Share a Story Day 5: Literacy: The Gift that Keeps on Giving

It is with mixed emotions that we open the last day of Share a Story ~ Shape a Future. The enthusiasm and energy is both infectious and exhausting.

Literacy is a skill we develop, and to have that skill is a gift. Someone (probably many people) who treasured that gift invested their passion and time in helping you attain that gift. Now it is up to you to share that gift ... Congratulations, YOU are a literacy curator!

Today's hosts - Sarah Mulhern and Elizabeth O. Dulemba - are asking us to think about the gift we have and asking

 ... how did you fall in love with reading?
 ... who gave you the gift of literacy?
 ... have you shared it with anyone? who?

These two literacy dynamos have gone all out to celebrate the gift of literacy, pulling out all the stops. Not only will some amazing authors, illustrators, and curators be joining them, but they're using Web 2.0 tools to do it. There are podcasts, videos, essays ... There could be no better way to end our week. Here are their lineups, and as we have done all week, we will update with the direct links here after we confirm they've gone live.

@ The Reading Zone Sarah Mulhern is interviewing some people about the gift of literacy. Her guests include

• Sarah Darer Littman shares a video about when her first son learned to read
• Kathi Appelt shares a love song for librarians in her video blog.
• Melissa Walker, and
• Pamela Voelkel (aka JP Voelkel) shares how the gift of reading has been shared in her family.

@ Dulemba.com Elizabeth Dulemba will be talking about how she fell in love with reading and share quotes from some of the world's favorite authors and illustrators. Links below often go to their website, some also have bonus links.

• Jane Yolen,
• Ellen Wittlinger,
• Tony DiTerlizzi (and an interview at 7 Impossible Things Before Breakfast)
• James Gurney (here's a post about the map of Dinotopia)
• Deborah Wiles,
• Charles Gigna (go over to Dulemba.com to see Father Goose's original poem)
• Uma Krishnaswami
• Gregory K. Pincus,
• Janice Hardy (be sure to also visit The Other Side of the Story.).
• Sarah Lamstein,
• Kerry Madden (Read the rest of the story about Sister Mary Analise at Mountainmist)
• Marcia Jones,
• Vicky Alvear Shecter (read more at "History With a Twist.")
• Phillis Gershator,
• Loreen Leedy (read the full story at "How I Went to Mars.")
• Sally Keehn,
• Karen Romano Young,
• Tera Elan McVoy (Read more of Terra's journey at The Importance of Sharing a Story.)
• and last but not least ... Elizabeth O. Dulemba herself!

To help celebrate a love of reading Elizabeth has also created ORIGINAL "I love to read" coloring pages for you to enjoy ... admit it, you love coloring, too!

Quite the encore, no?

Thank you so much for all you do to help readers-to-be and engage the next generation of literacy curators. We are thankful for your energy, your enthusiasm, and your support this week and all year long.