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You are currently browsing the First Book Blog weblog archives for May, 2008.
Archive for May 2008
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Toni Morrison honored with PEN/Borders Literary Service Award
May 30th, 2008
Teresa P.
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Recently we had the pleasure of witnessing Toni Morrison accept the PEN/Borders Literary Service Award at the 2008 PEN Literary Gala. It was truly inspiring to see Ms. Morrison recognized for her tremendous efforts. We feel fortunate to have such wonderful partners that care deeply about the state of literacy in our country. In honor of her award and our heroes at Borders, First Book will donate 10,000 books this summer to children who need them most.
First Book is happy to report that in the three years that we have worked with Borders, over $2.7 million in new books have gone to children in need across the country, with thousands of community groups impacted by Borders generous support. Congratulations to Toni Morrison and all of our friends at Borders.
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There’s a Giant in the library!
May 29th, 2008
Mary Beth F.
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Last Friday, First Book joined Super Bowl XLII Champion and New York Giants defensive end Justin Tuck at a reading event at Central Elementary School in Rockford, AL. Tuck, a native of Rockford, was on hand to celebrate the launch of Tuck’s R.U.S.H. for Literacy initiative. The program aspires to encourage children to READ, UNDERSTAND, SUCCEED, and HOPE as they continue to nurture literacy in their lives.Working with the Central Alabama Community Foundation and the Horseshoe
Bend Regional Library, Tuck teamed up with First Book to donate 4,500 new books to support the 2008 bookmobile program, which will visit various Coosa County locations this summer. Tuck will continue his commitment through the R.U.S.H. for Literacy program throughout the New York City metro area when the 2008 season kicks off this fall. -
James Patterson Signing For First Book at BEA!
May 28th, 2008
Jen W.
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First Book is excited to announce that bestselling author and longtime First Book supporter James Patterson will be autographing copies of the third book in his popular Maximum Ride series, Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports, on Saturday, May 31st from 3:00-4:00 pm at our booth during this year’s Book Expo America meeting in Los Angeles!For those of you who plan to be at the meeting this coming weekend, be sure to swing by booth # W3 in the West Hall (just outside the double doors to the Children’s Book section) and say hello to the First Book team. We’d love to meet you!
For First Book’s full schedule of authors signing at our booth during BEA, please click here.
See you at BEA!
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Cheerios Launches the 2nd Annual Spoonfuls of Stories Children’s Book Contest
May 27th, 2008
Shellie Braeuner
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Guest blogger Shellie Braeuner, a nanny in Nashville, Tenn., is the winner of the first Cheerios® Spoonfuls of Stories® Children’s Book Contest. The contest invites previously unpublished adult authors to submit their stories for a children’s book. First Book Advisory Boards serve as the initial judges and help identify the top 15 – 20 stories to be considered. Cheerios provides cash prizes to up to three winners, and Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing reviews the top winner for a potential book deal. A book deal is not guaranteed, but last year, Shellie’s entry, The Great Dog Wash, not only won the contest, but earned her a publishing deal with Simon & Schuster as well.I still remember my very first book. It was called Ballerina Bess, and my parents gave it to me on my fourth birthday. I was lucky. I grew up in a house filled with books. But they belonged to my parents, or to the whole family. This was the first book that was wholly and completely my own. I still have Bess, packed away somewhere, waiting to see if I will have a child of my own.
In the meantime, I’m having a new kind of first. Thanks to Cheerios and their Spoonfuls of Stories Children’s Book Contest, my first book will be published in 2009. The Great Dog Wash will be available first inside Cheerios boxes next April, and then available through booksellers. You can even see early sketches for my book, done by illustrator Robert Neubecker, at www.spoonfulsofstories.com. It is all very exciting. Especially when I think that perhaps The Great Dog Wash will be a first book for another child. One can hope.
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John Updike on Art, America, and the “Clarity of Things”
May 26th, 2008
Jen W.
Leave a Comment »Washington D.C. loves the chance to remind everyone that it’s not just a political town. Once a year, D.C.’s literati get dressed up, bring on the President’s own Marine Corps Band, and silence their Blackberrys for an hour or so to listen intently to the Annual Jefferson Lecture sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
And listen they did on Thursday night to none other than Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, short story writer, poet, internationally-known author and critic John Updike. Updike’s lecture, entitled “The Clarity of Things,” examined the connection between America’s art and its ideas by posing the question, “What is American about American art?” Using complementary images found in the Endowment’s new Picturing America initiative – a project which brings great American art to schools and public libraries to help citizens learn about the people, events, and ideas that have shaped national history – Updike guided the audience on a whirlwind, personalized tour of some of the greats in the American pantheon. Discussing the “painterly” (or in some cases, more “liney”) techniques of artists such as John Singleton Copley, Winslow Homer, Gilbert Stuart, and a wide array of others, the 76-year old Updike proved that his discerning eye (and his opinions) are as sharp as ever.
I’m not sure I came away with a better sense of clarity for myself concerning the question he posed regarding Americanism in art, but one thing is for sure… I’d love to have Updike as my guide the next time I go to the National Gallery.
What do you say, John – is it a date?
P.S. For more info about the 37th Annual Jefferson Lecture, you can check out the NEH Press Release or this article about the author.
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May Blog Drawing Winner: Nancy Nemchik
May 23rd, 2008
Katie B.
Leave a Comment »Congratulations to Nancy Nemchik who is the winner of our random prize drawing for May! She will receive her choice of a First Book t-shirt or an autographed copy of Joshua Prince’s book, I Saw An Ant on the Railroad Track.
Thank you to everyone who submitted a suggestion for our new blog name. We are in the final stages of selecting the new name, so watch for the announcement coming soon!
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First Book & eBay COUNT DOWN
May 23rd, 2008
Diane N.
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“Thank you for my book. Last night I read half of it. It is so fun. I don’t want to read the rest because then it will be over and I won’t have any more stories.”
Please help First Book kids!
First Book’s campaign with eBay Foundation is in full swing. As of today, we’ve reached the halfway point, which means the countdown has officially begun: less than 30 days remain!
We need your help.
Now through June 21, each time you donate to First Book through eBay’s Community Gives — even as little as $1 — eBay Foundation will give $1 to help us get cartons of new books to kids who desperately need them.
You can also buy or sell on eBay — or join the movement on Facebook and MySpace by adding our and free giving widget to your page. Please donate now to bring new books to a child who needs them.
Thanks for your support!
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Food for the Body, Food for the Mind in Keene, NH
May 22nd, 2008
Nicole T.
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This week marked another chapter in my love affair with New England with a trip to Keene, New Hampshire. My colleague Matthew and I traveled to Keene for a First Book Meet and Greet in celebration of our Food for the Body, Food for the Mind campaign with C&S Wholesale Grocers. The initiative will distribute 50,000 new books in southwestern New Hampshire by the end of 2008.
First Book-Keene State College hosted the Meet and Greet on campus and provided a wonderful spread of refreshments. It was standing room only as we told programs throughout the Monadnock region about how they could receive books from the initiative. (Matthew and I are secretly claiming that we held the best Meet and Greet ever!)
Earlier in the day, we walked around the quaint Keene community to visit some local programs and had wonderful tours of the Keene Public Library and the YMCA along the way. Everyone was so friendly and generous. We even received boxes of cookies at an impromptu stop at the Girls Scouts regional office!
Thank you Mary, Brie, Gina, Carol, Gail, Madeline and so many others for your wonderful hospitality and for the work you do every day serving children in need! Please view more photos from Keene.
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Advisory Board Spotlight- Harlan County, KY
May 21st, 2008
James F.
Leave a Comment »While planning their second annual Speed Read event, First Book-Harlan County, KY developed a unique concept involving local schools. With the support of area principals and reading recovery teachers, Advisory Board members traveled to Harlan County schools and conducted Speed Reads in several classes. Each child was asked to donate 1 penny per word read. After some initial hesitation, the kids embraced this fun idea—many even wanting to read multiple times.Not only did this concept provide the kids an opportunity to showcase their reading skills, but as a bonus the Advisory Board awarded the class that raised the most money a pizza party paid for by Board member donations. Also, the school with the most donations was presented a trophy designed by First Book-Harlan County board members.
Four schools participated and raised over $1,100.00—that’s 110,000 pennies.
Because most of the children attending these schools are also in First Book-Harlan County, KY’s target group, the kids will directly benefit from these Speed Read events.
First Book honors the Harlan County, KY Advisory Board for their creativity and terrific results. Well Done!
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Getting Into Learning When School Is Out
May 20th, 2008
Susannah Harris
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Guest Blogger Susannah Harris is the manager of AdLit.org, a national multimedia initiative offering resources to the parents and educators of struggling readers and writers in grades 4-12. Susannah has been a tutor herself for more than 16 years working with a range of organizations including The Higher Achievement Program and Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, She is the Volunteer Coordinator for The Community Club, a tutoring program serving middle and high schools students in Washington, D.C.Summer’s almost here, and with it come decisions about how kids should spend their out-of school time. The stakes are high–according to the Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University 2/3 of the achievement gap between lower and higher-income youth can be explained by unequal access to summer learning opportunities. For older students and their parents it’s even harder because the number of options increases–it’s difficult to choose between getting extra tutoring with difficult subjects, earning money for college, completing credits toward graduation, exploring a hobby, and–just as important–squeezing in some fun with friends.
Summer is the obvious time to think about out-of-school time learning and AdLit.org, a new website dedicated to helping young people in grades 4-12 become better readers and writers, has many resources on summer and afterschool learning that can help you find a good program to meet your student’s needs, locate a tutor for intensive help, and obtain low-cost literacy materials.
Sifting through all the options for summer learning can be overwhelming, but whether you’re in the market for an out-of-school enrichment program or a tutoring program to help a student catch up, you should know that quality varies widely. The Center for Summer Learning created a checklist to help parents and guardians identify high-quality programs. Take heed program managers–does your program measure up?
If you know a child who is really struggling with academics, you may want to consider one-on-one tutoring. Here are some ideas for getting the most from a tutor and keeping the costs down. (more…)
