The National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance

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News: Archived Articles

letters from the white house: launching a new generation of letter writers!

A Creative Writing Contest for Students Inspired by the NCBLA’s Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out!

Introduce young readers and writers to one of the most personal and meaningful ways to communicate—with Letters from the White House, a national creative writing contest from the National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance, Reading Rockets, and AdLit.org. To enter the contest, students write letters and journal entries that explore the history of America and tap into their own creativity when they imagine and write about the experience of living or working in the Executive Mansion. Students will be encouraged to find inspiration in the poetry, stories, illustrations, and information in Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out. Students will also be encouraged to do substantive historical research if pertinent to their writing project. On www.our whitehouse.org, teachers will find useful information and historical resources that may help their students.

Contest information and resources for pre-K-grade-2 teachers and for grades 4-12  is available from Reading Rockets and AdLit.org. Prizes include copies of Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out and gift certificates to Better World Books.

• For contest information and resources for pre-K-grade 3 teachers, go to: www.readingrockets.org/books/fun/writingcontest

• For contest information and resources for  grades 4-12 teachers, go to:  www.adlit.org/fun/writing_contests/owh

• For information about Better World Books go to: www.betterworldbooks.com/

About Reading Rockets and AdLit.org

Reading Rockets and AdLit.org are services of public television station WETA, Washington, D.C. These multimedia projects use television, the Internet, print and outreach to disseminate research-based information about teaching young children how to read and educator and parent resources to help those children and adolescents who struggle to learn. Reading Rockets is funded primarily by a major grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. AdLit.org is funded by Carnegie Corporation of New York and by the Ann B. and Thomas L. Friedman Family Foundation. 

• For information about Reading Rockets and AdLit.org, go to: www.readingrockets.org/http://www.adlit.org

Activist Alert:
Only 35 percent of 12th graders are proficient in reading

In February 27,The New York Times wrote an editorial related to the latest test results published by the National Assessment of Educational Progress-commonly referred to as the national report card. It is interesting that every major newspaper in the country published these results in the front pages of the paper, but few national news broadcasts covered the story. The findings, as noted in  NCBLA blog posts, are dismal. Twelfth graders are not only performing worse in reading than twelfth graders did in 1992, but reading performance has been distressingly flat since 2002. For the full story, see:For more information about the National Endowment for Humanities’ extraordinary We the People Bookshelf project, please go to: http://www.wethepeople.gov/bookshelf/index.html http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/27/opinion/27tue3.html?pagewanted=print

This information provides an opportunity for all of us who care about kids, reading, education, books, and libraries- an opportunity to say to those who are in a position of power and influence in the media and the government, “We care! Do something!”

Right now our nation is perched at the precipice of change. Legislators and leaders in both parties are worried about the next election; very few can assume votes. In other words, power has shifted to the voter, the individual citizen- us!

If you care about young people, if you care about education, literacy, writing, literature, libraries, and the arts, if you care about the direction we are headed nationally, now is the time to contact the media, write to your legislators and tell them what you think, how you feel. Do you think educational issues should be a top priority on our national agenda along with health care and the environment? H0w do you feel about the Leave No Child Behind Act? Should our nation’s libraries get increased funding on a state, national and local level?

Isn’t it time that we stop focusing on one age of child development – like preschool education, high school illiteracy, etc., and take a holistic approach to educational reform? As the parent of three kids, now grown to young adulthood, I would never state that one stage of their development was of any more importance than another. All parents have to be concerned and caring through every age of their child's development, constantly vigilant. Physicians and healthy care providers do not treat any one age as more important in either preventative measures or ongoing treatments.

We have learned from studying our global environment that what happens in any one place on the planet influences the rest of the ecosystem and that is true of education, too. We can no longer focus only on reforming preschool education as we did a few years back, or middle grade education- it is time we take a much broader look, a lifelong look at educational reform in this country and ask some huge questions.

In an age when the average person will not only have 3-5 job changes, but 3-5 career changes, isn’t it time that we expand educational avenues rethinking arbitrary distinctions of age and grade levels and address lifelong education in a serious and committed manner? Shouldn't we have an educational system that meets the needs of all citizens from birth to old age? Shouldn't libraries be an equal partner in our educational system? Public libraries are the only place that anyone in this country can education him or herself throughout life; libraries are also the hub of every community in our nation.

Business and corporate America constantly complain about our nation's schools, but no one wants to spend the money it will take to create a first class educational system. Many people in this nation believe that putting major funding into education is not the answer, yet would any major corporation say that an influx of new capital into their business is a bad thing? We live in the most capitalist society on the planet; in our culture money talks, money reveals priorities. Any assessment of our nation’s priority yardstick reveals that education and kids are not a high priority- not even close. The amount of the federal dollar that goes into education is less than a penny. We say kids and education are important, but when it comes time to putting our money where our mouths are, our lips are sealed shut.

Charter schools and vouchers are inadequate band-aids on a system in which every major blood vessel and organ is hemorrhaging. We need to make a response to this national emergency on a grand scale, to question and rethink, and build our educational structure from the ground up.

Sometimes a barn can be rebuilt, but sometimes the roof has too many holes, the framing is too worm-eaten, the foundation is crumbling, and you just have to take it down and build anew. And when you have a barn raising you bring in the whole community. And we need to do that, too. We need to bring in teachers, administrators, and academics, but we also need to bring in parents, and grandparents, sociologists and health specialists, artists and creative thinkers, business people, union people-representatives from all walks of life because schools and libraries touch each and everyone of us, often every day. In America, schools and libraries are part of every person's past, and they are the real institutions that will determine all of our futures.

Please take the time to write to the media and your local, state, and national government legislators and officials. Write a personal note on a piece of paper- for that piece of paper will have far more impact than an email or phone call. And yes, if there is pending legislation or time is a problem, email and phone calls are best. But right now, when you have some time and a little leeway- writing a short, clear, concise letter can make you a powerful agent of change. Write and tell these people in power what you think and how you feel, and tell them to act. Tell them you will withhold your vote, your dollar, and in the case of the media, your viewer or readership if they do not cover the issues you care about.

And throw you cynicism out the window. You are a free citizen in a democracy; you have extraordinary power, especially if you work with others and raise your voices together. Change is not the exception; it is the norm. And things can change for good. In this country child labor is practically nonexistent. Civil rights for all citizens are not only a legal reality; every day civil rights are more and more a social reality. There is a huge difference in the limited opportunities that our mothers had compared to the wide opportunities that our daughters have now. There may be people who are hungry in America, but no one is starving to death. Change is inevitable, and in America each of us can become a powerful agent of change. Each of us can also choose to sit back, watch, and complain. And instead of shaping that inevitable change in a positive direction for ourselves and our children your choice of complacency will allow others-- others who may not have all of our interests at heart--to take over and enact change that promotes their self-interest. We will then suffer the deadly repercussions of our inaction, as will our children.

Write that letter now, today!
If you need help finding contact information for your local, state, and national legislators go to the activist basic pages on the NCBLA website at:
http://www.thencbla.org/BPOSpages/activistbasics.html

Write letters and email your local newspapers and television stations and bombard national media outlets. And if you live outside of New York and write to The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, or any media outlet that has more of a national profile, your chances of being heard and getting published go up if you live outside of New York.

Thank You!

THE NCBLA BOOK AUCTION

This auction, which ran from Jan 23 - February 9, 2008, was an opportunity to own an amazing collection of new audiobooks and autographed copies of great books by some of the best children’s book authors in the world, for personal collection or for a favorite school or library!
Auction description below.

The Scholastic Audiobook/NCBLA Book Collection Auction on eBay!
Scholastic Audiobooks has donated 10 new audiobooks, including Gregory Maguire’s New York Times Best Seller What-the-Dickens! for an online auction to benefit The National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance. This audiobook collection includes The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick;  Main Street #1 by Ann Martin;  Stoneheart by Charlie Fletcher; and Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor.     

In addition, the NCBLA Board has donated many personally autographed audiobooks and books to this collection, including works by M.T. Anderson, Natalie Babbitt, Susan Cooper, Nikki Grimes, Patricia MacLachlan, Gregory Maguire, and Katherine Paterson. The retail value of this book basket exceeds $1,000. For a detailed list of books and audiobooks, see below.

Complete catalogue of the NCBLA Book Collection:

 Audiobooks Donated by Scholastic Audiobooks 

What-the-Dickens by Gregory Maguire   
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick   
Stoneheart by Charlie Fletcher   
The Snow Spider by Jenny Nimmo  
Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor   
Main Street #1 by Ann Martin   
Clifford the Big Red Dog by Norman Bridwell  
There Was a Cold Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow by Lucille Colandro   
Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick   
Ella the Elegant Elephant by Carmela & Steven D’Amico   

Personally Autographed Books and Audiobooks –
Donated by the authors and illustrators of the NCBLA

M.T. Anderson
Octavian Nothing – autographed novel, two copies  
Thirsty – autographed paperback novel
Feed – autographed paperback novel
Whales on Stilts – autographed paperback novel
The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen – autographed paperback novel
Whales on Stilts – audiobook  
The Serpent Came to Gloucester – audiobook  
Handel, Who Knew What He Liked – autographed picture book
Me, All Alone at the End of the World – autographed picture book

Natalie Babbitt
Jack Plank Tells Tales – autographed novel   

Mary Brigid Barrett
Sing to the Stars – autographed picture book
The Man of the House at Huffington Row – autographed picture book
Day Care Days – autographed picture book

Susan Cooper
The Dark Is Rising Sequence – autographed book
Over Sea, Under Stone; The Dark Is Rising; Greenwitch; The Grey King; Silver on the Tree: five novels in one attractive volume – usually available only in the UK
Over Sea, Under Stone – autographed audiobook
Greenwitch – autographed audiobook
The Grey King – autographed audiobook
Silver on the Tree – autographed audiobook

Nikki Grimes
When Gorilla Goes Walking – autographed picture book – 2 copies

Gregory Maguire
Wicked – autographed novel  
What-the-Dickens – autographed novel  

Patricia MacLachlan
Edward’s Eyes – autographed novel  
Caleb’s Story – autographed novel   
Caleb’s Story – audiobook

Katherine Paterson
Bridge to Terabithia – autographed audiobook
Jacob Have I Loved – autographed audiobook  
Bread and Roses,Too – autographed audiobook
The Field of Dogs – autographed audiobook 
The King’s Equal – autographed audiobook 

Bonus Books!
History Dudes: Ancient Egyptians – by Laura Buller, illustrated by Rick Cando
History Dudes: Vikings – by Laura Buller, illustrated by Rick Cando
Windows into My World: Latino Youth Write Their Lives – edited by Sarah Cortez
The Golden Rule – by Ilene Cooper, illustrated by Gabi Swiatowska
Sawdust and Spangles: The Amazing Life of W.C. Coup – by Ralph Covert and G. Riley Mills, illustrated by Giselle Potter
Hugville – written by Court Crandell, illustrated by Joe Murray
Born Yesterday: Poems of a Life – by Lee Bennet Hopkins
A Story With Pictures – by Barbara Kanninen, illustrated by Lynn Rowe Reed
Nutmeg – written and illustrated by Dennis Lucas
The Curious Boy’s Book of Adventure: 100 Hijinks and Escapades – by Sam Martin
Mrs. Watson Wants Your Teeth – by Alison McGhee, illustrated by Harry Bliss
The Best Eid Ever – by Asma Mobin-Uddin, illustrated by Laura Jacobsen
Sammy Keyes and the Dead Giveaway – by Wendelin Van Draanen

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RECENT AWARDS

THE CHILDREN’S BOOK COUNCIL
ASKS FOR SUPPORT FOR VICTIMS OF HURRICANE KATRINA
The Children's Book Council is keeping a current list of activities that their members as well as book and library organizations are doing to support victims of Hurricane Katrina. You can view this listing from the CBC home page at www.cbcbooks.org.

THE NCBLA ANNOUNCES THREE NEW BOARD MEMBERS!
The National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance is pleased to announce that the illustrious authors Susan Cooper, Gregory Maguire, and M.T. Anderson have joined our Board. For more information on our new Board members, click here: Board of Directors.

THE NCBLA NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP
WITH Pop Warner Little Scholars Football
The NCBLA and Pop Warner Little Scholars Football are working together to develop two new pilot programs. The first is a Coach/Mentor “Take Your Team to the Library” program which will encourage football coaches to take their players to their town or neighborhood library at least once during the football season. The coaches will make sure the players all have library cards and borrow at least one book during the season.

The NCBLA is also working with POP Warner Football to develop a reading incentive pilot program in Philadelphia with the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles team. If successful, it will provide a model for Pop Warner Little Scholars programs across the country. 

Pop Warner Little Scholars, Inc. (PWLS) is a non-profit organization that provides youth football and cheer and dance programs for participants in forty-one states and several countries around the world. Consisting of approximately 360,000 young people ranging from ages five to sixteen, PWLS is the largest youth football and cheer and dance program in the United States.

Since 1929, the Pop Warner Program’s philosophy has been that athletics and scholastics go hand in hand. As the only national youth sports organization that requires scholastic aptitude to participate, Pop Warner is committed to developing America's young people on the field and off. Each year Pop Warner continues to expand its efforts in team and activity participation, as well as visibility and outreach in the community. At every level, Pop Warner programs seek to develop well-rounded young men and women who learn not only the fundamentals of football, cheerleading, and dance but also the importance of education in an atmosphere conducive to developing sound character while having a good time. To find out more about the Pop Warner program, go to: www.popwarner.com.

Children's book veterans swept the 2006 Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards on June 6, 2006, when it was announced that Kate DiCamillo, Lois Ehlert, Steven Kellogg, and the late Faith McNulty won the distinguished literary awards’ top prizes.

Now in their fortieth year, the Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards are given annually in three categories: Fiction and Poetry, Picture Book, and Nonfiction. This year's winners are:

The honorees are accustomed to accolades. Kate DiCamillo’s The Tale of Despereaux won the Newbery Medal in 2004, and her debut novel, Because of Winn-Dixie, was a 2001 Newbery Honor Book. Both Lois Ehlert and Steven Kellogg have previously earned Boston Globe–Horn Book Honor citations: Ms. Ehlert in 1990 and 1992 for, respectively, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf; and Mr. Kellogg in 1985 for How Much Is a Million? Faith McNulty, who died in 2005, had a long and remarkably varied career as a children's book writer and New Yorker critic and essayist.  She also wrote the adult bestseller The Burning Bed.

The judges selected two honor books in each category:

 The 2006 Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards ceremony will be held in Boston, Massachusetts, at the Boston Athenæum on Friday, October 13. The honored authors and illustrators are expected to be on hand to accept their awards and deliver acceptance speeches.

All children’s and young adult books published in the United States between June 2005 and May 2006 were eligible for the award. The winning authors and illustrators may be citizens of any country. Winners in each category receive a cash prize and an engraved silver bowl. Honor book recipients receive an engraved silver plate. The award winners’ acceptance speeches will be published in the January/February 2007 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.

The 2006 Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards judges:

Mary Beth Dunhouse, Chair, Coordinator of Resources & Processing, Boston Public Library

Margaret Bush, Professor, Graduate School of Library and Information Science, Simmons College, and reviewer, The Horn Book Magazine

Robin Smith, Teacher, Ensworth School, Nashville, Tennessee, and reviewer, The Horn Book Magazine and Kirkus Reviews

For more information about the Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards and The Horn Book, Inc., contact Alison Amato at aamato@hbook.com or J.D. Ho at jdho@hbook.com, or call 617-628-0225, ext. 221.