Passing the Torch, Igniting a Movement
“What do you all say to the idea of some sort of international campaign to encourage reading aloud to kids? A campaign for literacy, if you will, but one focused specifically on the benefits of parents and teachers reading aloud to kids.”
These are the words of Jen Robinson, from Jen Robinson’s Book Page, that I just read about five seconds ago and had to quote immediately. Please go to her blog and read this post for yourself–right now. Then let’s start talking about how this important work can begin.
This is the right time. In the United States, my home country, we have a president with two young daughters. In Thailand, my country of residence, we have a Prime Minister whose sister wrote the international best-selling children’s book, The Happiness of Kati. And in your corner of the world?
I’m sure there are events happening all over the globe that point to the Year of the Ox launching the Era of Reading Aloud to Children–let’s talk about this. Let’s make this happen.
January 27th, 2009 at 11:58 pm
Thanks for spreading the word, Janet. I like “launching the Era of Reading Aloud to Children”. People are certainly making some great suggestions about this (in the comments on my post) – it will be interesting to see where we can take it.
January 28th, 2009 at 1:56 am
I would love it if there was a large international response–the comments on your post are truly fabulous–let’s hope for many, many more!
January 28th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Janet -
What a great idea. Reading aloud to children has so many benefits for all involved.
Have you heard about the organization UNITED THROUGH READING located in California? Their mission is to unite families facing physical separation by facilitating the bonding experience of reading aloud together. They have 3 programs:
Military – available to deployed service members and their families around the world
Transitions – reaches out to families who are separated by incarceration, drug treatment or social services.
Grandparent – available to grandparents living in San Diego County and their grandchildren.
Such a great organization! http://www.unitedreading.org.
January 28th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
P.S. I didn’t know the author of The Happiness of Kati was the P.M’s sister.
P.P.S. Here in British Columbia we are in the midst of Family Literacy Week. One of the big events was “Help Canada Break a World Record!” Libraries throughout Canada hosted public, 30-minute readings on January 23/24 in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for ‘Most Children Reading with an Adult, Multiple Locations.’ We will find out next month if we broke the record.
January 28th, 2009 at 8:13 pm
Go Canada! Please do a post about this??
PM Abhisit, brother of Jane, became PM shortly after Obama was elected–his nickname is Mark and he’s young and charismatic so the Thai press has been calling him Obamark.
It would be great if you could put the Family Literacy Week and the UTR info as a comment on Jen’s post!
February 1st, 2009 at 8:31 am
Yes, a campaign would be a GREAT idea – for older kids too. The benefits just go on and on and I think it’s one of the ways to get reluctant readers over a hurdle of not wanting to read themselves – hopefully by having books read to them, they will one day forget they don’t want to read and will pick up a book because books are still a part of their lives…