Welcome Choice Literacy Newsletter Readers

If you loved Melissa's post about Parent-Child Book Clubs at Imagination Soup, then we hope that you will stay a bit and explore many of the other great ideas that were shared during our Share a Story-Shape a Future event.

Share a Story is an annual community event for those of us passionate about kids, reading, writing, and literacy. Each year, blogging teachers, parents, grandparents, librarians, educators, publishers, authors, and literacy activists (to name a few) come together to celebrate all things literacy. We're here to share practical ideas and our personal experiences of raising readers.

We're so glad you've found us, and we'd love to hear your ideas and suggestions. After all, it takes a village to raise a reader!

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Share a Story-Shapea Future 2010: All the Posts

Just as we did for Share a Story 2009, we have created a complete, one-stop index of all of the posts. In fact, we now have a new page on the blog JUST for the indexed information.

For Share a Story-Shape a Future 2010 we selected the theme It Takes a Village to Raise a Reader because learning to read is an immersive process ... everyone in a child's life plays a role, either formally or informally.

One of our goals with this year's event is to share ideas about all of the ways we can create readers and, by extension, celebrate the efforts that each of us dedicate to the children in our lives.

Day 1: The Many Faces of Reading
Terry Doherty is hosting at Scrub-a-Dub-Tub (Reading Tub blog). We are sharing stories with and from people in our communities who dedicate themselves to promoting reading.

At Home

• Lee Wind starts us off with Dads! 3 Secrets of Reading with Your Daughter at I'm Here, I'm Queer, What the Hell do I Read. If you've got the worry ... Lee's got the answer.
• Greg Pincus tells us how sharing a story is the gift of a lifetime at Gotta Book.
• Melissa Taylor offers a win-win-win with parent-child book clubs at Imagination Soup. Don't tell anyone, but this is the best book club you'll ever join.  From Melissa: "PS, Oprah, I've got one on ya. You forgot the kids."
• Terry thought Just One More Book had something on this topic, but Andrea Ross says it was probably her article The Family that Reads Together ... What's In It for Me? She wrote this as a guest blogger for the Children's Book Review.  Here's a link to the podcast version of The Family that Reads Together.

At School

• Sarah Mulhern will talk about the teacher-student relationship at The Reading Zone. This morning she is talking about social reading.
• M Dahms talks about the parent-teacher relationship and how they view books and reading in About Readers Workshop: The Faces of Reading at A Reader's Community blog.
• Terry Doherty shares her experience as a volunteer reading tutor at Scrub-a-Dub-Tub.

In Our Communities

• At Eva's Book Addiction, Eva Mitnick is going to tell us about the Grandparents and Book Volunteer Program in the Los Angeles Public Library.
• Carol Rasco, President of Reading is Fundamental, talks about the who's and why's of community readers in partnerships in Why So Many Faces? at Rasco from RIF.
• Marge Loch-Wouters celebrates the Frequent Reader Club at Tiny Tips for Library Fun.
• Think libraries don't matter? Susan Stephenson explains why you're dead wrong at The Book Chook blog.

Day 2: Literacy My Way, Literacy Your Way
Susan Stephenson of The Book Chook and her guests are talking about everything from "low-tech" storytelling and singing to letting kids create stop-motion videos.

• Susan opens the day with a pair of interviews with storytellers Francie Dillon and Helen Evans, at the Book Chook.
• At Saints and Spinners, Farida Dowler shares ideas for Stories in the Bathtub: Practical Aspects of Storytelling.
• At Dulemba.com, illustrator Elizabeth Dulemba talks about the future of reading in an article called Beyond the Printed Page.
• Last November, Rebecca Taylor talked about sharing family stories and Family Stories Month at Lost in Books.
• Franki Sibberson talks about digital storytelling in a pair of posts at A Year of Reading. First up, her February post Discovering the Possibilities of Stopmotion in Grades 2-5. She also talks about making Tricky Videos with Klutz.
• Dawn Morris helps us understand that literacy is more than just reading and writing. Head over to Moms Inspire Learning for Circles of Literacy, Part 1.
• At Chatel Village, Kim Chatel shares more about Storytelling in a Multimedia World.
  
• Susan Stephenson talks about Sharing Stories Using an Online Editor.
  

Sometimes we have to be a little creative when it comes to getting kids interested in activities related to reading. If you're looking for ways to sneak in some literacy ...

• Join Joyce Grant at Getting Kids Reading to get ideas on ways to Get Active Kids Reading.
• Pull out all stops. Amy Mascott shares some of her tips for getting a little sneaky with literacy at Teach Mama.
• Think pictures. Rebecca Taylor talks about Combining Art with Literacy in the Early Childhood Environment at I'm Lost in Books.
  
• Grab a puzzle. Jen Funk Weber offers an off-the-beaten path way to literacy in her discussion of puzzles as a literacy tool at Needle and ThREAD: Stitching for Literacy.
• Get sticky! At There's a Book, Danielle Smith (aka The First Daughter) makes the case for using activity and sticker books to promote literacy.
• Stacey Shubitz at Two Writing Teachers talks about Linking Reading and Writing with Letters to the Author.
• S-I-N-G! Catherine Oehlman (the "Squiggle Mom") shares why good little singers become good little readers in through her topic Learn to Sing - Sing to Learn.
• Add to the story. Valerie Baartz explores Simple Story Extensions for Preschoolers at her site The Almost Librarian.
• Go to the Video! Melissa Taylor presents Video Games and Learning at Imagination Soup.  
  
• Marge Loch-Weuters has Books + Theater = Literacy Excitement at Tiny Tips for Library Fun.
  

Day 3: Just the Facts: The Nonfiction Book Hook

At the Reading Zone, today's host Sara Mulhern has two posts. In addition to introducing Day 3 of Share a Story, she has a great piece about pairing nonfiction with fiction in the classroom, complete with reviews of a few science/nature books for use in middle school, she links you to great ideas by other nonfiction lovers.

• Anastasia Suen talks about sharing nonfiction with new readers at 5 Great Books;
• Dawn Little, who is talking about Real World Reading with Preschoolers ... at the Literacy Toolbox;
• Monica Edinger is offering information about educating alice;
• Jessica talks about Hooking Reluctant Middle Grade Readers (You Choose and Wicked History Series) at 26 Letters;
• Melissa is talking about finding books with childhood memories a little later in life with After Little House, what? at Kidlit History;
• Natasha Maw is talking about nonfiction for early readers and their parents at Maw Books blog;
• Amy Mascott is talking about Everyday Nonfiction Newspaper Reading at Teach Mama; and
• Imagination Soup asks Are You a Fiction or a Nonfiction Reader?
  
• Callista says Let's Talk Nonfiction at the SMS Book Review blog
  

Day 4: Something Old, Something New: Old Favorites and New Classics

Donalyn Miller (aka the Book Whisperer) and her group of rabid readers are going to help us embrace the differences and bring them together. They're talking all kinds of books, sometimes pairing books we loved with modern classics. Whether you're trying to get a pre-reader excited about books or trying to keep a pre-teen reading, they've got lots of ideas.

• Danielle Smith has When I Was Young: The Books That Got Them Started at There’s a Book
  
• Tess Alfonsin shares some Classic and Contemporary Favorites at Reading Countess blog
  
• For some Dystopian Science Fiction ideas, see what Kate Messner suggests at Kate’s Book blog
  
• Paul Hankins, blogs about Nurturing the Now to Nudge the Next: Read Alouds in the Secondary Classroom, and reveals how this historically elementary school event engages his high schoolers. (You must sign up for the RAWIncK ning to view the post. The ning is free.)
• Teri Lesesne (aka Professor Nana) has The New Classics: New Books for Tweens on Classic Themes at The Goddess of YA blog
  
• Susan Berger is sharing some First Lines from Children’s Books at The Pen and Ink Blog.
  

Day 5: Reading for the Next Generation
Today, Jen Robinson (Jen Robinson's Book Page) she and her guests will be offering some answers to some of the questions parents have about reading relationships and what happens when they don't "click." 

• Sarah Neal shares "Let the Sillies Out: Reading to Babies and Young Children" at In Need of Chocolate.
• Melissa shares "Kicking it Up a Notch: When Children are Stuck in a Reading Rut" at Book Nut
• Mary Ann Scheuer shares "How do I help my child learn to love reading if I am not a great reader myself?" at Great Kid Books
• Dawn Morris shares "Am I a failure if I don't read with my kids?" at Moms Inspire
  
  
  
  Learning
• Joyce Grant shares "Getting Your Video-Kid Reading" at Getting Kids Reading
  
• Caroline Lennox shares "Princess Books? Give Me a Break!" at Learning Parade.
• Dawn Little shares "Resisting the Urge to Create a Reading Superstar" at Literacy Toolbox.
• Kate Messner shares "The Trouble with Great Expectations: Should kids be pushed to read more difficult books?" at Kate's Book Blog
• Esme Raji Codell shares "After the Love Has Gone: Read-Aloud for the Young and the Restless" at Planet Esme.
• Mary Lee Hahn shares "Trusting Your Child to Make It through His/Her Current Reading Phase" at A Year of Reading
  
• Pam Coughlan shares "Reading is Boring (Sometimes)" at Mother Reader
  

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Thank Yous Continue: Cincopa

I first learned about Cincopa when I was looking for a dynamic slideshow plug-in for a specific project for Scrub-a-Dub-Tub, a Wordpress blog. What struck me about Cincopa was its flexibility and the fact that it could handle various media types. The best thing, of course, was that I could get all that for FREE!

Cincopa is a Web 2.0 Internet platform that enables the creation of powerful, rich media web applications ... Create your website, blog site, sharing site, photos/video album site with videos, music and photos - and let Cincopa take care of storage, delivering, scalability, uploading, transcoding (video), sharing and more!

I was also impressed by the personal, tailored notes from the company president within 24 hours of installing the plug-in. When I had some initial problems (user error, I assure you!), I had some immediate feedback on what to do.

My project only required images, but should I ever want to incorporate other types of platforms, it would be easy to do. I am still working on the other project, but because of CINCOPA's flexibility and ease of use, I was able to create a slide show thanking our Share a Story 2010 sponsors and hosts on THIS blog, which uses a Blogger platform.

In addition to having a free version (the WP plug-in), there is also a Cincopa Pro. Cincopa supports nonprofits and humanitarian causes with a free pro account. In the midst of Share a Story - Shape a Future 2010 last week, I received word that the Reading Tub had been upgraded to a Pro account.

I loved the product before we went Pro, and I'm very grateful for Cincopa's generosity toward organizations working to make a difference.

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Share a Story-Shape a Future: Wrapping Up 2010

As I mentioned the other day, I delayed writing a wrap-up post because I was still working through some of the posts and discussions generated  by them, as well as catching up on some of the Writing about Reading responses from last week. 

In her Monday post at Booklights, Jen Robinson offers a day-by-day, link-laden summary of Share a Story - Shape a Future 2010, so I'll point you there rather than repeat it here. At Tif Talks Books, Tif offers similar post-by-post coverage for each of our participants. Jen and Tif offer different perspectives: Jen's is a more straight forward recap; Tif shares why she found the article valuable/relevant/helpful/etc.

So what's left to talk about? The Village!!

The children's book and literacy blogospheres reach far and wide, which is what makes the Share a Story ~ Shape a Future blog tour possible. That's a good thing, and a problematic thing. It is large and evolving, so it is impossible to know everyone. Last year (our first year) we had lots of familiar faces participating as hosts, guests, and commenters. This year, we expanded beyond "the known" in lots of different ways.

* We had contributors from three continents, not just two! In addition to Australia and North America, we had folks in the UK. We are a global village.

* There were lots of new participants as guest bloggers, interviewees, commenters, and writers. To be honest, I wasn't sure how the Writing about Reading event would go. It was clearly a great way to expand the event, and I found lots of new blogs and great discussions, too.

*Together, the formal posts and informal comments/discussions have created another "quilt" of great ideas and ways to engage kids. I particularly enjoyed the discussions about books-to-film.

* Our giveaways captured interest, as well, and spanned traditional and 21st century literacies, with both books and eBooks.

The Worldwide Web allows us to share ideas, encourage and reassure each other, and reach beyond the places we live. But it doesn't allow us to make a personal connection - that critical ingredient we all talked about - to help kids get excited about reading. 

• By talking about being a reading mentor, we can share the joy that comes with "rolling up your sleeves." The kids are so excited and we get as much from the experience as we give.
• By from and placing books in our community libraries, we are creating opportunities for kids. Not only are we helping them read, we are expanding their worlds.

Our hope is that you found something valuable in the discussions last week and that you are energized to participate  in your community: start a book club with your child or your neighbor kids; volunteer at the library; become a reading mentor for an at-risk reader; donate books or time to a literacy nonprofit ... It takes a village to raise a reader, and I, for one, am so happy to be living here with you.

My thanks to everyone who in any way contributed to Share a Story ~ Shape a Future 2010. Its success is all because of your passion for and dedication to kids and literacy!

We would love to know your thoughts about Share a Story ~ Shape a Future 2010. What worked for you? what didn't? Were there things we should have covered and didn't? What could we do different next year?

Image credits: It Takes a Village logos created by Susan Stephenson using ToonDoo.com.

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Share a Story-Shape a Future: Our Winners ...

Actually all of us are winners, don't you think? I will do a wrap-up post here in a little bit, but I want to first say

THANK YOU!! 

to everyone who hosted, wrote about, tweeted about, talked about, drew logos for, or sponsored a piece of our Share a Story - Shape a Future blog tour. It was a wonderful week, and I hope that you found encouragement, inspiration, or reassurance in your own reading journey and in helping children with theirs.

Over at There's a Book  Danielle announced the winners of the Itty-Bitty-Bookworm curriculum giveaways. Congratulations to the Summit County Integrated Preschool in Newberry, which one years one and two of the curriculum. If you didn't know, Tara was so touched by each of the stories offered by the applicants that she expanded her giveaway and is giving East Elementary and Fleming Island Elementary a full year of the Bo Curriculum, also.

We had three other giveaways, to.

Reading is Fundamental (RIF) donated two full sets (50 books each) of its Multicultural Book Collection. The RIF staff selected finalists from posts created in response to our Writing about Reading prompt series. Our winners are ...

Tess Alfonsin, the Reading Countess, who is donating her book set to Morton Ranch Elementary. From Tess: "This school struggles to put books in the hands of their readers. It is a Title 1 school, and as such, money for books is at the low end of priorities for many families whose children attend the school. The dedicated staff and instructional leaders are inspirations to not only me, but to their student population. The school's phrase is: "a school worthy of your children." I think that says it all."

Eric Van Raepenbusch, at Happy Birthday Author, who is donating his book set to Cuyahoga Falls Public Library. From Eric: "This library has given my family so much over the past 4 years. The staff works so hard to provide a variety of programs for the residents of our city. I was recently talking to the head librarian and she is so proud of the efforts of her staff. It would be awesome for them to receive this donation!"

Because we had more books to giveaway than entries for the Sleeping Bear Press giveaway, these libraries will also be receiving a 2-book set from Sleeping Bear Press that includes R is for Rhyme, and S is for Story.

Two of our other finalists for the RIF giveaway will also receive books for their designated libraries.

Tif at Tif Talks Books will receive a 4-book set for entering and winning the Sleeping Bear Press giveaway, and also a 4-book set for A Time to Discover, her designated school in the RIF giveaway.Each set includes Say Daddy, Goodnight Bear, R is for Rhyme, and S is for Story.

Jen Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page will also receive a 4-book set from Sleeping Bear Press for the Santa Clara City Library (CA), whom she selected as her recipient in the RIF giveaway. 

Last but not least, the winners for our free download of a PicPocket Books eBook giveaway are ...

Tif at Tif Talks Books,
Susan J. Berger of Pen and Ink, and
Jess Kennedy of Traveling Classics Book Review.

Eric Van Raepenbusch could have won, but (like me) does not have an iPhone or iPod touch.  Because we had fewer entries than products to giveaway, we did not need a random number generator and all entrants won a download.

Our congratulaions to all of the participants, sponsors, and winners. I will be in touch via email to make sure we have correct addresses, contact names, etc. You can also contact me directly at thereadingtub [at] gmail [dot] com.


Thanks again to all of you who helped make this a wonderful conversation about literacy ... and created more opportunities to share reading with children.

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Writing about Reading: Questions for Day 5

Is it Friday already? Wow, what a week! Today at Jen Robinson's Book Page, Jen is wrapping up the week with a look at how we take the next step. She and her guests are offering answers and ideas to some of the toughest questions we have as adults ... mostly parents, but not always. We have a few questions left ourselves, so here goes ...

• Is there a book from your childhood that you didn't like "back then," but that you've since re-read and liked? What was it about the book that you didn't like before?
• Do you have a favorite chapter book for reading with kids of different ages  (e.g., 4, 9, 13)?
• What book(s) has your child recommended to you that you loved?

Just a reminder for new visitors. Here's how it works ...
1. Select the question or questions that resonate with you.
2. Find an old post or write a new one that answers the question. [Be sure to grab the Share a Story button from the sidebar to include in your new post!]
3. Come back here and link your post either via the inLinxz box or as a comment.

We'll be adding links for this question through tomorrow (Saturday). If you haven't had a chance to link up through the inlinkz box, don't fret ... the comments will remain open for 30 days, so if something strikes you next week, we'd love to hear from you then.

Tess Alfonsin described The Miraculous Journey in response to the question about a book you can read with kids of different ages at the Reading Countess.

Cathy Puett Miller talks about the Little Engine that Must at Teachers are the Sparklighters for Literacy. Cathy also has a podcast with her content.

Kelly Coyle DiNorcia wrote about My Grandpa and her memories of reading with her grandather at Rhythms: the blog of Wellspring Community School.

Stella Villalba also wrote about books for children of varying ages at the My World - Mi Mundo blog.

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Share a Story-Shape a Future: Last Two Finalists

The Reading is Fundamental (RIF) staff has selected the final nominees for the RIF Multicultural Books Giveaway. There were lots of posts on days 3 and 4 of Writing about Reading, but several were by finalists from the first round. The last two finalists for the RIF giveaway are ...

•  Jen Robinson who wrote about her favorite reading spot at Jen Robinson's Book Page; and
•  Elisabeth Marie, who answered all three writing prompts at YS Princess.

Jen and Elisabeth join Tess Alfonsin (Reading Countess), Eric Van Raepenbusch (Happy Birthday Author), and Tif (Tif Talks Books) on the ballot. The top two vote-getters will win a 50-book set of Multicultural Books donated by Reading is Fundamental.

Voting is now open and will stay open until 12:00 noon (EST). We encourage you to read each of the five nominated posts and select the ONE that you think captures the essence of a reading life.

Click here to vote.

We would like to thank the Mom's Choice Awards and Executive Director Dawn Matheson for funding the Survey Monkey Survey! 

As soon as I have the name and some information about the school/public library Jen and Elisabeth pick, I will add that to the poll. [It is a wee bit early on the West Coast!]

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It's Never Too Late to Read: Bedtime Books Giveaway

Two weeks ago, I mentioned that  Sleeping Bear Press donated three (3!) copies each of its Bear family bedtime stories: Say Daddy! and Goodnight Baby Bear. Well, imagine my surprise when those books were followed up with five (5!) copies each of R is for Rhyme: A Poetry Alphabet and S is for Story: A Writer's Alphabet.

We are celebrating Reading for the Next Generation at Jen Robinson's Book Page today, so it only seems fitting to have bedtime, rhyming and story books as our last giveaway. Three winners will receive a full set of the four picture books, which offer fiction and nonfiction content! The set is for you and your family to enjoy.

• Say Daddy by Michael Shoulders (Ill. Teri Weidner)
• Goodnight Baby Bear by Michael Shoulders (Ill. Teri Weidner)
• R is for Rhyme: A Poetry Alphabet by Judy Young (Ill Victor Huhasz)
• S is for Story: A Writer's Alphabet by Esther Hershenhorn (Ill. Zachary Pullen)

Two other winners will receive a set of the R is for Rhyme and S is for Story to be donated to their local library.

Since it is our last day, we'll make this one easy. Just add your name and blog in the InLinkz box AND leave a commenttelling us about something you loved about Share a Story ~ Shape a Future 2010. It can be a blog post, a book idea, a reading idea, suggestions of any sort, or just describe your experience.

The Fine Print

1. You must reside in the United States or Canada to be eligible.

2, Your comment must be specific/relevant to Share a Story ~ Shape a Future. Self-promotion and generic comments will not be considered.
3. Books for libraries will be sent directly to the library on your behalf.
4. We will use the "draw a winner" function from InLinkz to pick winners at random.
5. Contest is open until Noon (Pacific Time) on Saturday, 13 March 2010.
6. Winners will be announced Monday, 15 March 2010.




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Bookcover Images and  hyperlinked titles take you to Amazon.com, with whom the Reading Tub (event sponsor) has an affiliate relationship. Using these links for purchases may provide income which the Reading Tub will use to continue hosting this event.

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Share a Story 2010 Day 5: Reading for the Next Generation

I don't know about you, but as the week has gone on, I have had more and more questions about what to do IF ... my child wants to read book I don't think s/he's ready for, I'm tired of reading every night ... and so on. Jen Robinson has been thinking about these questions - and many more - for a long time. When she went out with a query to see if there were other questions, the questions just kept coming. Today, she and her guests will be offering some answers to some of the questions parents have about reading relationships and what happens when they don't "click." 

• Sarah Neal shares "Let the Sillies Out: Reading to Babies and Young Children" at In Need of Chocolate.
• Melissa shares "Kicking it Up a Notch: When Children are Stuck in a Reading Rut" at Book Nut
• Mary Ann Scheuer shares "How do I help my child learn to love reading if I am not a great reader myself?" at Great Kid Books
• Dawn Morris shares "Am I a failure if I don't read with my kids?" at Moms Inspire
  Learning
• Joyce Grant shares "Getting Your Video-Kid Reading" at Getting Kids Reading
• Caroline Lennox shares "Princess Books? Give Me a Break!" at Learning Parade.
• Dawn Little shares "Resisting the Urge to Create a Reading Superstar" at Literacy Toolbox.
• Kate Messner shares "The Trouble with Great Expectations: Should kids be pushed to read more difficult books?" at Kate's Book Blog
• Esme Raji Codell shares "After the Love Has Gone: Read-Aloud for the Young and the Restless" at Planet Esme.
• Mary Lee Hahn shares "Trusting Your Child to Make It through His/Her Current Reading Phase" at A Year of Reading
• Pam Coughlan shares "Reading is Boring (Sometimes)" at Mother Reader

As has been our practice, we will update the direct links to the individual posts as they go live. You can also follow the discussions on Twitter. We're using the #SAS2010 hashtag.

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Writing about Reading: Questions for Day 4

Well, we've come to the day where we talk about the books we loved as kids. Some of our favorites, though, might be a little too "dated" for kids today: dial up telephones? radio shows? Thankfully, great writers are bridging that gap and offering kids new stories with the twists and characters we loved "back in the day." So let's jump in ...

• Is there a book from your childhood that you didn't like "back then," but that you've since re-read and liked? What was it about the book that you didn't like before?
• Do you have a favorite chapter book for reading with kids of different ages  (e.g., 4, 9, 13)?
• What book(s) has your child recommended to you that you loved?

Just a reminder for new visitors. Here's how it works ...
1. Select the question or questions that resonate with you.
2. Find an old post or write a new one that answers the question. [Be sure to grab the Share a Story button from the sidebar to include in your new post!]
3. Come back here and link your post either via the inLinxz box or as a comment.

We'll be adding links for the questions all week, so there's no rush to have an answer the same day a question is posted! Here's what we've got ...


At Tif Talks Books, Tif answers the question about a book she didn't like as a girl but likes now.
Eric tackles that same question at Happy Birthday Author.
Tess Alfonsin tells us about Childhood Favorites at the Reading Countess.

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Pic Pocket Books: Combining Classic Stories with Modern Life

Today we'd like to say thank you to Lynette Mattke and her company PicPocket Books. This is Day 4 of Share a Story-Shape a Future, and the topic of the day is combining the old and new ...

Lynette knows all about that. She's a mom of three and is an iPhone APP developer. She's stood in line with a cranky kid working desperately to engage them with *something* while she paid for groceries. As Lynette explains:

I want to say very clearly that we do NOT see our picture book applications for the iPhone as replacements for print books, but rather as an option for parents and children who are away from their collection of books and who would like to read or look at picture books as an alternative to movies and video games  - in the car, on airplanes, waiting at the doctor's office, etc.

For Share a Story ~ Shape a Future, Lynette has donated five (5) codes for eBooks from the PicPocket Books collection for downloading to an iPhone or iPod touch. This YouTube video with the What a Pest story helps you see how it works.



To enter this giveaway, add a comment with your suggestion on ways to ENGAGE kids with eBooks. We will use a random number generator to draw the winners' names. Deadline: 5PM Pacific Time Friday, 12 March 2010.

The Fine Print

1. The unlock codes must be used within 4 weeks of winning.
2. The code is for one download only.
3. You must own an iPhone or iPod touch ... you can not delegate the code to any other person.
3. The giveaway is open to US residents only. Sorry. It's the way the Apple Store works.

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Share a Story 2010 Day 4: Old Favorites New Classics

Something old, something new, something borrowed ... Yesterday it was "something true." to finish our rhyme. Today? Well, it's something valued.Okay, it isn't a perfect alliteration, but I tried!

Although reading is a timeless skill, what we read - and how we read - change. Some of the books we loved as kids would seem hokey now. Some have references that wouldn't make sense to kids - phone booths? telephone dials? what are they? What hooked us - maybe a classic Nancy Drewor Anne of Green Gables or Heidi or Journey to the Center of the Earth - wouldn't work for many of our 21st Century kids. There was no realistic fiction back in the day - no edginess, no taboo subjects, and the good guys usually won. It's different now - not better, not worse - different.

Donalyn Miller (aka the Book Whisperer) and her group of rabid readers are going to help us embrace the differences and bring them together. They're talking all kinds of books, sometimes pairing books we loved with modern classics. Whether you're trying to get a pre-reader excited about books or trying to keep a pre-teen reading, they've got lots of ideas.

Here's today's lineup.

• Donalyn Miller has “Something Old, Something New: Pairing Classic and New Favorites” at The Book Whisperer blog
• Danielle Smith has When I Was Young: The Books That Got Them Started at There’s a Book
• Tess Alfonsin shares some Classic and Contemporary Favorites at Reading Countess blog
• For some Dystopian Science Fiction ideas, see what Kate Messner suggests at Kate’s Book blog
• Paul Hankins, blogs about Nurturing the Now to Nudge the Next: Read Alouds in the Secondary Classroom, and reveals how this historically elementary school event engages his high schoolers. (You must sign up for the RAWIncK ning to view the post. The ning is free.)
• Teri Lesesne (aka Professor Nana) has The New Classics: New Books for Tweens on Classic Themes at The Goddess of YA blog
• Susan Berger is sharing some First Lines from Children’s Books at The Pen and Ink Blog.

Do you have some suggestions of books that bring favorite/classic stories to a modern audience? We'd love to hear them. Reading is a way to connect with your kids ... share the stories, swap books, laugh, cry ... make these the classics YOUR kids remember!

As has been our practice, we will update the direct links to the individual posts as they go live. You can also follow the discussions on Twitter. We're using the #SAS2010 hashtag.

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Writing about Reading: Our first Nominees

The Reading is Fundamental (RIF) staff has selected its first three nominees for the RIF Multicultural Books Giveaway. They read and discussed the ten (!) posts and selected these three as the first half of our ballot. From Carol Rasco, President and CEO of RIF ...


"We were conferring on some other things late tonight, and this was the fun part of the emails going back and forth."

Without further ado, the three finalists from the Monday/Tuesday Writing about Reading prompts are

•  Tess Alfonsin, who shared her personal journey to reading success in My Cornerstone Book at the Reading Countess.  
• Eric Van Raepenbusch, who told us about the books he wants to read with his daughter; his Dad, who was his reading influence; and the reading rituals at his house at the Happy Birthday Author blog.
• Tif at Tif Talks Books,  who also answered all three questions and shared stories about her reading inspiration, the books she wants to read with her kids, and a favorite night-time ritual. 
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Congratulations to our finalists. Tif, Eric, and Tess - Could you please add a comment here with the name and some information about the school/public library you'd like to have the books sent to? If you want to add a "why," you're welcome to do that, too!

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Writing about Reading: Questions for Day 3

Just that fact, ma'am ... Sarah Mulhern has us thinking all about Nonfiction today at The Reading Zone. As you'll see from Sarah and her guests, this isn't your parents' nonfiction. Nonfiction books are one of the best ways to hook kids on reading.

* Do you have an image (photo, chart, illustration) from a nonfiction book that has stayed with you, even though you don't remember many of the details about what you read?
* What kind of reading material has inspired your dormant reader to become an avid reader and book seeker?
* Where is your favorite place to read? Do you share  your secret spot with your child?

Here are the steps ...
1. Select the question or questions that resonate with you.

2. Find an old post or write a new one that answers the question. [Be sure to grab the Share a Story button from the sidebar to include in your new post!]

3. Come back here and link your post either via the inLinkz box or as a comment.

The inlinkz box will remain open all week, so come back anytime to add your post.

Updates for Wednesday, 10 March ...

Our most popular question is "what is your favorite place to read? Jen Robinson shares hers at Jen Robinson's Book Page; Kirstin Cutler shares hers at 4IQREAD;  and Tess shares hers (as well as nonfiction images that have stayed with her) at Reading Countess.

Eric tries his hand at all three questions at Happy Birthday Author.

Ilina P shares her reading journey and that of her son at Dirt and Noise.

 At Wrapped in Foil, Roberta Gibson tries to narrow down some favorite images from nonfiction picture books and discovers it's not so easy with all the great books out there. Elisabeth Marie tries her hand at the same question at YS Princess.

Tif shares her favorite place to read at Tif Talks Books.

Note: Eric, Tif, and Tess are already finalists for the RIF Multicultural Book Giveaway. They are writing for the sheer joy of celebrating reading and literacy and will not be considered in the second half of balloting.

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Share a Story 2010 Day 3: Just the Facts : The Nonfiction Book Hook

Kids love nonfiction books. 

That's a fact!

Sorry, I couldn't resist. Before you decide nonfiction = boring, you might want to take a stroll around the village today. Nonfiction - particularly nonfiction picture books - may be the perfect lure for reluctant readers.

At the Reading Zone, today's host Sara Mulhern has two posts. In addition to introducing Day 3 of Share a Story, she has a great piece about pairing nonfiction with fiction in the classroom, complete with reviews of a few science/nature books for use in middle school, she links you to great ideas by other nonfiction lovers.

• Anastasia Suen talks about sharing nonfiction with new readers at 5 Great Books;
• Dawn Little, who is talking about Real World Reading with Preschoolers ... at the Literacy Toolbox;
• Monica Edinger is offering information about educating alice;
• Jessica talks about Hooking Reluctant Middle Grade Readers (You Choose and Wicked History Series) at 26 Letters;
• Melissa is talking about finding books with childhood memories a little later in life with After Little House, what? at Kidlit History;
• Natasha Maw is talking about nonfiction for early readers and their parents at Maw Books blog;
• Amy Mascott is talking about Everyday Nonfiction Newspaper Reading at Teach Mama; and
• Imagination Soup asks Are You a Fiction or a Nonfiction Reader?
• Callista says Let's Discuss Nonfiction at the SMS Book Review blog.

As has been our practice, we will update the direct links to the individual posts as they go live. You can also follow the discussions on Twitter. We're using the #SAS2010 hashtag.

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Writing about Reading: Questions for Day 2

Today at the Book Chook blog, Susan is adding tons of ideas about stories and ways to connect them with literacy ... from traditional activities to harnessing technology. Don't you just love her Wordle filled with ideas from her theme? Creative literacy is her passion, and we're tapping into it for today's questions.

• Does your child enjoy writing? How can we link reading and writing in ways that will motivate kids?
• What is your favourite book to screen adaptation? 
• Do you or your child have a story that you like to "act out"? What is the story? and who are the role players?

Here are the steps ...

1. Select the question or questions that resonates with you.
2. Find an old post or write a new one that answers the question. [Be sure to grab the Share a Story button from the sidebar to include in your new post!]
3. Come back here and link your post either via the inLinx box or as a comment.
4. (optional) Tweet your post and include the #SAS2010 hashtag to share even more.

The Inlinkz box will remain open all week, so come back anytime to add your post.

Updates from Tuesday, 9 March 2010

• Eric von Raepenbusch shares lots of visual interpretations of books, the path toward reading, and books come to life at Happy Birthday Author
• Tess Alfonsin has a great collection of books-to-movies and heartening news for parents in Movies Can Be a Teacher's Best Friend at the Reading Countess.
• Tif talks about a writing dilemma with her son and asks for your ideas at Tif Talks Books. 

Updates from Wednesday, 10 March 2010

• Elisabeth Marie answers all three questions at YS Princess.

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Share a Story 2010 Day 2: Literacy My Way, Literacy Your Way

It may still be Day 1 here in the Western Hemisphere, but it's already Day 2 in Australia, where Susan Stephenson (the Book Chook) lives, so ...

Welcome to Day 2 of Share a Story ~ Shape a Future. If you're just joining us, then double welcome! We're glad you've found us and can't wait to hear your stories and ideas. (image credit: It Takes a Village logo created by Susan Stephenson at ToonDoo.com)

When we started brainstorming about the idea of a literacy blog tour way back in the Aughts (08 to be exact), we knew early on that we wanted to create a venue that showed how reading is relevant to a child's development, but also to offer literacy ideas in ways that were accessible to everyone.

Well, today's host, Susan Stephenson of The Book Chook, has taken that idea to a whole new level (and another continent)! She and her guests are talking about everything from "low-tech" storytelling and singing to letting kids create stop-motion videos. So let's get started ...

We hear stories before we read them, so it only seems natural that Susan opens the day with a pair of interviews with storytellers. Join her for her chats with two extraordinary storytellers, Francie Dillon and Helen Evans, at the Book Chook. Then *hear* some more stories ...

• At Saints and Spinners, Farida Dowler shares ideas for Stories in the Bathtub: Practical Aspects of Storytelling.
• At Dulemba.com, illustrator Elizabeth Dulemba talks about the future of reading in an article called Beyond the Printed Page.
• Last November, Rebecca Taylor talked about sharing family stories and Family Stories Month at Lost in Books.
• Franki Sibberson talks about digital storytelling in a pair of posts at A Year of Reading. First up, her February post Discovering the Possibilities of Stopmotion in Grades 2-5. She also talks about making Tricky Videos with Klutz.
• Dawn Morris helps us understand that literacy is more than just reading and writing. Head over to Moms Inspire Learning for Circles of Literacy, Part 1.
• At Chatel Village, Kim Chatel shares more about Storytelling in a Multimedia World.
• Susan Stephenson talks about Sharing Stories Using an Online Editor.

Sometimes we have to be a little creative when it comes to getting kids interested in activities related to reading. If you're looking for ways to sneak in some literacy ...

• Join Joyce Grant at Getting Kids Reading to get ideas on ways to Get Active Kids Reading.
• Pull out all stops. Amy Mascott shares some of her tips for getting a little sneaky with literacy at Teach Mama.
• Think pictures. Rebecca Taylor talks about Combining Art with Literacy in the Early Childhood Environment at I'm Lost in Books.
• Grab a puzzle. Jen Funk Weber offers an off-the-beaten path way to literacy in her discussion of puzzles as a literacy tool at Needle and ThREAD: Stitching for Literacy.
• Get sticky! At There's a Book, Danielle Smith (aka The First Daughter) makes the case for using activity and sticker books to promote literacy.
• Stacey Shubitz at Two Writing Teachers talks about Linking Reading and Writing with Letters to the Author.
• S-I-N-G! Catherine Oehlman (the "Squiggle Mom") shares why good little singers become good little readers in through her topic Learn to Sing - Sing to Learn.
• Add to the story. Valerie Baartz explores Simple Story Extensions for Preschoolers at her site The Almost Librarian.
• Go to the Video! Melissa Taylor presents Video Games and Learning at Imagination Soup.  

Susan's collection of ideas has inspired other bloggers to add contributions of their own ... check out

Marge Loch-Weuters has Books + Theater = Literacy Excitement at Tiny Tips for Library Fun.

We are going to stick with the Eastern Time Zone for our Writing about Reading feature, so check back "tomorrow" later for our three questions.

As has been our practice, we will update the direct links to the individual posts as they go live. You can also follow the discussions on Twitter. We're using the #SAS2010 hashtag.

Read more...

Writing about Reading: Questions for Day 1

Good morning, I'm glad you've stopped by. Writing about Reading is a new, daily activity for Share a Story ~ Shape a Future.  As you'll see over the week, our questions are broader than just "reading," but this title is pretty catchy, so I'm going to stick with it. [image credit: Share a Story Logo created by author/illustrator Elizabeth Dulemba.]

We hope you'll grab your favorite beverage, mull over the questions, and pick one to write about. You're always welcome to write about the topic of the day, but we thought we would add some other questions in hopes that by offering more things to talk about,  we can expand the discussions and inspire more people to share their reading experiences and ideas. 

So here we go ... our first three writing prompts for Share a Story 2010.

• What is the book from your childhood you can't wait to share with a child and why?  
• Who is the person who influenced you most as a reader?  
• Do you have any special reading-time rituals for reading aloud with kids?

Just to recap: Our goal with the questions is to reach new places for sharing our reading and literacy experiences and ideas, and we'd love to include your voice, too. Here's how it works ...

1. Select the question(s) that resonates with you.
2. Find an old post or write a new one that answers the question. [Be sure to grab a Share a Story button from the sidebar to include in your new post!]
3. Come back here and link your post either via the inLinkz box or as a comment.
4. (optional) Tweet about your post and include the #SAS2010 hashtag.

If you are interested in the RIF Multicultural Books Collection giveaway, you'll want to read this post on how that giveaway is connected to Writing about Reading activities.

We'll be adding links for the questions all week, so there's no rush to have an answer the same day a question is posted ... unless you are entering a book giveaway contest.

InLinkz updates for Monday, 8 March 2010:

• Jen Robinson adds her thoughts for all three questions at Jen Robinson's Book Page. 
• Eric Van Raepenbusch talks about reading at his house at the Happy Birthday Author blog.
•  Kirsten Cutler tells us why her dad influenced her the most as a reader at the 4IQREAD blog.
•  Roberta Gibson tells us about her favorite book and why it has probably resonated with her more than her son (so far) at Wrapped in Foil.  
• Tess Alfonsin shares her personal journey to reading success in My Cornerstone Book at the Reading Countess.   
• At Tif Talks Books, Tif shares her reading inspiration, the books she wants to read with her kids, and a favorite night-time ritual.

• Cathy Puett Miller talks about her mom and how she read with her children and grandchildren at Parents and Kids Reading Together.  
• Elisabeth answered all three questions at YS Princess ... if you're a Mo Willems fan, you'll definitely want to stop by.

UPDATE: We'd love for you to keep adding your ideas to these prompts. The Reading is Fundamental Staff will be reading the essays above; all new entries have missed the deadline for the RIF Multicultural Books Giveaway.

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Share a Story 2010 Day 1: The Many Faces of Reading (UPDATED: 7:00 PM EST)

Welcome!

Bienvenue

欢迎 (huān yíng)

wilkommen

Yeah! It's here! Share a Story-Shape a Future 2010 has started. We selected the theme It Takes a Village to Raise a Reader because learning to read is an immersive process ... everyone in a child's life plays a role, either formally or informally. One of our goals with this year's event is to share ideas about all of the ways we can create readers and, by extension, celebrate the efforts that each of us dedicate to the children in our lives.

With today's theme, The Many Faces of Reading, Terry will takes us on a guided tour around the proverbial "village."  She's hosting at Scrub-a-Dub-Tub (Reading Tub blog) and we'll share stories with and from people in our communities who dedicate themselves to promoting reading. NEW: Over at Tif Talks Books, Tif has superb summaries of each post ready for your reading pleasure.

• Lee Wind starts us off with Dads! 3 Secrets of Reading with Your Daughter at I'm Here, I'm Queer, What the Hell do I Read. If you've got the worry ... Lee's got the answer.
• Greg Pincus tells us how sharing a story is the gift of a liftetime at Gotta Book.
• Melissa Taylor offers a win-win-win with parent-child book clubs at Imagination Soup. Don't tell anyone, but this is the best book club you'll ever join.  From Melissa: "PS, Oprah, I've got one on ya. You forgot the kids."
• Terry thought Just One More Book had something on this topic, but Andrea Ross says it was probably her article The Family that Reads Together ... What's In It for Me? She wrote this as a guest blogger for the Children's Book Review.  Here's a link to the podcast version of The Family that Reads Together.

• Sarah Mulhern will talk about the teacher-student relationship at The Reading Zone. This morning she is talking about social reading.
• NEW: M Dahms talks about the parent-teacher relationship and how they view books and reading in About Readers Workshop: The Faces of Reading at A Reader's Community blog.
• The Book Whisperer (aka Donalyn Miller) is going to talk about teaching ethics, responsibility, and the difference between "teaching books" v. teaching to read.
• Terry Doherty shares her experience as a volunteer reading tutor at Scrub-a-Dub-Tub.

• At Eva's Book Addiction, Eva Mitnick is going to tell us about the Grandparents and Book Volunteer Program in the Los Angeles Public Library.

• Carol Rasco, President of Reading is Fundamental, talks about the who's and why's of community readers in partnerships in Why So Many Faces? at Rasco from RIF.
• NEW: Marge Loch-Wouters celebrates the Frequent Reader Club at Tiny Tips for Library Fun.
• NEW: Think libraries don't matter? Susan Stephenson explains why you're dead wrong at The Book Chook blog.

I'd like to point out two giveaways that have opened this morning. First, the1stdaughter is hosting the Itty-Bitty Bookworm preschool curriculum giveaway at There's a Book. She will be accepting nominations today and tomorrow; voting will open on Wednesday. We have also opened the giveaway for the Reading is Fundamental Multicultural Books collectionrday. that I mentioned yeste. Click on the links to get all the details.

With that, I'll leave you to start your walk around the village. If you're usually a lurker, be brave and leave a comment at a blog or two. If you've got a post you'd like to add to our community stroll, feel free to leave the link in the comments. We'll add them to the index throughout the week.

As has been our practice, we will update the direct links to the individual posts as they go live. You can also follow the discussions on Twitter. We're using the #SAS2010 hashtag.

Just a reminder: Share a Story- Shape a Future is a blog tour to promote reading, not individual books or their creators. Contributions that do not fit with this broader goal, including self-serving material, will be deleted.

image credits: Clipart collections on the Worldwide Web

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Reading is Fundamental: Sharing Multicultural Books

Thank you! Reading is Fundamental

As part of Share a Story ~ Shape a Future, Reading is Fundamental is donating two full sets of its Multicultural book collection for our It Takes a Village giveaways! There are 50 books in each set. Wow! Thank you! muchas gracias, merci beaucoup, danka shen ... there aren't enough ways to say thank you!

You can read the complete list of titles here (pdf), or you can watch the slideshow here.  We'll also keep a widget with the slideshow over on the right-hand side during the event.








Our theme for Share a Story 2010 is "It takes a village," and we wanted our giveaways toc benefit as many communities and readers as possible. Given the budget crunches schools and libraries are facing, it seems only logical that they be the beneficiaries of these collections. The Giveaway is tied to our Writing on Reading initiative, and here is how it will work.

1. Select one of the Writing on Reading questions.
2. Put together your thoughts and post them on your blog.
3. Come back to the daily Writing on Reading post and add your link to Inlinkz box AND add a comment with the name of the school or public library you would like to see receive the books.

Each day, RIF staff will be reading your posts and will select their favorite posts.They will pick three from Monday and Tuesday and three from Wednesday and Thursday. We'll announce the first three here on Wednesday and the next three Friday morning.

On Friday morning  (12 March 2010)I will have a ballot with the six finalists and open the voting. We will use a Survey Monkey poll to collect votes of the "fan favorite" of the six. The voting will remain open until 12:00 noon, (EST) on Saturday, 13 March 2010. The two bloggers/writers with the most votes will be the winners. The winners will be announced on Monday, 15 March 2010 on the Share a Story blog.

Here  is the fine print:

1. There is only one entry per person. RIF staff will select only one post per blogger. If you are a finalist from the Monday/Tuesday posts, additional posts on Wednesday/Thursday will not be considered for the contest.
2. Guest or ghost posts will not be eligible; neither will be additional posts published by the same author on more than one blog.
3. Communities in the United States North America are eligible. Updated 11 March 2010 at 8:47pm EST.

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New Ways to Participate in Share a Story-Shape a Future

When it comes to kids, reading, and literacy, there is SO-O-O much to talk about! Too much for a blog tour, that's for sure. We try to keep things "reasonable" by selecting themes for each day of our week-long tour.

Every day one blogger hosts the theme, and links to discussions started by other bloggers. Our host also invites others to join the conversation and add their links - either here or on the host's blog. But what happens when you don't have anything to say about the topic du jour? We're glad you asked!

This year for Share a Story, we're going to offer a few daily questions. Each morning we will post a set of questions that are related to reading, but aren't necessarily specific to a topic. We hope that by offering more things to talk about,  we can expand the discussions and inspire more people to share their reading experiences and ideas.

So check back here on the Share a Story blog each morning of the tour ... or follow us on Twitter. We'll have a few questions posted and a way for you to add your link. We'll keep the linkup boxes live all week, so don't feel you have to answer that day.

Get those thinking caps on ...

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Share a Story 2010 Buttons

Aren't these just the coolest? My thanks to Susan Stephenson for creating buttons we can use to celebrate - and promote - Share a Story ~ Shape a Future 2010.

As we've mentioned a time or two, this year's theme is "It Takes a Village to Raise a Reader," and with that in mind, the Chook created two buttons that you can use by themselves, or in conjunction with the timeless logo Elizabeth Dulemba created last year.

Button 1: Black and White Silhouette

<a href="http://shareastory-shapeafuture.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Share a Story - Shape a Future" src="http://thereadingtub.com/images/It-takes-a-village-BW.jpg"/></a>

Button 2: Color Graphic Novel style

<a href="http://shareastory-shapeafuture.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Share a Story - Shape a Future" src="http://thereadingtub.com/images/it-takes-a-village-pink.jpg"/></a>

Please stop by The Book Chook and thank Susan for these lovely buttons ... and while you're there, check out Literacy Lava 4. Like Share a Story is for me, LitLava is a labor of love for Susan and her contributors. 

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