Storybooks. The term conjures up images of fairy tales and mythical creatures and villains and heroines of all kinds. It reminds me of spending time with the characters in beloved series books for youngsters, like Encyclopedia Brown, Junie B. Jones, Ramona, Emelia Bedelia, Frog and Toad, The Magic School Bus, Magic Tree House and the […]
It was the spring of 1968. Seven of us students from Kansas University were gleefully headed from Lawrence, Kan., to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., anticipating acting out our personal freedom fantasies during a week on the beach. That journey didn’t turn out as we had planned, but then fantasies rarely do. We headed southeast for the long journey […]
Babies like what they like and while possibly being curious about new things, unless some immediate value is detected, they will pretty much ignore our offerings with a casual wave of the hand. They have no qualms about sharing their disapproval with us. Tough sale! So, how do we get our wee ones to like what WE […]
I’ve been reading other blogs. Almost all of them are cleverly written and insightful and offer ideas and experiences that are just a little beyond my pitiful reach. I’m enjoying being more fully educated…about anything! This morning, I encountered two blogs that were particularly poignant for me, offering a new place for me to stand in […]
That’s not a typo. You read it right. I meant “tome” vs. “tone.” A tome of course is basically a BIG book, suggesting to me the range of ways books and other reading materials can be BIG in a classroom. In my little play on words, my interest of course is in keeping books and […]
Linguistic Diversity Cultural Diversity Racial Diversity Gender Diversity Recognizing our differences from one another is a first, easy step in coming to know, understand and hopefully accept those unlike us. We humans immediately detect those who don’t fit familiar or comfortable impressions of how things are supposed to be. We also pick up on the […]
Today, on April 30th, DIA will be celebrated by the American Library Association. DIA is about rejoicing in diversity in children and in the books they are offered to read. Diversity is such a very broad topic that it’s hard for any of us to get our heads around all of it. When folks throw in […]
Being a literacy guy, reading and writing and books shape the lens through which I see pretty much everything. Earth Day comes around every year in the springtime to remind us that momma Earth needs our loving care if she is to sustain our growth. Here at Unite for Literacy we are all about growing […]
Okay, boys and girls, let’s name 10 things that women have done to enrich our history or enhance our opportunities. Right, okay, sure…uh…let’s see…hmmm. For me at least, that question is harder than I think it should be. I grew up long before there was much effort to educate children—boys and girls—that history should showcase the […]
Today we are celebrating that one million books have been enjoyed by Unite for Literacy readers around the world! What do one million books look like? And where did all of those readers come from? Well, we have created a short video so you can see for yourself. Unite for Literacy’s library readership has grown this […]
