Reading is Inspiring

When I look back, I am so impressed again with the life-giving power of literature. If I were a young person today, trying to gain a sense of myself in the world, I would do that again by reading, just as I did when I was young. - Maya Angelou

Celebrate Our Community

WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATION: Brooklyn Honors Local Artists and Literature - March 2010 Six Author-Illustrators, Three Bookstores and a Gallery. Celebrating Brooklyn's professional women who leave an historical record in the field of children's literature and the merchants who bring their books to the community.

...and Miss Brooklyn 2009, Keelie Sheridan, has recently joined the celebration. Miss Brooklyn 2009 will attend the opening reception for the art exhibition at Superfine.
http://missbrooklyn2009.blogspot.com/2010/01/looking-ahead-womens-history-month.html

ALL EVENTS ARE FREE
ALL EVENTS ARE CHILD FRIENDLY

Our upcoming events are blogged by Star Bright Books!
http://starbrightbooks.blogspot.com/2010/02/womens-history-month.html#comments

Online article by Barbara Ehrentreu
http://www.examiner.com/x-33746-NY-Literature-Examiner~y2010m2d15-Local-independent-bookstores-host-local-childrens-authors-in-March-for-Womens-History-Month?cid=email-this-article

* Mar. 21 Sun. 4-6pm P.S. BOOKSHOP Group Story Time with illustrator/authors SELINA ALKO, MIRIAM COHEN, PAT CUMMINGS, MELANIE HOPE GREENBERG, AILEEN LEIJTEN, and MEGHAN MCCARTHY.
LOCATION: 147A Front Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201 INFO: 718.222.3340

Mar. 27 Sat. 10:30am GREENLIGHT BOOKS presents PAT CUMMINGS
LOCATION: 686 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217 INFO: 718.246.0200

More info:
http://mermaidsonparade.blogspot.com/2010/01/brooklyn-celebrates-its-author.html
http://pat-cummings.blogspot.com/
http://selinaalko.blogspot.com/2010/02/pencil-in-march-events.html
http://aileenleijten.blogspot.com/2010/02/womens-history-month-book-events.html

Women in History: A Great Time to Read Biographies

Pam Munoz Ryan is a wonderful writer. Her novels are absolutely engaging, historical and an absolute pleasure to read. She is also a prolific biographer. If you want to celebrate women this month- celebrate the author, PMR and her body of work that celebrates women and life!

Another fun set of Biographies are those that are written as anthologies. Amelia to Zora

is a favorite as well as People Who Tell The Truth. Both feature amazing people who have helped to change and shape the world.

Reading these books hopefully will lead to more questions and more books. Hopefully also they will help spark you and your loved ones to think and reflect about your own lives and community you live in!

Host a Literary Party: Start a Book Club with Friends and Family

What is a Literary Party? A LP is one that involves the written and/or spoken word. It is a gathering of friends to enjoy each other and share texts with one another. It is to be awe and fall in love with words!

One Literary Party that you can throw with your friends and family is a Book Club Party. You can get together with families and friends who have

kids who enjoy to read similar books. Choose a book, read it with your kids and then meet at some one's house. Bring a collection of snacks, pick parts of the book to read aloud and choose some ideas to share with friends.

A nice mixture of kids and adults helps everyone see the beauty and power of books. Maybe the discussion lasts 30 minutes, maybe only 10minutes. Then celebrate the read by eating and mingling.

For babies, you may decide to each bring a board book to the party! You can spend the time reading all the different books with your babies! Let them roam and crawl and explore different favorite books! This could be a way for everyone to share the wide variety of texts that are out there.

Invite your friends and their families! Snack, read, talk and enjoy!

In Honor of Women's History Month

Celebrate Women Who Tell the Truth- Celebrate people who tell the truth! Here is a great collection of little biographies and quotes from famous people in history and today who made and are making a difference in the world.

Start an inquiry at home around some of the people. Find out all about their life's work!

I Love Kadir Nelson

Kadir Nelson

Kadir Nelson is, hands down, my favorite children book illustrator. In fact, the illustrations alone persuade me to open a text and read the print inside! I love the way he captures the details of people, truly bringing out their distinct beauty. My nephew has Please Baby Please and Please Puppy Please! Two wonderful picture books by Spike Lee and his wife, Tonya Lewis Lee for babies and toddlers. Please Baby Please was Auntie ME’s niece’s first book that she could ‘read’ on her own. The kids in those books are so captivating.

I bought, He's Got the Whole World In His Hands for my god son on his first communion! When I was younger it was one of my favorite songs to sing! That little boy in the book I swear is the spitting image of my god son. We all had so much fun singing and reading and admiring the pictures in that book together!

AB and I over the years enjoyed: Thunder Rose, Hewitt Anderson’s Great Big Life, Dancing in the Wings and Brothers of the Knight! All wonderful picture books with great authors like Jerdine Nolen and Debbie Allen. Yes, Debbie Allen from the original movie and tv show, Fame.

He also illustrates for biographies such as, Mama Miti (another biography about Wangari Maathai), Testing the Ice (The story of Jackie Robinson), and Coretta Scott (Ntozake Shange's poem of civil rights leader).

His work is vast and filled with variety. His images help to tell the story and enjoy the content that we are learning. If you don’t own or haven’t read and fallen in love with one of his picture books- go immediately to your local bookstore, library or search online! His art is absolutely to die for and inspires us to enjoy the details of life!

Birthday Gift Update

This winter, my sister, nephew, and I took a 2 hour road trip to Ottawa to visit with friends. My nephew asked for music. He is usually pretty particular about what he likes and wants. Ever since he was a little baby he has enjoyed the music of Johnny Cash (influence from Nana).

One day as he was listening to the play list on his mama's itouch. He heard a steam engine sound off in the background of a song- whoooooooo- and soon started the song, Casey Jones. He was in love.

As we headed out of town, my nephew called from the back seat, "Casey Jones! Casey Jones! Play it loud!" Luckily my sister understood and found the song and played it. When it finished he shouted, "More, please!" This went on for 2 hours- until we pulled into the driveway of our friend's house.

Well I was online browsing books and I found, "I Dream of Trains" by Angela Johnson (one of my favorite authors). That's right, it's the story about ...Casey Jones. I had to get it for him. I had to feed his passion.

I also found the story of Sonia Sotomayor, Sonia Sotomayor A Judge Grows In The Bronx, By Jonah Winter. Judge Sotomayor is the newly appointed US Supreme Justice.

I also found Pele, King of Soccer by Monica Brown. My nephew is a big fan of soccer. His baby sitter (a big soccer player herself) began to teach him how to play last spring. Spring is on its way. It will soon be time to get out of the pool and onto the field!

All his gifts still fit inside his "Surfer Backpack"! There is still a little room left. Mmmmmm... I have side pockets to fill as well.

Enjoy the biographies! Happy reading to you!

Give a Poem and Say, "I Love You"

I love reading poetry! I love sharing poems with kids- all year long. I love giving the gift a poem. Yes just one, wrapped with a beautiful ribbon. One year I gave AB a poem that I had written for her birthday. She hanged it on her bulletin board above her desk. Just imagine snuggling up with your little person and reading, Honey I Love, By Eloise Greenfield. What a delicious moment to share! For my brother's wedding a read a poem, by Maya Angelou. I gave him and his wife that poem, in a frame. Mentor Mommy S and her family send cards once a year in December or January. They always include an inspirational quote instead of a holiday greeting. It feels so poetic- celebrating important words! Baby C's Nanas send a card with a poem. I remember one year they sent a Mary Oliver poem to everyone. What a gift!

I also love to read an anthology. Some many wonderful books with beautiful themes for kids. Maybe you want a theme about the Earth. I just got for my little fellow, The Tree That Built Time. It comes with CD so he can both read the book and listen to the poetry. It is truly a beautiful collection. You may want to just read an anthology by one author like Georgia Heard's amazing book, Creatures of Earth, Sea and Sky. What a love and reverence for nature these poems hold. Her poems will fill you with love! You may want an anthology that includes poems, songs, raps, and celebrates the spoken word- Hip Hop Speaks To Children is a beautiful one to share with those you love (it also includes a CD inside)

Make this a poetic year! Give a gift to your love ones and make it a poem. Celebrate the written word. Celebrate the spoken word. Celebrate poetry all year long!

Other great poets and poems for kids of different ages:
Angela Johnson: The Other Side
Janet Wong: A Suitcase of Seaweed, Night Garden
Naomi Shihab Nye: Honeybee, Salting the Ocean, 19 Varieties of A Gazelle, And an edited volume from poets from around the globe: This Same Sky
Nikki Giovanni: Spin a Soft Black Song, The Sun is So Quiet
Georgia Heard: This Place I know: Poems of Comfort, Songs of Myself
Eloise Greenfield:Nathaniel Talking, In the Land of Words, Friendly Four

Interview of a 4th grade boy

What are you currently reading?

I am reading Somewhere in the Darkness, By Walter Dean Myers

What do you think of it so far?

So far, it is good.

Why are you reading it?

My dad recommended it.

What do you mostly like to read about?

I don't have a topic.

How do you choose books?
I just take recommendations from people.

Why do you like to read books?

That is a tough question. I think because everyone in my family likes to read books.

What is the best book that you read lately?

The Lightening Thief

Who do you share your ideas with about books?

My dad.

Do you like to watch the movie first and then read the book or ...?

No! No! definitely the book first! You learn more.

What is your favorite genre?

I like all genres! My top three are realistic fiction, mythology and fantasy, and information books.

What kind of advice would you give to little kids about reading?

Always ask your friends who they like to read. See if they have recommendations. If you don't like a book, don't bother reading it (unless its for school) and if you like it- finish it to the end.

Baby Showers: Give a Book as a Gift

Books make a great baby shower present. You are helping to create the child's first library of books. Usually parents are overloaded with one-zies and bottles- but what are they going to do with the baby? READ! It is never too early to read with children, to introduce them to the sound of your voice, the sound of books, the sounds of this world!

Typically when people give books, they give- Goodnight Moon and Brown Bear Brown Bear! Be on the look out for new and exciting titles. Otherwise people end up with 5 copies of the same book (which can come in handy- but that is a different post!).

My new favorite baby shower gift is Nikki Grimes' newest board book, Welcome Precious! A perfect addition to new baby's book collection!

I love gifting books that are actually all time favorites of children I know. Good Night Baby - by DK Publishers was my god daughter's all time favorite!

Getting ready for bed books are always welcomed! It helps with establishing routines in the home. Time For Bed- is a beautiful classic by Mem Fox that very few people have in their libraries at home, but a real winner with babies!

Baby C loved This Little Chick By John Lawerence. He loved the sing-song pattern and rhythm in the book. It reads much like a song! Another book with this same quality is I Kissed the Baby- By Mary Murphy. It is fun to read with babies snuggled up close! These books are easy for babies to attend to because of the heavy repetition and sense of music in these texts.

Be different- for the next shower you are invited to- and give the gift of a book! Help lay the corner stones for that child's love for reading! When the baby arrives- you will have a gift that you will be able to share with that child for years to come. Who knows, maybe it will become their oall time favorite book! Remember babies grow out of one-zies!

Wishing you reading smiles.