When taking into consideration all of the inventions since long before the modern era, our progress in communication, transportation, medicine and government all pale in comparison to the impact of the movable-type printing press that has given us mass-produced books. Allowing us to share ideas and sentiments across the globe, and to communicate our culture and […]
Today, Stefan Åge Hardonk Nielsen, an English teacher at Vonsild School near Kolding, Denmark, is leading his young students in translating simple English picture books into their native Danish language. These U.S.A. focused books were originally published in English for “new readers” of any age, but are deemed appropriate content for all children ages birth though early primary. Mr. Nielsen’s students […]
I walked my dogs on a recent trash collection day. It was windy and we came across a trash bin that had blown over. I stopped to upright it and tried to pick up refuse that had spilled out and was still within reach before it blew down the street. One item was a 3rd–grade worksheet. It had lots of […]
I’m enjoying Women’s History Month. It is supported by The U.S. Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum with abundant research and memorabilia to showcase and educate about women’s abundant contributions to the world. […]
This week the United Nations invites us to celebrate International Mother Language Day. I’m guessing most of us are unaware of this invitation, especially those of us in the U.S., where celebrating our mother language is a bit like fish celebrating water. Why celebrate something that seems omnipresent? Indeed, those of us who hail from the good ole […]
When I see strangers reading books in public places, I often startle them by inquiring about their book choices. I take their brief personal reviews into account when looking for my next read. As a result, I currently find myself in a book aimed at ages “9 to 12.” During lulls in our traditional holiday […]
She looked at the card, then at her mother, then at me. I had given my business card to a woman with a small, less than 2-year-old child outside of the hotel where the Literacy Research Association was celebrating its yearly awards for those individuals making lifelong contributions in support of literacy. My business card […]
Books! A small, but committed, page-turning gang of people LOVE PRINTED BOOKS! The reasons for that love (or the lack thereof) live in each of our cores. There’s no explaining it in any other rational way. Somehow, at some point, us older book lovers each fell in a kind of love with a character, a […]
More than 2,200 years ago, King Ptolemy V of Egypt decreed a holiday in honor of gods most of us have never heard of. He decided to have his pronouncement carved into a stone (which we now call the Rosetta Stone) so no one would forget all of the sacrificing, praying and hoopla that went along with holidays […]
When a learner’s family and community commit to developing full literacy for everyone, there are at least two principles that guide efforts in that development: The community must ensure its literacy learners have ready access to abundant good books to read (“good” meaning relevant to each learner’s life). Those closest to literacy learners must ensure they are […]
