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Snowed In? Read On!

February 8th, 2010 by Joan S. · Around the First Book Office, Books & Reading, Literacy

In case you haven’t watched the news, all of us at First Book here in the Washington DC area are under about 2 feet of snow, with more expected on Tuesday. The government is closed, the roads are covered and many places have lost power.

If you are snowed in, bored or just tired of winter, we suggest now is the time to try a time-tested, perfect power-free alternative to computer games and all those electronic ways to bowl, dance, serve an ace or hit a home run. Settling in to enjoy a GOOD BOOK doesn’t require electricity or a wireless connection. Satellite dishes may be covered with snow, wires may be down, but READING A BOOK just takes a quiet nook and a willingness to enjoy the moment.

We’re big believers in the power of books to create kids who love learning. Encourage this choice this winter. Pick up a book and read aloud to the family in the evening. Sit with the kids at bedtime and share a favorite chapter. At the end of the snow days, you’ll have travelled far and wide and gotten to know characters both good and evil along the way.

And who knows, when the power comes back on and the snow clears, you might still want to sit together by the fire and share a good book with the ones you love.

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Odds and Bookends: February 12

February 5th, 2010 by Katie B. · Books & Reading, Literacy Links and Articles

Caldecott Confidential: What’s next year’s best picture book for kids? Please, don’t ask.
Nell Colburn, chair of the 2009 Caldecott committee, revealed some very interesting insights into what goes on behind closed doors when she recently spoke to this year’s incoming band of judges. Read what she told them.

From book to film and on to the Oscars
It’s Oscar Nomination time again and this year, four of the 10 Oscar nominees for best film come from books. See how many you’ve read!

Side Effects of Reading: Unbridled Books PSA

This clever PSA from Unbridled Books warns of the “hazards” of reading.

Read to expand school day

The Washington Post’s Jay Matthews gives some suggestions on how to squeeze more reading into the school day.

71% of mothers read a bedtime story to their children nearly every night

The Irish times shares a new report on parents and their reading habits, noting that more than 70% of mothers read to their kids at bedtime and just five percent had never read a bedtime story to their children.

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Our Trip to Harrisonburg

February 3rd, 2010 by Becky H. · Around the First Book Office, Book Distributions, Books & Reading, First Book Events

Last week, I left my position as a Strategic Alliances intern and officially joined the First Book staff as a Recipient Group Coordinator.  After trading in my 10th floor office for a new office on the 9th floor and saying farewell to the Strategic Alliances team, I headed to our warehouse in Harrisonburg, VA for my very first First Book assignment: hand-packing a special book order for doctors’ offices and medical clinics in greater New York.  As a Strategic Alliances intern I spent the fall learning about First Book’s corporate partnerships, so I was thrilled to be able to see our warehouse and learn about the logistics of how we actually get books to kids.

After a traffic-less drive to Harrisonburg, we arrived at the warehouse caffeinated and ready to spend the day getting books to the kids of New York. Our task: hand pack 37 special orders consisting of 15 different titles, including the Eric Carle classic, The Very Hungry Caterpillar and several bilingual books including My First Spanish Truck Book. Our estimated time to finish counting, packing, weighing and labeling the orders: one day.

So into the chilly warehouse we went! We had planned to be done counting the orders by lunchtime so we could spend the rest of the afternoon taping and weighing the boxes. But when 1:00 PM rolled around and we had only packed half of the orders we quickly realized this project was going to take much longer than just one day.   [Read more →]

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Navigating Nonfiction

February 2nd, 2010 by Rachael Walker · Books & Reading, Guest Blog Posts, Literacy

Guest Blogger Rachael Walker is the Outreach Consultant for Reading Rockets, a national multimedia initiative which aims to inform and inspire parents, teachers, childcare providers, and others who touch the life of a child by providing comprehensive, accessible information on how to teach kids to read and help those who struggle. Rachael began her career in children’s literacy at Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), has also served as a consultant to the NEA’s Read Across America campaign, and was most recently the Executive Director of Reach Out and Read of Metro DC.

At my son’s elementary school, I’m known to some as Princess Rita Alot, to others, the Book Fairy.  While out shopping, I’ve been recognized as “the space alien who came to school.”  I like to dress up! School book fairs and library nights have given me many opportunities to have fun with favorite themes and characters.

I’m realizing now though that I’ve been very limited in my costume choices, neglecting the wondrous world of nonfiction. So Science Fair, here I come—in my late 19th century dress with a vial of (pretend) radium and Kathleen Krull’s biography of Marie Curie.

How did I lose track of so many great nonfiction opportunities?  As a parent, I don’t think I’m alone.  [Read more →]

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The search is on for Huggable Heroes

February 2nd, 2010 by Mary Beth F. · Philanthropy, Social Entrepreneurship

Build-A-Bear Workshop®, a long-time First Book supporter, is excited to announce the launch of the 2010 Huggable Heroes® program.

This initiative highlights dedicated, hard-working young people ages seven to 18, who are a part of incredible efforts to make the world a better place. Now through February 26, Build-A-Bear Workshop is accepting entries for its seventh annual Huggable Heroes® program.

Ten Huggable Heroes from the United States and Canada will be selected and each will be awarded with a $7,500 educational scholarship and $2,500 in the form of a donation to the 501 (c)(3) charity of his/her choice, as well as a celebration trip to St. Louis in July. Entry forms are available at all Build-A-Bear Workshop stores in the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada, and online entries are being accepted at buildabear.com/huggableheroes.

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First Book Founder Kyle Zimmer Shares Stage with World Leaders

February 1st, 2010 by Joan S. · Marketplace, Nonprofit Technology, Social Entrepreneurship, Video

Our own social entrepreneur and founder, Kyle Zimmer, joined world leaders in Davos for the World Economic Forum last week. She presented an IdeasLab primer on the First Book Marketplace, in a session moderated by J. Gregory Dees, Professor, Practice of Social Entrepreneurship, Fuqua School of Business, Duke. Watch the presentation below and read more about Kyle’s inspiration for First Book after the jump.

[Read more →]

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Odds and Bookends: January 29

January 29th, 2010 by Aesah J. · Authors & Illustrators, Books & Reading, Literacy, Literacy Links and Articles

An Interesting Approach to Exciting Youngsters About Reading
What better way to get kids interested in reading than to make them the star of their very own personalized book?

Mixtape: 10 Songs About Libraries and Librarians
Check out these fun songs about libraries and librarians, including artists such as Frank Zappa and Green Day. You can even listen in to discover why these songs made the list.

Little House on the Prairie Continues to Wow Audiences
Everyone’s beloved story is back with a new musical twist. Be sure to check out this new musical, based on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s treasured classic storyline.

Baby-Sitters Club: Life After 30!
The acclaimed teenage gang gets a new twist as we ask the question: Where are they now? From Kristy Thomas to Stacey McGill, these projections will certainly bring back cherished memories.

The Caldecott, Newbery and Printz book awards go to…
John Pinkney’s exceptional illustrations were awarded the Caldecott Medal for capturing the true spirit of a classic fable. The Newbery Medal as well as the Printz Award were also given to some special talent for excellence in both children’s literature and young adult literature.

Books to Film: Martin Scorsese Continues the Trend
With the release of some truly spectacular new films based on classic children’s books, Brian Selznick’s “The Invention of Hugo Cabret” appears to be next in line.

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Community Service is a Click Away

January 28th, 2010 by Katie B. · Literacy, Philanthropy

The Literacy Site - Community Service click challengeWe’re in the home stretch of our community service click challenge on The Literacy Site!

Don’t forget to visit TheLiteracySite.com and click (for free) on the orange button to help us reach our goal and provide 32,000 new books to kids who need them most by January 31st.

Help us bring the joy of new books to children in communities everywhere.  Click today!

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Ringing Off the Hook for Our Children

January 27th, 2010 by Lydia Breiseth · Guest Blog Posts

Colorin ColoradoGuest Blogger Lydia Breiseth is the manager of the bilingual English-Spanish website Colorín Colorado, whose mission is to provide educators and parents with information about teaching English language learners to read and succeed. Ms. Breiseth began her career teaching English to adults in Ecuador with the educational exchange program WorldTeach, and has subsequently taught English and Spanish in a variety of educational and family literacy programs to students of all ages. Prior to working at Colorín Colorado, Ms. Breiseth served as the Community Affairs Liaison at Telemundo Washington DC, managing outreach initiatives to the region’s Hispanic community.

As I read through the deluge of news reports and heartbreaking stories during the early aftermath of the Haiti earthquake, one particular report from Florida stood out:

Phones rang off the hook at Evans High, the Pine Hills school with a significant Haitian population that immediately set up a donations site after the earthquake.  More than 650 Evans students — about one-third of its student body — are Haitian.

Central Florida pitches in to help Haiti”, Orlando Sentinel, 1/15/10

To think of such a huge percentage of a school’s population being affected by the earthquake is staggering; what really struck me, however, was that image of community members being so moved and concerned for the students in their school that they picked up the phone, called the school, and found out what they could do to help the students affected by the earthquake.

By offering support and donations to their local school, these community members made a powerful statement: we will care for all of the students in our schools – no matter who they are, and no matter where they are from.  It is an especially important message in these days of heated immigration debates and discussions about our obligations (or lack thereof) to children of immigrants in this country.

In subsequent days, I have seen other such stories from around the nation – not just Florida and New York, but Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Texas, Wisconsin, and Maryland.  Communities have mobilized to support their Haitian families, and their commitment to their neighbors is a welcome glimmer during a period of tragedy and loss.

As the communities rally, educators now have a daunting task to build a support network for students affected by the earthquake, and continue discussion with other students who want to better understand what has happened in Haiti.  For ideas and resources that will help those efforts, take a look at the following articles from Colorín Colorado and Reading Rockets:

Helping Haitian Students Cope with the Earthquake
www.colorincolorado.org/article/35420

It Happened Over There: Understanding and Empathy Through Children’s Books
www.readingrockets.org/article/35419

By starting these important conversations with students and each other, we can address the challenges facing our neighbors and our own children – one discussion and phone call at a time.

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Meet the First Book Staff: Greg P.

January 25th, 2010 by Katie B. · Around the First Book Office

Meet the staff members that make the First Book magic possible!

Greg P.Name: Greg P.

Hometown: Manchester, CT

What do you do at First Book? I am the Coordinator on the Strategic Alliances team. I work with our corporate partners to create cause-marketing campaigns that help us fund our work of giving books to children in need.

What are you reading now? I just started The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I’m only on page 47—but so far, so good!

Do you have a favorite quote or saying you live by? “Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out.” –John Wooden

If you could have an endless supply of any food, what food would it be? This is a toss-up between apples, baked ziti, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. And carrots and cucumbers. And candy corn.

Who is your storybook hero? Easy. My storybook hero is Ron Weasley. He has to fight all the really hard battles with Harry, but he doesn’t get any of the credit! Remember when he valiantly sacrificed himself as the knight in the human chess game?!

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