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I shared the news a while back that the fourth annual conference of children's and young adult book bloggers had been announced. I'm following up now to let you all know that it's time to register for KidLitCon 2010. KidLitCon will be held on October 23rd at Open Book in Minneapolis. The registration fee is a quite reasonable $45. The conference rate for the designated hotel is $109/night, and includes shuttle service to and from the conference. You can find more details here. This year's conference is being organized by "three kidlit editors (Andrew Karre--Carolrhoda, Ben Barnhart--Milkweed, Brian Farrey--Flux)".

I've said this many times, and I'll say it again now. If you blog about children's or young adult books, or you write children's or young adult books, you really should think about attending KidLitCon. It's a relatively small conference (past conferences have had ~100 participants), which makes it easy to get to know people. It's a welcoming environment for introverts. The discussion schedule for this year hasn't been announced, but I'm sure that you'll find focused sessions on topics related to blogging and children's literature. 

For me, the reason to attend isn't the sessions per se (though I'm sure that I'll glean some useful ideas to recharge my blog). And it isn't the free books and goodies (though there are bound to be a few). I'm going to KidLitCon because I don't want to miss this annual opportunity to spend time with my blogging friends in person. The best thing about being part of the Kidlitosphere, to me, is being part of the amazing community of people who care about kids and reading. KidLitCon offers the chance to hang out with some of those people, in a relaxed, conversation-friendly environment.

That's right. Even though my blog has been largely on hiatus these past few months; even though I'll have a six-month old ex-preemie baby at home, and I'll be leaving her for the first time (with her wonderful Daddy); and even though it's going to be pricy to fly to Minneapolis from California in October - I'm going to KidLitCon. Who's with me?

It was a giant wave: Three-quarters of the states adopted a new set of common academic standards in the past six months. As that wave crests, education groups and publishers are preparing to follow with one of their own—curriculum materials that aim to embody the new standards.

Williamson County Schools has implemented a state reading program that requires students to receive a minimum of 90 minutes a day of uninterrupted, direct reading instruction.

Children's Book Council of Australia's Book of the Year Awards were announced yesterday in Brisbane. This year there are a few surprises, but no real cause for controversy. While the judges note an increase in low-quality self-published books being entered, they also emphasize the otherwise high standard of children's literature in Australia. The books they have selected as the best of those released last year are a relatively light-hearted bunch.

I can't believe it's been so long since I last posted. In addition to caring for Baby Bookworm, we moved in late July, and I'm working, and things have been pretty crazy. Anyway, BB is now 4 1/2 months old (2 months "corrected age"), and doing well. She weighed a little over 11 pounds at her last doctor's appointment, and is sleeping in her own crib (though still with considerable monitoring from Mom and Dad). She stayed in her crib for 8 hours in a row one night, but promptly backslid. Still, we're hopeful that one day Mheir and I will be able to get more than 5 hours of sleep a night.

Baby Bookworm's favorite books, far and away, are from the Begin Smart series. She's enjoyed Begin Smart Baby Faces for quite some time (thanks, California Kims!) - she seems to be trying to talk to her friends in the pictures. She recently received Begin Smart Animal Faces as a gift (thanks, Ken and Heather!), and she LOVES that one. She seems to especially like the monkey - he always makes her laugh. There's a little animal/rattle attached to the top of the book, and it's the first toy she's actively reached for.

Needless to say (to those who know me), this success prompted me to go online and order more books from the series. I'll report back. I think that the animal faces are stylized enough that she can see them well. And they're apparently humorous to her. I have to say these Begin Smart people know what they're doing. I never thought that I'd so happily spend time reading and re-reading a book with no story at all, for the sheer joy of seeing BB laugh and try to talk.

I'm also enjoying a book that my friend Kathy M. sent us: Humpty Who?: Crib Sheets for the Nursery for Clueless Moms and Dads, by Jennifer Griffin (book with CD from Workman). It's a little book containing the text of 80 nursery rhymes and songs for kids, along with (in many cases) derivations and suggestions for performing the piece. There's also a CD with sing-along version of 35 of the rhymes. I'm finding it valuable because I have all these scraps of songs in my head, and I want to know the rest. And Griffin did a great job, because everything I've wondered about so far I've been able to find in the book.

Otherwise, we're reading various board books and picture books as the mood strikes. I'm still reading the first Harry Potter book aloud to BB, and enjoying that (I sometimes catch Mheir listening in the background, too - we both love the story). I think that the first Penderwicks book may be up next, but we still have a ways to go, so I'm not sure.

As for myself, I generally only have a few minutes to read at night before crashing into sleep, but I just finished Lauren Henderson's second Scarlett Wakefield book, Kisses and Lies. Not sure when I'll get to a full review, so I'll say for now that I enjoyed finding the conclusion to the murder mystery left at the end of book 1 (reviewed here). I like Scarlett a lot. She's a gymnast, and uses her physical abilities to get herself out of a few tight spots, which I find refreshing in a non-fantasy YA novel. And I liked the feel of Kisses and Lies, much of which takes place at a spooky castle in Scotland. It's like an updated version of an old Phyllis Whitney YA novel (and I mean that in the best possible way). I'm going to read book 3, Kiss in the Dark, next.

I've also been listening to a variety of books on audio, at times when I have my hands free. More details in the next update. I believe that my window of quiet is drawing to a close...

Hope that all of you are well, and that I can get back to more regular posting soon.   

What is the best way for teachers to be evaluated? A "loaded" question, indeed. As an alternative to evaluation plans that would be done "to" teachers, let me share the ways evaluations are being done "with" me. The components of this positive approach to evaluation have dramatically improved my professional practice at Luther Burbank High School where I teach. LBHS is the largest inner-city high school in Sacramento CA, and over half of our students are English Language Learners.

The classic children's book series, 'Choose Your Own Adventure,' puts you, the reader, in charge of your own fate: Will you emerge king of the dominion? Or meet your end in a duel with a sea monster? Now, a new iPhone application aims to revive the series for a digital generation of readers.

Still in its infancy, Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy is supporting the establishment of literacy-based storytimes in libraries, training for library staff, exchange of support materials and publications, and community advocacy. The program has a large and growing website with numerous resources for library staff and educators. A decentralized approach allows local libraries to implement the activities they are comfortable with, thereby moving the state's entire library community forward.

For the first time in years, more than half of California's public school students are reading at grade level or above, new test results showed. Of the nearly 5 million students in grades two to 11 tested in reading last spring — including students whose first language isn't English — 52 percent scored "proficient or above," continuing a trend of yearly improvement since 2003, when just 35 percent of students read at that level. Looking at native English speakers alone, reading proficiency climbed to 60 percent — and rose to 69 percent among bilingual English speakers.

Young children who like music and books, will enjoy these sing-along-books with cds.



The Journey Home From Grandpa's, by Jemima Lumley, Sophie Fatus and sung by Fred Penner.
A family drives down a bouncy, bumpy road as they travel home from Grandpa's house. They pass a variety of vehicles such as train, a tractor and even a barge along their fun journey.


Whole World, by Christopher Corr and Fred Penner, is a book with vibrant illustrations and a cd of cheerful music. Facts about different creatures and environments are in the back of the book, as well as the musical notes to this well known song.


Animal Boogie is and award winning book by Debbie Harter. Come stomp with an elephant and flap with a bird, as jungle animals boogie, woogie, oogie. Children, teachers and parents will have fun dancing and singing along with the story. Animal Boogie has catchy song and is easy to learn.


All the books come in paperback with cd and can be seen at Barefoot Books.


Marcia Maynard is a former kindergarten teacher and reading specialist. She currently blogs about preschool activities at www.readandrise.com.

If you would like to write a guest post, please contact me!

Last July when I began this blog journey, I wasn't sure where it would lead me. All I knew for sure is that I had information that I wanted to share, and writing the blog gave me the opportunity to share my ideas and passion for early childhood education.
Since that day in July, I've connected with so many other people who have a similar desire to celebrate early childhood.This process has been exciting and I'm anxious to see  I'm excited to share a new adventure that I hope my readers will enjoy. I've partnered with Growing Tree Toys, a great company dedicated to providing a thoughtful selection of educational toys for children of all ages! Growing Tree Toys also has a great blog filled with more ideas and activities that parents and teachers will find useful!

I will soon be able to offer give aways and discounts through my blog so come back and visit soon! I'm excited about this new partnership and I hope that you are too! In the meantime, visit Growing Tree Toys and check out their wonderful selection!

Every year, the scene plays out in classrooms across the nation. A child clings to his mother, tears welling in his eyes as he pleads with her to stay a few moments longer. The first day of kindergarten is an exciting time for parents and children, but it can also be stressful, especially for kids who have never spent significant time away from Mom and Dad. The good news is that psychologists say separation anxiety is generally short-lived and there are time-tested methods to help reduce everyone's tension.

A cheating scandal is roiling Atlanta Public Schools, casting into doubt the work of hundreds of students in at least 12 of the mostly poor, mostly minority district's elementary and middle schools. The allegations surfaced in recent days as part of a statewide review of every standardized test taken in Georgia elementary and middle schools in spring 2009. The problems have drawn comparisons to scandals elsewhere that experts say reflect the increasing pressure to meet federal No Child Left Behind standards.

With 15 million copies sold, Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians children's book series has become ubiquitous in 'tween households. Now, a summertime trend is taking the popularity of Riordan's series to a new level. From Texas to Georgia to New York, independent bookstores have been running day camps for children based on the adventures of protagonist Percy Jackson — a kid with dyslexia and ADHD who discovers he is really the son of the sea god Poseidon, and dangerous monsters are after him.

Maine's first family joined a group of volunteers to package up over 18,000 books for kindergartners Tuesday. "It is like building a strong foundation on a house, if you get it right you have a strong foundation that will last them throughout their lives," explained First Lady Karen Baldacci. "If we miss those opportunities, or don't have those quality things happening in early childhood like reading, then we miss the boat."

Anyone with an interest in how children learn to read has probably heard about the critical shift from "learning to read" to "reading to learn." To capture this idea, educators have focused on reading comprehension in addition to the importance of understanding the mechanics of language. A child may be able to decode words and even read with fluency. But does he understand what he has read? If not, what should teachers be doing differently? A recent article in Psychological Science provides a pointed answer: Focus on vocabulary development.

The best books show you a new way of thinking about a familiar issue. Paul Peterson's "Saving Schools: From Horace Mann to Virtual Learning," offers a new way of thinking about education reform by recounting the histories of reformers. The book tells the story of six great figures: Horace Mann, John Dewey, Martin Luther King Jr., Al Shanker, William Bennett, James Coleman, and one perhaps-great-figure-to-be, Julie Young, President and CEO of Florida Virtual School.

In Los Angeles and across the country, education officials have long known of the often huge disparities among teachers. They've seen the indelible effects, for good and ill, on children. But rather than analyze and address these disparities, they have opted mostly to ignore them. Seeking to shed light on the problem, The Los Angeles Times obtained seven years of math and English test scores from the Los Angeles Unified School District and used the information to estimate the effectiveness of L.A. teachers — something the district could do but has not.

Students in two of Charleston County schools' flagship literacy initiatives made far more progress in reading last year than they did when they weren't in the program. Third- and sixth-grade academy participants not only posted stronger gains but also outscored similar high-poverty, low-achieving district students who were in traditional classrooms this past year. "I'm very pleased with these results, because they show clearly that when great teachers, additional resources and proven methods are matched with students who need extra help, good things happen, and happen quickly," said School Superintendent Nancy McGinley.

These words you are reading are really just a collection of arbitrary symbols. Yet, after some decoding by your brain, these symbols convey meaning. That's because humans have evolved a brain with an extraordinary knack for language. And language has given us a major advantage over other species. Yet scientists still don't know when and how we began using language. Language has allowed us to cooperate in groups of millions instead of dozens, he says. It also lets us share the complex ideas produced by our brains, and it's flexible in ways you don't find in the communication systems of other species.