It’s pretty clear being a mom takes a lot of work – and we celebrate all that work with a single day?
Thanks to Macy’s, we’ve now got two whole weeks, with a big bonus for RIF.
Sunday, April 28th through Mother’s Day, send a Macy’s Mother’s Day card to all the moms in your life on Facebook and Macy’s will donate $2 to RIF for every card sent. You can send up to 10 cards a day via email and up to 15 cards a day via Facebook, every day!
So get celebrating this Sunday. Be sure to choose Reading Is Fundamental when you’re selecting your card – and help children in need get the books they so desperate deserve.
Photo Source: slopjop
Reading Is Fundamental is a 501(c)3 tax-deductible organization (Tax ID# 52-097-6257). Your contribution will help us provide free books and literacy resources to children who need them most.
Roses are red. Violets are blue. It’s National Poetry Month. You can celebrate too!
Get your little beatniks captivated by poetry this month. Start by reading some poems, perhaps some Shel Silverstein, and then ask them what their favorite poem is and why.
Take the celebration even further and have your kids write their very own poem about their day or someone they love and read it aloud to friends, family or classmates.
Here are some questions to get your poet thinking:
- Why does poetry sound different when it’s read out loud?
- What makes it different from storybooks?
- Do all poems have to rhyme?
- What’s the difference between a sonnet, limerick, acrostic or a haiku?
Want more background about the month and ideas for kids? Visit our friends at Poets.org.
Photo Source: newwavegurly 
We all know the phrase, “Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.” This Earth Day, don’t forget the 4th “r”—Read!
Earth Day is a wonderful opportunity to pass along important values and set an example for little ones in your life.
So how do you teach kids about Mother Earth and what they can do to help her? Start with a book.
We’ve got your nature lovers covered with a selection from our topical Multicultural Book Collection. “We’re Roaming in the Rainforest,” “10 Things I Can Do to Help My World” and “National Geographic: Little Kids First Big Book of Animals” are all great green books with exciting activity ideas to keep kids interested and involved.
Need more Earth Day ideas? Check out our Pinterest Earth Day Activities board to get some “pinspiration.”
We had an incredible time in Austin last week, celebrating books with Reading Is Fundamental friends and volunteers.
We kicked off the trip with a wonderful discussion of the book “Miss Lady Bird’s Wildflowers.” Lynda Johnson Robb, a founding board member of RIF, shared her mother’s legacy along with Kathi Appelt and Joy Fisher Hein, who wrote and illustrated the book.
Luci Baines Johnson also praised Lynda’s longtime support of RIF, sharing an especially touching story about their mother as a child.
Miss Lady Bird lost her mother at an early age. One day, her daddy, seeing she was sad, asked what he could do to help. She said, “No daddy, you can’t help. It’s OK.”
He pressed her more, asking if he could at least try. The child said, “Oh daddy, no, you can’t help. It’s just that I miss momma so much. And momma used to read to me. I really miss momma and reading.”
Her father responded, “Well, honey, I can read to you.”
The child stopped, shocked, and said with surprise, “Daddy, you can read?”
Even at that young age, Miss Lady Bird couldn’t understand why someone who could read wouldn’t be reading all the time.
The legacy of the Johnson family is large in Austin and it was at the LBJ Library that the next event was held. At a Book People Unite celebration, families met authors Chris Barton, Cynthia Leitich Smith and Tim Tingle, who all have books in RIF’s Multicultural Book Collections. Curious George joined the festivities, as did Kay Gooch, one of RIF’s Volunteer of the Year Award recipients. Parents and kids from Kay’s school, Gullett Elementary, and the families from the Book Spring program, which runs the RIF program in the city, had a great time.
The trip was capped off with a very special book distribution at Campbell Elementary School, a school where 94 percent of the children come from economically disadvantaged homes. Children were treated to a special “trip” where they boarded a magical cardboard airplane – complete with window seats and belt buckles – took a flight to pick out their books. Librarian Sherry Rojas and Book Spring’s Jill Gonzalez made it a memorable adventure for the children – and for the RIF staff in who joined them on their journey.
The entire trip was made possible thanks to RIF’s longtime partnership with Macy’s. Stay tuned for ways you can support our partnership this summer!
Photo, left to right: Kay Gooch, Kathi Appelt, Lynda Johnson Robb, Joy Fisher Hein; photo by: Jack Plunkett/AP Images for Reading Is Fundamental
It’s a simple concept, but with so many devices these days, National Screen-Free Week can be a real challenge – for grown-ups and kids. That’s why we’re giving you a heads up early.
This year’s week to unplug – April 29 to May 5 – is the perfect opportunity to put down the remote and pick up a book.
Kids are naturally creative. But if you have a child and are worried they’ll not make it a day, here are some ideas:
- Have kids act out their favorite books – or movies – to an audience of parents
- Grab some old sheets and build reading forts
- Set them up with materials to write and illustrate their own books
- Get outside!
- Take advantage of free resources for kids in your community – story time at the library?
These authors and illustrators agree that this week is important. Watch their inspirational message about why they think your kid should unplug and read.
Still not sure they’ll make it a full week? Here are some more ideas to get your kid moving.
Photo Source: speedye 
RIF recently launched an art competition, with the support of Nestlé, called FULL STEAM AHEAD WITH BOOKS, which encouraged students to express how books have fueled their passion for Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics – or STEAM subjects.
Kids from grades K through 5 at RIF programs across the U.S. sent us their artwork, hundreds of entries were submitted.
Check out our Flickr gallery to see the great submissions from our four honorees.
We’re thrilled for this year’s WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE Gala on May 9 for so many reasons. Case in point: illustrator Tony DiTerlizzi’s generous donation of artwork to be auctioned off at the Gala. Tony is one of several incredible illustrators who is paying tribute to Maurice Sendak’s classic work through donated artwork to RIF’s gala.
From sketches to final product, Tony has been updating us with Twitpic, Instagram, and Facebook posts about his progress. Learn about Tony’s process and his inspiration here: http://diterlizzi.com/home/rifs-where-the-wild-things-are-gala/
And remember, tickets are still on sale. Learn more: http://www.rif.org/us/get-involved/2013-where-the-wild-things-are-gala.htm
Do you know where your favorite book is?
If not, you’re in luck. It’s spring cleaning time, and this year let’s try to make it fun by revamping our bookshelves.
Nowadays many people turn to Pinterest for some DIY inspiration. So we’ve put together a board of bookshelves that inspire us. Happy pinning.
Photo Source: Enokson 
Birds are chirping. Flowers are budding. And soon, spring will be here in full bloom.
Yesterday marked the first day of spring.
Now most people might shake their head at this because, well, it’s still wintery in many places, but the earth is indeed tilting closer toward the sun and soon enough we will have spring weather to thoroughly enjoy.
Whether your kids enjoy singing and skipping around May poles, Easter egg hunts, Passover Seders, or Mother’s Day, there are traditions and stories to be passed along to your kids – and reading can play a major role.
Have your kids help read Bubbe’s recipe for kugel or Nana’s recipe for deviled eggs. Read a “Peter Rabbit” classic with them before your go out into the garden. Tell them a story about your tradition and help them write a book about it.
Need more spring reading activities? No problem! Use our free spring activity guide for some fresh ideas.
Remember, spring is the season of growth, so be sure your kid doesn’t miss out of their reading growth spurt this spring!
Photo Source: Bill Liao 
Books are more than words on a page. For kids, they can be keys not only to a world of possibilities but they can bring them closer to their own world.
Sara Massey knows this. One of her most memorable moments was reading to two little girls – maybe 6- or 7 years old. Storytime was a luxury for them and they likely didn’t have books at home until RIF entered their lives.
As she began to read to them, one snuggled up close to her and Sara remarked, “Wow, you really like to cuddle, don’t you?” The girls looked back at her and asked, “What’s ‘cuddle?’”
For Sara, that moment represented the importance of reading and books – the power of books in people’s lives.
Inspired by this interaction, Sara created reading events that bringing parents, children, and teachers together—often for the first time.
She told RIF that in each school where these programs were held, the schools continued them every year since because it was so enriching. 
As the President of Communities in Schools in Greater New Orleans, Sara was there in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. She took on the incredible challenge of replacing the books lost to the devastation.
With the help of RIF, Sara provided thousands of high-quality, brand new books to the children she serves. Sara goes to work every day knowing she has a chance to add value in a child’s life.
What an awesome outlook on life, Sara. Congratulations on being chosen as one of RIF’s 2013 Volunteers of the Year.
Linda and two other award recipients — Kay Gooch of Austin and Linda Placzek of Omaha— will receive their awards May 9, 2013, at RIF’s WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE Gala Celebration.
Photo Source: Tulane Public Relations 
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