LitWord Favorite Read-Alouds by Star WRAD Author Amy Krouse Rosenthal!

LitWorld asked Amy: What would you miss most if I couldn't read or write?

Amy: That's a bit like asking me, what would I miss most if I couldn't breathe?! :) I'm incredibly enamored by-- and attached to-- the act of reading and writing, just as I am to my habit of breathing.  If I couldn't read/write/breathe, I literally wouldn't be here... wouldn't be here to offer up these very words... wouldn't be here at my computer writing books and things... wouldn't be here on this earth inhaling and exhaling and taking in the wonders of this world.

Amy Krouse Rosenthal is a New York Times bestselling author of books for children and grown-ups. Her children's books include the Cookies series, illustrated by Jane Dyer and Brooke Dyer; Duck! Rabbit! and The OK Book, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld; Spoon, illustrated by Scott Magoon; and most recently The Wonder Book, illustrated by Paul Schmid. Her work for grown-ups includes the memoir Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life and the film project The Beckoning of Lovely. Amy lives online at whoisamy.com and for real in Chicago. She has graciously agreed to give-away copies of the two awesome read-alouds Duck! Rabbit! and Little Pea at several World Read Aloud Day Events. Thanks Amy!

Celebrate WRAD with Marti and Erin Erickson, our WRAD Ambassadors in Minneapolis!

Kids' Bedtime Story Hour at Wild Rumpus Books

Address: 2720 West 43rd Street, Minneapolis, MN 55410
Phone: 612-920-5005
Web: www.wildrumpusbooks.com

*Marti will be reading aloud one of her favorite bedtime books "What?" Cried Granny. Parents and kids are encouraged to do a reading or just come and enjoy listening to the readers. For every 15 minutes of reading aloud, Wild Rumpus will donate five books to Books for Africa. Gently used books will be available for $1 if your family would also like to donate a book to Books for Africa. Also, milk and cookies will be provided!* 

Mother-daughter co-hosts Marti and Erin Erickson are interested in the many facets of motherhood in today’s world, and invite you to join the conversation as part of their weekly podcasts on their website, www.goodenoughmoms.com. They want to hear your thoughts and stories.

In a long career at the University of Minnesota (U of M), Dr. Marti Erickson served as the founding Director of the Children, Youth & Family Consortium and, more recently, as director of the Irving B. Harris Programs and co-chair of the U of M President’s Initiative on Children, Youth & Families. Marti specializes in linking research, practice and policy in the areas of parent-child attachment, child abuse prevention, and children’s mental health. Since retiring from the University in 2008, Marti continues to speak and consult extensively throughout the U.S. and abroad, with an emphasis on strategies for addressing the needs of young children and families in high-risk circumstances. Currently she is co-leading a child rights training initiative in Tanzania. She has a son, Ryan, in addition to her daughter, and is the proud grandmother of four young children.

Some of Marti's favorite read-alouds:

Two favorite bedtime stories now with all 4 of my grandchildren (who range from 2 to 6 years):

"What?" Cried Granny by Kate Lum -- a perfect "putting off bedtime" story that the kids really get involved in. One grandson loves to have me substitute his name (McKinley) and mine (Grandma Marti) for the main characters, Patrick and Granny. As many times as we've read this delightful book, all four kids laugh every time.

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn -- a classic "leaving mom and going off to school" story, the grandkids have found many other applications of the core message about holding the ones we love close to our hearts even when we can't be together physically

Other longtime favorites in our family:

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak -- a favorite in the 1970s when my kids were little and just as loved by today's generation of children
 
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein -- another from the 70s that is delighting yet another generation of children; a wonderful collection of poems for reading aloud

Susan and The Rain by Madye Lee Chastain - a 1947 book, now out of print, which my mom read to me 100s of times in the 40s and 50s (and which changed my view of rainy days forever!) I just tracked down an old copy of this book online and have been reading it to the grandchildren (and to my elderly mom over the phone!). Its message fits beautifully with my work on reconnecting children to nature, echoing one of our mantras that "there's no such thing as bad weather -- just the wrong clothes." Susan learned that lesson well in the story!

Erin Erickson is a specialist in Maternal-Child Health and has extensive experience speaking on issues related to maternal-child health and parenting. She writes on related topics for several magazines and websites. Previously, Erin wrote for Humanities Magazine at the National Endowment for Humanities in Washington, DC, and, upon her return to Minnesota, she continued freelance writing for several local publications before entering graduate school in the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health. After completing her Master of Public Health (MPH) in Maternal Child Health - Epidemiology, Erin entered the graduate certificate program in Integrative Therapies and Healing Practices - Health Coaching at the U of M's Center for Spirituality and Healing. She is focusing on the mind-body connection and using mindfulness-based skills to help people connect more deeply with the impact their lives have on their bodies. She hopes to use these skills to help parents become more mindful in their parenting and in their lives – an important step in leading more healthful and balanced lives. Erin is in the thick of everything the Good Enough Moms™ show addresses – and she’s glad her mom lives close enough to help and support her in her journey as a single mother to Clara and McKinley.

Some of Erin's favorite read-alouds:

The Little Store on the Corner by Alice P. Miller - this was my favorite book as a child and now it has become a favorite of my children.

Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale and Knuffle Bunny Too by Mo Willems - my kids adore these books. Both of these books deal with a child's attachment to a security object and what happens when Knuffle Bunny is left behind (as in Knuffle Bunny) or mixed up with someone else's Knuffle Bunny (as in Knuffle Bunny Too).  The illustrations are especially great in these books. All of the illustrations are a combination of black and white photos and cartoon characters.

LitWorld's Reading Decree: Make a Statement Supporting Global Literacy

This statement is designed to be presented on March 9, 2011, but you are welcome to modify the first lines and read it aloud or post it on your website on any day, because we need to support Reader’s Rights every day until we achieve Global Literacy.

LitWorld's Reading Decree

Today is World Read Aloud Day.

We are uniting our voices in cities and communities across the globe.

We celebrate the power of stories and words to change worlds.

We join our voices for quality literacy education for every child worldwide.

Today 774 million people cannot read or write. They are denied the joy and light of reading every day.

Education is a human right and a means to attaining other human rights that we declare to be universal.

Literacy education improves the health of children and families, spurs economic growth and advances equality.

For many children worldwide, quality education is the difference between life and death, between hope and despair and being able to make the most of one’s potential. This is our opportunity to give voice to the future.

By coming together and raising our voices on this day, we show the world’s children that we support their lives: that they have the right to read, to write and to share their stories to change the world.

Today I pledge my passion for quality education and my support for the cause of literacy. I encourage everyone to take part in this day and this cause.

As a representative of my community, I will continue to advocate for the causes most important to us and I encourage all of you to join me in the fight for our children and all children’s futures.

In observance of World Read Aloud Day, I invite you to take a moment to think about what you would miss most if you could not read or write.

It’s time for all of us to join the global literacy movement. Through our voices we can be free and be part of words changing worlds.

Download a PDF of the decree here!

We Thank Spencer Christian, One of our WRAD Ambassadors in San Francisco!

Spencer Christian is an American television broadcaster, best known as the weather forecaster for ABC's Good Morning America from 1986 to 1998. He currently is a weather forecaster in San Francisco and author of a series of children's books. Education and literacy are among Spencer's passionate concerns.

Here Spencer answers our question of the year: What would you miss most if you could not read or write?

We asked Spencer a few questions about his personal journey as a reader and the importance of literacy education. He shares his views with us:

Q: You have said that reading had a huge impact on you as a child. Can you share some of your earliest memories around reading and how they impacted you?

A: My parents began reading children’s books to me when I was an infant, and they were particularly fond of the books by British author Beatrix Potter.  Some of my very earliest memories in life are of my parents’ reading “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” to me.  I can recall the vivid images painted by the words in the stories.  It was almost as if I could “see” the stories unfolding in front of me, as my parents were reading.  That is how my fascination with books and reading began.  I couldn’t wait to begin reading on my own, and I was doing just that by the time I was 4 years old.

Q: How has what you've read influenced you professionally?

A: Having been an avid reader as a young child, I developed a great appreciation for creative expression.  This has enabled me as a professional journalist to find uncommon ways of saying that which is common.  I have always felt that people will listen to what you have to say, or read what you have written, if you use just the right words to get their attention and spark their imagination.  The ability to do that is born out of the joys of reading.

Q: What advice would you give to young people who struggle as readers?

A: For young people who struggle with reading, I would suggest trying to read about things that you like, things that excite you.  If you have a passion for music, pick up a popular magazine that features your favorite song or artist.  If your love is sports, read Sports Illustrated.  If you like fantasy, read comic books featuring super heroes.  If you begin reading about those things that you love, you will soon find yourself developing a greater curiosity about other topics, and you’ll find yourself improving dramatically as a reader.

Q: It is said that stories and poems teach values. Is there one value in particular that has inspired your life and your good work that might connect back to a book that was either read to you or that you read on your own?

A: I would cite a book and a poem.  The book is “Huckleberry Finn”, which teaches powerful lessons about basic human dignity through the relationship between Huck and Jim, the runaway slave.  The poem is “If”, by Rudyard Kipling.  For me, this poem is a complete guide for living a meaningful and purposeful life.  One line from “If” which has remained with me since I first read it in the 8th grade is, “If you can talk to crowds and keep your virtue, or walk with kings – nor lose the common touch...” This one, simple line has always reminded me to treat others the way I want to be treated, and not to develop an inflated sense of self-worth.

We Thank Caroline M. Grant, One of our WRAD Ambassadors in San Francisco!

Celebrate World Read Aloud Day at Books, Inc!
3515 California Street, San Francisco
Wednesday, March 9^th  
6 – 7 PM

Join Caroline M. Grant, Lisa Harper, and Nicki Richesin in a bedtime story reading for kids of all ages. We’ll be reading old favorites and new titles, from Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are to Mo Willems We Are In A Book! Bring the kids in their pajamas for a fun evening outing.

Caroline M. Grant is the Editor-in-Chief of LiteraryMama.com, where she also writes the columnMama at the Movies. She is co-editor of the anthology Mama, PhD: Women Write About Motherhood and Academic Life (Rutgers University Press, 2008). She holds a PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of California at Berkeley, where she taught classes on film, women's studies, American literature, and writing; she has also taught at Stanford University and the San Francisco Art Institute. Her essays have been published in a number of journals and anthologies. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and two sons, a life she writes about on two websites: Food for Thought and, with Lisa Harper, Learning to Eat. With Lisa Harper, She also co-edited a book called The Dish: Making the Food that Makes Your Family. Check out these links for more!

Caroline's World Read Aloud Blog Post on Literary Mama

Pam Allyn's guest blog post on Literacy Mama