How to use this Page

The weekend is upon us and tomorrow, Sunday, is Family Literacy Day in Canada! Created by ABC Life Literacy Canada in 1999 and held annually on January 27, Family Literacy Day raises awareness of the importance of reading and engaging in other literacy-related activities as a family. Taking time every day to read or do a learning activity with children is crucial to a child’s development. Even just 15 minutes a day can improve a child’s literacy skills dramatically, and can help a parent improve their skills as well.

Even if you are not Canadian you can still participate in Family Literacy Day!  Check out these 15-minute activites to get started and here The Canadian Children’s Book Centre has put together a list of books that share in the joys (and struggles) of families of all sizes and combinations. To see the list of  events taking place across Canada on Family Literacy Day click here.

It always a busy week – but the kind of busy that makes a children’s librarian smile. Tuesday night, I was invited to read at the local Family Resource Centre. 20 kids in their PJ’s listened and sang along with “Pickin’ Peas” by Margaret Read MacDonald. Wednesday, I was at an elementary school, with 148 students in grades Primary through 3 (that’s K-3 for those who don’t speak Nova Scotian). With 5 different groups I read “Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock” by Eric Kimmel, and then re-enacted it with puppets. Tomorrow night I’ll be telling a story at the Ceilidh being held at one of our branches. All across Canada, libraries, schools, and other family-centered organizations are holding celebrations, sing-alongs and special storytimes to commemorate literacy. It is a very feel-good holiday here in the land of snow and cold temps, something to warm our souls in the height of winter. This year, the theme is “Sing for Literacy”, which has been a lot of fun. Everyone loves music, and Nova Scotians love it more than the average bear. We’ve had great turnout for our sing-alongs and campfires. One branch created a fake fire and after songs and stories around the fire, distributed sticks and marshmallows. Anyone who sees a group of kids with real sticks and marshmallows pretending to roast them over a tissue-paper fire has got to admit that libraries do great things. Not only do we offer amazing deals on books (free), and a gaggle of other resources, we build imaginations. This is the stuff that dreams are made of. I just love libraries. And Family Literacy Day is pretty cool, too.

Canadian families have a chance to win a day with picture book author Robert Munsch on family Literacy Day, Jan. 17, through the Munsch at Home contest run by ABC Canada Literacy Foundation.

The family with the most creative Family Literacy Day event will win a host a party for their friends and family with Robert Munsch. Robert Munsch will also give a public reading at the winner’s local library.

The contest is part of national celebrations for Family Literacy Day, to encourage Canadians to participate in Family Literacy Day and to spend at least 15 minutes a day enjoying a learning activity (hopefully reading).

To enter the Munsch at Home contest download an application from ABC Canada.

Contest deadline is Dec 12 at 5 p. m. EST. Celebrations must include at least 8 children between the ages of 5 and 12.

Thanks to the Sault Star for the info.

January 27 is the ABC Canada Literacy Foundation’s Family Literacy Day; an event that celebrates and promotes literacy, with a family twist.

Across the country, libraries, schools, community centres, arts centres, and homes — maybe even your home — will be hosting events and reading children’s books. It’s a great excuse to read a book with your child, if you need one.

On this edition of Just One More Book, Mark speaks with Margaret Eaton, President of the ABC Canada Literacy Foundation about literacy and this year’s Family Literacy Day.

Authors mentioned:

• Robert Munsch

Mark refers in this interview to the following quote from a recent post on Jen Robinson’s Book Page. Jen wrote last January, in an article about a talk that Jen heard by read-aloud advocate Jim Trelease, that:

“He (Trelease) suggested that we need some sort of national campaign to inform people all over the country of the importance of exposing their kids to more words every day, and encouraging them to enjoy reading. He gave an analogy to the campaign that was used to successfully cut the incidence of smoking in this country by 50% over 40 years, a combination of informing people, scaring people, and insulting people, and thinks that we need to try something similar in American homes re: reading.”

More statistics and literacy tidbits referenced by Mark in this interview can be found here:

• New Data on Reading from the Miss Rumphius Effect blog
• Jim Trelease Talk: My Notes from Jen Robinson’s Book Page blog

Photo: ABC Canada

Take a look at Dan James' original website and illustrations. Very entertaining quirky stuff. CLick on the voice bubble to enter the site. After entering the site, move the mouse around the image to see all of the options.