment. She needs a mentor, a wise woman who will help her develop her intellect. When she stumbles upon that person, events unfold that bring her closer to her stepmother and to the mother who was killed by the Taliban for daring to read books of poetry.
Reedy is donating a portion of his royalties to Women for Afghan Women, an organization working for education and humans rights for women.
Complemented by a glossary, author’s notes, and recommended titles for further reading, this novel will provide a rich and rewarding reading experience for ages 11 and older. Note: Scholastic sent me a free advance copy of this novel, for which I am grateful. I have offered my genuine opinions of the book, as always.
For younger children, turn to Greg Mortenson’s Listen to the Wind: The Story of Dr. Greg and Three Cups of Tea.
Related Articles
- Afghan women are still at risk | Ivan Simonovic (guardian.co.uk)
Rise Up and Read Aloud!
05 Mar 2011 4 Comments
in What's the Point? Tags: literacy, Pam Allyn, reading, World Read Aloud Day
World Read Aloud Day Is Coming March 9, 2011
Last year, 40,000 people joined in the first World Read Aloud Day. Will you be a part of this celebration on Wednesday? What better way to honor the power of words to change the world than to read aloud to children? You don’t have to join the crowds in Times Square for the 24-hour readathon. You can have your own event — in your classroom, in your library, in your bed with your child snuggled beside you.
World Read Aloud Day springs from LitWorld, headed by literacy advocate and author Pam Allyn, in an effort to build a world that nurtures reading. One of the group’s many literacy initiatives is the creation of this international celebration “to show the world that the right to read and write belongs to all people. World Read Aloud Day motivates children, teens, and adults worldwide to celebrate the power of words, especially those words that are shared from one person to another, and creates a community of readers advocating for every child’s right to a safe education and access to books and technology. By raising our voices together on this day we show the world’s children that we support their future: that they have the right to read, to write, and to share their words to change the world.”
Reading aloud is fun, but it’s much more than that. We can all take part in building a more just and literate world. Person by person. Book by book. Word by word.
Librarian on the Roof!
03 Nov 2010 4 Comments
in Hero stories, Picture Books Tags: citizenship, community-building, librarians, literacy, multicultural literature
Yes, librarians can be heroes, too. If you don’t believe it, just read Librarian on the Roof! A True Story 
by M.G. King and illustrated by Stephen Gilpin. This spirited picture book is based on the real adventures of RoseAleta Laurell, who blew into the small town of Lockhart, Texas, and found a small, outdated library with a lot more dust than people. The old brick-and-limestone building had been a cultural center once, but it had lost its luster. And worst of all, it had no children’s section. So RoseAleta decided to raise a ruckus, or raise funds for an area just for kids. “We need more books — picture books, mystery books, adventure books! We need tables just the right size. Comfy chairs. Colorful artwork. And computers.” Of course, the question was where the money would come from. That’s what led RoseAleta up to the roof. Fifty feet up, she perched a tent and vowed to camp out until the community raised the funds needed.
All this commotion didn’t meet with the town official’s approval. One page shows him scowling as he yells, “RoseAleta, stop this nonsense right now. We are a respectable town. We simply cannot have librarians falling off the roof.”
“HORSEFEATHERS! Respectable towns have libraries filled with children.” RoseAleta didn’t budge.
In one week, the community raised $39,000 — nearly twice her goal – and today, the library is once again a vital place, with scores of kids learning and reading in the oldest library in Texas.
The very idea of a librarian camping out on the roof will tickle a lot of children. The colorful, cartoonish illustrations by Stephen Gilpin are humorous and defy the outdated stereotype of a librarian. They depict RoseAleta as a bright-eyed, feisty, energetic woman determined to stay on top of things.
Other Books Featuring Heroic Librarians
- Gonzalez, Lucia. The Storyteller’s Candle. Illus. by Lulu Delacre. 2008. Ages 8-10. What role does the public library play in building a community? Join Hildamar and her cousin, Santiago, as they enter the library in Manhattan’s El Barrio. Recently arrived from Puerto Rico, they are struggling to navigate new customs in a bewildering big city. Fortunately, the children find a creative and caring librarian, who lights her storyteller’s candle, speaks in both English and Spanish, and sparks imagination in her listeners. Soon, the children lead their Hispanic community to the public library, where they create a holiday play and, in the process, create a stronger community. This picture book is a tribute to Pura Belpré, New York City’s first Puerto Rican librarian, whose name was given to the American Library Association’s annual award that honors Latino authors and illustrators. Delacre’s oil and collage illustrations add warmth to an inspiring story.
- Henson, Heather. That Book Woman. Illus. by David Small. Simon & Schuster, 2008. Ages 6-8. This spare, uplifting picture book pays homage to the 1930s era of pack horse librarians in Kentucky. Young Cal cares not a whit about books and can’t fathom why the Book Woman would bother to ride a horse up the mountains to loan such things. Even Cal is impressed, though, when she braves a fierce winter storm. Cal asks his younger sister to teach him to read, and when the Book Woman arrives the following spring, he shows off his new skill. Small’s expressive watercolor, pastel chalk, and ink illustrations beautifully convey the characters’ emotions.
- Ruurs, Margriet. My Librarian Is a Camel: How Books Are Brought to Children Around the World.
Boyds Mills, 2005. Ages 8-10. Take children around the world by selecting from the two-page entries describing rural library services in 13 countries. Camels, donkeys, and elephants are here, as well as a boat, a wheelbarrow, and a refitted boxcar. You can use this to enliven geographical studies, to reinforce the important role of literacy, and to broaden awareness of different lifestyles and cultures. - Winter, Jeanette. Biblioburro: A True S
tory from Colombia. Simon & Schuster, 2010. Ages 6-8. Sometimes it takes two — burros, that is — to deliver library resources. That’s how avid reader Luis shares his beloved books with those in the remote jungles of South America. Winter’s vivid paintings evoke the lush, tropical setting of this story centered on the joys of books. She includes an author’s note on the actual Luis and his “biblioburros.” - Winter, Jeanette. The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq. Houghton Mifflin, 2005. Ages 8-10. Meet a real hero, Alia Muhammad Baker, chief librarian of Basra’s Central Library. As war approached, she set about protecting her community’s precious books. When the government refused to help, she found a nearby restaurant owner who helped her store the books — just nine days before the library burned. Then she moved the 30,000 volumes to her own home and to those of her friends, hoping that peace would soon come. Winter based this picture book on the July 27, 2003 New York Times article by Shaila K. Dewan. She deftly describes and illustrates the events without overwhelming children with the horrors of war. This book presents a great opportunity to discuss the vital role the library plays in a community and to analyze the characteristics of a hero.
