In 1997, Cathy Puett Miller began her journey as The Literacy Ambassador®. As she explains in our interview, her mission hasn’t changed. She is still building bridges by connecting children and adults, parents and educators, in ways that will help everyone see literacy as a tool for life.

Cathy has written extensively about reading and literacy, both as an author and freelance writer. She draws on her library science degree from Florida State University as the foundation of her work. She has more than 13 years experience as an independent literacy consultant working with teachers, parents, librarians, and non-profit family-friendly organizations, she has conducted research initiatives and best practice studies in the areas of beginning reading instruction, emergent literacy and volunteer tutoring. In 2003, Cathy received the National Silver Award for Investigative Reporting from Parenting Publications of America. She is also listed in the What Works Clearinghouse Registry of Outcome Evaluators, US Dept of Education, and the Parent Involvement Matters List of Consultants. To see some of Cathy’s print and online articles, please visit the Reading Tub website.

In the interest of transparency, I want to let you know that Cathy is one of the Board Members for the Reading Tub.

RT: First, congratulations on your three new books: Powerful Picture Books, 180 Ideas for Promoting Content Literacy (eBook, Inspiring Teachers, 2009), Anytime Reading Readiness, and Before they Read(Maupin House, 2010). What did you see in your work as the Literacy Ambassador® that prompted you to write these books?

Cathy: Thank you, Terry, for the congratulations. I am so pleased to be able to share what I have learned with others through these additional avenues. And you are correct, I did see a great need in my interaction with research, families, and teachers which prompted me to write these books.

As I travel across the country and talk with teachers as well as parents, I realized that the gap between the worlds of the classroom and home, in many cases, was growing wider. Opportunities to collaborate when it comes to reading were being lost. There are many reasons for that. Perhaps the most common thing I hear is that families are intimidated by all the science involved in teaching reading today and they aren’t sure they have a place. Teachers, on the other hand, sometimes expect parents to understand what the educators have studied four, five, six or even seven years to learn. Teachers too can be so busy with their responsibilities that they don’t often take the time to acknowledge the literacy already in the home.

My goal with the two books published by Maupin House - Anytime Reading Readiness and Before They Read – is to start a revolution! I want to give both of these groups common ground on which to collaborate and communicate; to break down barriers of misunderstanding; and to share lots of fun, use-everyday ideas for promoting those early skills that make it easier for children to learn to read when the time is right.

With Powerful Picture Books, it was a bit different. I was listening to school librarians and teachers, two groups that often work together to find resources to support learning. Picture books are a great way to introduce basic information about a time in history, a real person, a scientific idea, etc. to students who don’t know much about a subject. Powerful Picture Books is an annotated list (one picture book for every day of the school year) that identifies ready tools to build essential background knowledge so important to higher levels of learning.

RT: Picking up on th at point, we have talked previously about the importance of parents reading with their children, even kids who can read for themselves. In your Powerful Picture Books eBook, you really hone that message. How do we get parents to see that picture books aren’t just for “little kids”?
Cathy: Just pick up a book like When Jessie Came Across the Sea by Amy Hest. It is written about a complex subject (immigration) and has a reading level of about sixth grade. Another example is The Yellow House: Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin Side by Side, written by Susan Goldman Rubin, this time from the world of art.

Picture books 50 years ago were mostly very simple: limited text with stories that appealed to small children. The breadth of subject matter addressed and the complexity of the language used in today’s picture books, in contrast, covers a much broader span. Patricia Polacco’s new picture book January’s Sparrow very realistically deals with the issues surrounding the U.S. Civil War. I certainly would not recommend it for young readers.

Once older students (and teachers and parents involved with them) look at these types books, they find that they are actually very appropriate for middle and even high school as a tool for understanding simple concepts that can be built upon in more complex textbooks or multi-media. Reading these books first can help make the higher level materials more understandable.

RT: Several months ago, Pam Coughlan wrote a post at Booklights (the PBS Parents blog) encouraging parents not to play The Reading Game, a form of one-upsmanship that uses a child’s reading ability as a measure of worth. Would you have some suggestions on ways parents can respond (politely) to others who have challenged them to reveal their child’s reading ability?
Cathy: First of all, no one has the same reading level on each piece of text so it is an oversimplification for someone to use that as a primary measure of ability. We understand – and accept – that children walk and begin talking at different times, within a developmentally appropriate spectrum. Why don’t we do that with reading?

Some parents, too, may overemphasize the reading level of their child because they hear teachers referring to reading levels as a tool for evaluating the reading abilities of a child. The best schools, however, look at multiple measurements including fluency, ease of decoding, number of sight words recognized, comprehension, and others. The most important question to ask is “does my child understand what he reads? How efficiently does he do that? When he reaches a problem, does he know how to solve it to gain understanding?”

It is also important to remember that we are forever developing as readers. Although I have reached a level of competency, I’m certainly not the most accomplished reader I will ever be, even in my mid-50s. After the basic mechanics are understood, it takes continued practice to become proficient and continued exposure to maintain those skills.

RT: I realize this may be an impossible task, but if you were creating a box of 10 books – one for each year – to give to a new parent what would they be?
Cathy: Wow. There is actually no way I could do that nor would I want to. Part of the beauty of reading with your child is finding the right fits for the two (or more) of you. That said, for the years 0-3, think bright pictures, familiar story themes and topics, few words on each page to match the attention span of the individual child. also remember children are very tactile at that age so include a few books that are “mouth proof” like board books or plastic or bath toys. Workman has some new books called “Indestructibles” that are great for this age.

My books Anytime Reading Readiness and Before They Read contain extensive book lists for the ages 3-6 and part of the fun is exploring. Your own Reading Tub website is a great resource to search for “just right for you” books. As children enter school, the titles listed in Powerful Picture Books give you a good list of books to share and for children to read on their own as their skills grow. It lists a book for each day of the typical school year.

Once children move into chapter books, let the child take the lead. What is interesting to the individual becomes such an issue in terms of whether he or she will continue to be a reader, especially as the challenges and rigor of academic reading increases. Librarians and media specialists as well as the best teachers are also great resources for recommendations of books as is the American Library Association.

RT: The blurb about Before They Read at the Maupin House website suggests that the book is for educators and Anytime Reading Readiness is for parents. Is there much overlap in the messages? Would educators find Anytime Reading Readiness valuable; ditto parents and Before they Read?
Cathy: They were actually written at the same time to cover the same three big ideas: using conversations and oral language to build a foundation for reading; exploring books through reading aloud together; and playing with the sounds and patterns of the language in preparation for the commonly-used phonics instruction for beginning readers. Each idea gets plenty of attention in each book but Before They Read contains more references to research, more connections to what happens in the classroom, and, quite frankly, more “educationese/technical jargon.”

Anytime Reading Readiness is very parent friendly (reading in real life stuff) and is full of quick, easy, fun ideas that fit well into busy families’ lifestyles and schedules. What I recommend is that teachers and parents read their own book at the same time for maximum impact and reinforcement. The Anytime Reading Readiness is also a great guide for parent involvement specialists or Head Start Family Program Coordinators since many of the ideas can easily be taught even to families who do not speak English or read any language. This video about the game Rhymin’ Simon may help people see the crossover between the two “worlds.”

RT: I noticed in your bio that you are part of the U.S. Department of Education’s What Works Clearinghouse Registry of Outcome Evaluators. What is an “outcome evaluator”? What do you look for in your assessments?
Cathy: The title “outcome evaluator” says it all. An Outcome Evaluator is an independent researcher who conducts evaluations of the effectiveness of educational interventions (projects, programs, curricula, initiatives). Such professionals can help schools, school districts, and educational program developers conduct research studies of the highest quality. Using rigorous research techniques, we look for evidence that a particular intervention is effective with a broad group of diverse learners. For example, I was part of a team that looked at using the We Both Read book series and/or other home reading materials to help new readers with fluency. [Study results here.] The more often the same results are found with different populations in different studies, the more strongly we can speak to the effectiveness of a certain approach. For instance, over time, repeated reading (reading a piece of text several times) has been shown to be effective in helping improve a reader’s fluency.

Another example from my own research is the effectiveness of certain types of at-home reading materials that use the research-based idea of paired or shared reading in improving reading skills of first graders. Th What I like most about being an outcome evaluator is what the information we discover means to the lives of children and families, educators, and schoold, learning more about reading.

RT: When you started your consulting work in 1997, where did you see it going back then? Has it achieved those goals?
Cathy: Terry, it has far exceeded them. I simply knew at that time that becoming a facilitator would help me reach more people with the message of the importance of reading and writing, listening and communicating, rather than the alternative of staying in a single school or community. The work has grown from a part-time sole proprietorship to a full-time national corporation. TLA has enabled me to travel nationwide, spreading the news that reading and writing are powerful, fun, and practical and that families have a critical role in their child’s “literacy loop.” I’ve been able to work with many organizations and schools as well as family-friendly nonprofits like United Way and the National Children’s Advocacy Center who are interested in literacy.

RT: When you think about where you will be as a consultant and literacy advocate five years from now, do you see yourself working more directly with parents and less with educators, vice versa, or neither?
Cathy: I love being in the middle. Although the market conditions and needs I see out there certainly will continue to drive the growth of TLA, I cannot see me leaving either community behind. Teachers need to understand what’s up with families; families need a parent-friendly translation and an advocate.

There are few educational consultants who are experts in both literacy and family engagement and I believe so strongly in the voice and impact of families on children’s literacy that TLA intends to remain connected to those areas. I also am one of the few who focuses on both preschool (emergent) and K-8 so I understand both sides of that very important transition from getting ready to read (which starts the first day of a child’s life) to reading in a conventional sense.

One of our missions with the two Maupin titles is to move from a monologue to more dialogue among teachers at different levels so that the growth of readers is consistent and each understands not only what their task is with readers at the age they teach but what comes before and after in instruction.

RT: How is 2010 shaping up for you? Do you have presentations and conferences on the horizon?
Cathy: Yes, TLA often books my presentations and conferences six to eight months out, and I love squeezing in more regional opportunities as time permits. Last year we were a part of the National Parents as Teachers Annual Convention, the SE Regional and International Reading Association conferences along with the IRA affiliate conferences for several states, and the Annual Conference of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. We are looking forward to a variety of similar opportunities in the coming weeks and months.

We would love to hear from anyone involved in planning for literacy, educational, parenting or reading conferences or special events. TLA’s website www.readingisforeveryone.org lists a variety of topics available for various groups. I love to visit for several days and do several events in a city with different organizations when I come and that can make it more affordable as well.

RT: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Cathy: First a challenge; as teachers, as parents, as community people, let’s take the walls and barriers out of the way and celebrate anywhere that learning and literacy happens. Let’s commit ourselves to supporting our children together in a cooperative effort.

Secondly, Maupin has put together a special classroom packet at a discounted price (each includes two copies ofBefore They Read and 20 copies of Anytime Reading Readiness that are perfect for preschool or kindergarten classrooms. You can find out more about these by visiting www.maupinhouse.com or contacting us at TLA. We’ll be glad to tell you more about this special package.

Ways you can connect with Cathy Miller

Parent / Family blog
Preschool Teachers blog
K to 12 Teacher’s blog

Technorati Tags: Author Showcase, book series, Booklights, Cathy Puett Miller, classroom literacy, Jen Robinson's Book Page, PBS Parents, promoting literacy, raising readers

The Wash Rag, our quarterly newsletter, is now available on the Reading Tub website.   Here are the blurbs about what you’ll find in this edition  …

Chapter One – The change of season also starts the transition to a time when many of us are content to fill the cold days with a book, a blanket, and a cup of cocoa. In reality, those are stolen moments in a very busy schedule. Is the spike in volunteers related to the change of seasons?

The Soap Dish -  The big news over the last three months has been the invitation to PBS Parents’ Booklights as a guest blogger for a few months; being asked to create and run the Children’s Book Knowledge Nest for Nesting.com; and participating in Buy Books for the Holidays, a campaign started by My Friend Amy. We’ll be helping with children’s picture book recommendations.

Author Showcase ~ Fall 2009 – Four authors and an illustrator stopped by to talk about the inspiration for their new books (all are debut authors) .

• Rana DiOrio launched Little Pickle Press after discovering that traditional publishing model wouldn’t fit her goals. The company is just six months old, and her first book – literally – just arrived from the printer. Yet she is already making a name for herself as author and publishing entrepreneur. Her first book, What Does It Mean to Be Global? just received the 2009 National Book Award for Children’s Nonfiction Picture Book (hardcover).
• When Dale James rediscovered her son’s manuscript for Land of the Left Sock, she decided that she wanted to finish the illustrations. Brian’s draft – a poetry assignment for school – sat for 15 years, quietly waiting for its moment. Together, Dale and Brian James have brought to life this magical story that is fun for all ages to share, and will delight new readers, too. a simple test set the course for her life’s work.
• As a mom, Amanda Litz loves creating bedtime stories with her children. Although she starts the story, the adventure is a collaborative effort, and her two children always offer their own ideas. In deciding to write down and collect the stories, Amanda created the Traveler’s Trunk series, middle grade chapter books that combine history, fantasy, and just enough suspense to keep reluctant readers going, too.
• Peggy Williams was feeling down in the dumps when an illness left her housebound for her recovery. With the help of some songbirds and other backyard visitors, Peggy not only felt better, she discovered a new hobby. In doing so, she realized how valuable it could be for helping parents and kids bond.

Over the next week, I will post those interviews here. Each of the interviews is currently available on the Reading Tub website.

The Final Rinse – With the change of seasons comes the transition to the holidays. One of the greatest gifts we can give others (children or adults) are the tools they need to become successful readers.

Technorati Tags: Author Showcase, Booklights, PBS Parents, promoting literacy, raising readers, Rana DiOrio, reading mentors, READING TUB STUFF

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• Book Talk: Elephant, Piggie, and Mo’ | Scrub-a-Dub-Tub, a Reading Tub Blog
  Easy readers help kids learn to read. Mo Willems' Elephant and Piggie series engages them in fun ways that get them excited about their new-found power.
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• Tuesday Blurbs: DIY Literacy and Reading Projects | Scrub-a-Dub-Tub, a Reading Tub Blog
  Most folks don't come back to read comments, so I'm turning a comment from yesterday's literacy and reading news roundup into this post. Liza, from the
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• Bedtime from Afar: Sharing Books When You Can't Cuddle Up Close . Booklights . PBS Parents | PBS
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Technorati Tags: Booklights, Mo Willems, PBS Parents, promoting literacy, raising readers

About 70 kidlitters attended yesterday’s conference here in Crystal City, Virginia. For many of us, it was the first KidLitCon,  but it most definitely won’t be the last.

The camaraderie, the open exchange of ideas, and the sounds of “Oh! I love your blog. It is so nice to meet you in person …” from all corners of the room made it most welcoming event. Although children’s literature and blogging were the centerpiece, this is a very sociable group, and there were plenty of conversations about football, a photo of Susan Kusel’s adorable baby (now two weeks old), the end of Red Sox baseball for the year, television shows, and of course the lovely DC weather!

Just before the day began, I happened to catch a sidebar conversation where a panelist felt “awkard” about being on a panel because “I don’t know very much.” Mary Lee Hahn’s (A Year of Reading) response captured it all …

What we all know together is huge.

That’s exactly what happened. Within minutes of the end of the presentations, Greg Pincus (Gottabook) pulled together a transcript of all of the tweets. Thanks to Laurel Snyder (Laurel Snyder), Maureen Kearney of Confessions of a Bibliovore, Liz Burns (A Chair, a Fireplace, and a Tea Cozy), Wendy Burton of Six Boxes of Books, Carol Wilcox (Carol Wilcox), Laura Lutz (Pinot and Prose), Clara Gillow (Clara Gillow Clark), Pam Bachorz of PamBachorz, Sara Lewis Holmes of Read Write Believe, Wendy Stephens (Wendy on the Web), Sarah Rettger of Archimedes Forgets, and Paula Chase (Paula’s Jort Too) made that transcript possible.

The great thing about having the transcript is that it makes it easy to recap the conference. The bad news is that it makes it harder to create original content of the “take aways.”  Rather than recap, I’m going to (a) link to the folks who are building out the transcript for more robust summaries; and (b) parse a couple things here. As I work my way through my homework list, I will share what I’ve learned, too.  Here are the first two.

Giving Thanks

Throughout the day, everyone was talking about the importance of leaving our own blogging “house” to visit others. Thanking people for visiting your blog is nice, but you need to visit them AND comment, too. It moves away from ‘it’s all about me” to building a stronger community.

Giving Back

Not that long ago in the Kidlitosphere, the emphasis of the discussions really centered on a love of children’s books and exploring the “stories behind the story” with authors and illustrators.  Jen Robinson’s panel at the end of the day was tangible representation of the idea that connecting books with kids and paying forward our passion is also an important part of what we do.

On the panel, Gina Montefusco of PBS Parents and Booklights, Ernestine Walls Benedict, representing Carol Rasco from RIF, talked about ways we need to move beyond computers and blogs to reach the 25 million US kids who don’t have access to books beyond school. As you may have heard, Laurel Snyder proposed a “crazy spectacle” where in all 50 states, people fill 20 malls, and read with kids all at the same time.  We all loved the idea, and as Ernestine says,

You need to imagine it, then claim it.

We are claiming it! So stay tuned for more information.  Like Mary Lee’s comment at the beginning of the day, Ernestine’s comments were the perfect end to the day …

Whether you want to write a book for children, build a platform as an author or blogger, or share your knowledge … claim it! It is possible, and this is the group to help you along.

Technorati Tags: A Chair A Fireplace and a Tea Cozy, A Year of Reading, blogging, Booklights, Elizabeth Burns, GottaBook, Happy Accident blog, Jen Robinson's Book Page, kidlit blogs, KidLitCon, Laurel Snyder, PBS Parents, promoting literacy, raising readers, Share a Story-Shape a Future

What do you get when you combine the integrity of PBS Parents, three power-house book bloggers (who also happen to be moms, librarians, and literacy specialists), and a college professor?

An incredible blog, energized by a team of women who are passionate about inspiring a love of reading in children and their caregivers.

I don’t remember if Jen Robinson found my blog or I found hers. Doesn’t matter. It was the beginning of an incredible journey into what many of us affectionately call the Kidlitosphere.  Back then, it seemed that literacy was a small piece of the ‘sphere – almost a byproduct of our love of reading and books.  Not anymore.

As we have continued to chat with each other through our blogs and conferences, sharing knowledge and ideas, inviting others, the “literacy piece” is coming into its own. IMHO Booklights, the PBS Parents blog that launched in April 2009, is a concrete manifestation of that.

In the interest of full disclosure – which is how we blog with integrity – long before there was a Booklights blog, I was a huge (geeky) fan of Jen Robinson and Jen Robinson’s Book Page; Pam Coughlan and Mother Reader; and Susen Kusel and Wizards Wireless.  Through Booklights I’ve *met* two more friends: Ann Neely and Gina Montefusco. The circle grows.

For the Summer 2009 Author Showcase, I decided to do something a little different. I wanted to do something that takes a look at some of the other corners of the Kidlitosphere and how we create the next generation of readers. We previously chatted with journalist and author Fiona Ingram and talked with songwriter and music therapist Cathy Bollinger.  Today, I’m thrilled to share a group discussion with the Booklights team. As we were working together to put the finishing touches on our interview, the team kept thanking me for the opportunity. To be QUITE frank, the honor was all mine.  On with the show …

It took just about a year for everything to come together for Booklights, a collaborative project sponsored by PBS Parents. The team is as dynamic as it is passionate about sharing easy-to-use tips and ideas for connecting kids with books.

Gina Montefusco, who works on the PBS KIDS Raising Readers initiative, is the pivot person for the team. Before coming to PBS, she worked for Reading Is Fundamental, where she produced reading games, activity calendars, and author and illustrator interviews. She participates in several book clubs and writers’ groups and also helped teach creative writing to high school students through the Young Writer’s Workshop at the University of Virginia. As she explains, “I have never outgrown my childhood love of books.” Gina is joined by three powerhouse bloggers who are well-respected, go-to sources for all things related to children’s literature.

Jen Robinson has been blogging at Jen Robinson’s Book Page since 2005 … and she’s loved children’s books for as long as she can remember. Her passion for reading and paying forward a love of reading knows no bounds. In fact, she is the Literacy Evangelist for the Cybils (Childrens and Young Adult Bloggers Literary Awards). Mention the words reading, kids, and helping parents in a sentence and watch Jen’s face light up!

Susan Kusel credits her mother for sparking a lifelong love with books. Now a mom herself, she reads with her son and is thrilled to see how much he enjoys books. “I have the two best jobs in the world: children’s librarian and mom.” Susan’s blog Wizards Wireless (est. June 2007) is her virtual spot for sharing a love of children’s books, comics, and Harry Potter. In her “spare time,” Susan also runs the DC Kidlit Book Club, a group of librarians, authors, bloggers and parents who meet monthly to talk about children’s literature.

Pam Coughlan is MotherReader. She is mom, children’s librarian assistant without portfolio, and the creator (with the help of her husband) of Kidlitosphere Central. Pam is currently organizing the annual Kidlitosphere Conference (Arlington, VA 15 to 17 October). Once again this fall, Pam will be sharing her tips and ideas for building your blog. She should know: her first post got 13 comments. Unheard of!

Ann Neely, the newest member of the team, joined Booklights in June 2009. Ann teaches introductory and advanced seminars in children’s literature professor at Vanderbilt University. Her expertise complements the bloggers’ efforts and she writes a monthly feature that pulls together the themes from their posts and offers additional ways to build on those ideas to raise readers.

RT: In April 2009, PBS Parents launched Booklights as the newest component of its Raising Readers initiative. Can you tell us a little bit about how the idea started? When did the collaboration begin?
Gina: I have always been involved in literacy, reading, and finding fun ways to engage kids in learning by having fun. In fact, our Raising Readers initiative uses games to reinforce core learning and the mechanics of reading. On PBSkids.org we offer online games and resources for kids (2-8), their parents, teachers, and caregivers. For me, starting a blog about the joy of reading seemed like a natural companion to that. I’m also a lifelong fan of children’s books, and was inspired by Jen’s stint on the PBS Parents Ask the Experts feature in January 2008. There has been a lot of support for and excitement at PBS about Booklights – people here love reading and children’s books, and it was easy to get coworkers on board. Of course, having the all-star line-up of Jen, Pam, Susan, and Ann made that even easier.

Jen: Jean Crawford (PBS Parents site director) asked me to be the January 2008 “expert” for a running Q&A series on PBS Parents. The strong response, in terms of comments and questions from parents and members of the Kidlitosphere got Jean interested in a recurring column about children’s books. When Gina came on board, we started moving forward. We brainstormed at the ALA (American Library Association) conference in Anaheim last summer. We both knew Pam and Susan, and thought that they would be ideal as co-contributors.

Susan: I had seen Jen’s guest column on PBS Parents and was delighted with the interest it generated. We had a Kidlitosphere dinner at ALA last year, and Jen mentioned that PBS was thinking of creating a permanent feature. We were thrilled that her wonderful posts would reach so many parents. The next night, I happened to have dinner with Jen again, this time at the Newbery/Caldecott banquet. She had talked with Gina earlier in the day, and asked if I would be willing to be part of the blog team. I was absolutely stunned. I’m a fairly new blogger and couldn’t believe they even considered me. It turned the night of the banquet from a special evening into a magical one.

Pam: Gina talked with me after a DC Kidlit Book Club meeting, and I was very excited. I suggested a feature I’d been using at MotherReader that provided brief, parent-friendly reviews, knowing that format could also be used to convey quick, practical reading ideas. Since I had made some moves into funded ventures online that hadn’t panned out, I didn’t let myself believe I’d be writing for PBS until it happened. And here I am.

RT: Each of you brings a specific talent to Booklights that can inspire caregivers to read with kids. Are there things you are looking forward to learning from your colleagues (e.g., stretching your comfort zone)?
Jen: I’d like to learn from Gina about connecting my individual blogging efforts with the larger literacy community. Ann has already shown that she has a research and literature background, and can tie some of the things that I discuss on my blog in with more formal research. Pam reminds me all the time, by example, to keep it fun. And Susan reminds me to keep a broader focus, looking at everything from comics to cakes.

Pam: Having known Jen for years as a BFF – Blogging Friend Forever – I’ve always admired her dedication, professionalism, and depth. Susan has limitless energy, involving herself in numerous activities in the areas of librarianship and children’s literature. I’m getting to know Gina and Ann better as we go on this Booklights journey, but am already impressed by their knowledge and drive. I can only hope that some of the professionalism, drive, energy, dedication, knowledge, and depth rub off on me.

Susan:I’ve learned so much from Pam and Jen over the years, they’ve both really helped me develop my Wizards Wireless blog. It is exciting to be working together on the same project; I keep learning more from them every day. Jen does such fantastic research and draws in all parts of the Kidlitosphere. Pam always makes me laugh and shows me how important humor is. Ann’s posts have been fascinating. She catches things in all of our posts that I would have missed otherwise. Gina has been wonderful and professional and has given me a much broader educational perspective about children’s literature.

Gina: I love the book recommendations from the bloggers. They open my eyes to both new books and classics that deserve a second (or third or fourth) glance. Every post shows the excitement and insight they have for books, and how we can get kids to feel that same way.

RT: In introducing yourselves to the PBS Parents audience, you listed some of your favorite children’s books. Jen and Pam covered chapter books, and Pam, Jen, Susan, and Ann listed picture books. Are these books you loved as kids or books you love for kids? Do you think there’s a difference in how we see children’s books as adults, even when we loved them as kids? Gina, do you have any favorite children’s books?
Pam: I listed both books I loved as a kid and newer titles. Working in a public library for nine years and being a parent for 13, I’ve received lots of real world practice with children’s books. I take the read-alouds on test drives at home and at storytimes. I see how my library patrons respond when I put the books in their hands. I ask for and listen to the opinions of my own kids. All of these experiences do make it easier to identify the kid-friendly books. But the best books – especially picture books – are the ones that equally engage the child and parent, because those are the books that will encourage them both to share the reading experience.

Susan: I also listed both, but I think the two categories coincide for me. I think there is a definite difference in the way kids and adults see and understand books. And each person, whether an adult or child, has their own perspective. For example, last year I helped run a Mock Caldecott program in an elementary school with 4th and 5th graders. The picture books we talked about with that group were also ones I heard discussed in professional journals, on listservs, in blogs, in Capitol Choices meetings, in my book club, and at ALA Notables discussions. Plus, I tried some of the books out in storytimes, with library patrons, and with my five-year-old son. Every group of people had a different reaction to the books and I learned something from each one. The most striking reaction came from the kids in the Caldecott program. They were older than the standard picture book audience and they had fantastic insights into the books that didn’t get mentioned in any of the myriad of adult forums.

Jen: Some of the books on my lists are titles I loved from childhood; others are newer books. I think it is hard to be objective about the childhood titles, because they hold such a strong place in my heart. But with newer titles – titles I first read as an adult – I do try to keep an eye on what I think kids would enjoy. For instance, I love the picture book A Visitor for Bear because I think it is such a wonderful read-aloud for preschoolers. But I don’t tend to have books on my favorites list that I outright didn’t enjoy, just because I think that kids will like them.

Gina:One reason our bloggers are so good is because they are so tuned into kids and what books might spark their interest. I think of them as experts at recommending books today’s kids will love. It is good, nostalgic fun to learn about someone’s childhood favorites, and we’re launching a “Show and Tale” feature that discusses just that. Booklights doesn’t focus on abstract content – the bloggers give parents advice they can use. As an adult, I find myself returning to childhood favorites and loving them just as much as before: Charlotte’s Web, anything Roald Dahl or Madeleine L’Engle, A.A. Milne, and P.L. Travers. I am also finding new ones to obsess over: Harry Potter, the Hunger Games, Mo Willems, Mark Teague, and young adult like Sarah Dessen, Laurie Halse Anderson, E. Lockhart, Jenny Han.

RT: When you think about the Booklights audience, who do you see sitting there reading your posts?
Susan: That’s an excellent question because it is something I think about with every post I write. Reading the comments have been fascinating because we seem to be reaching so many different types of people, more than I could have imagined. I’ve been delighted to see so many bloggers, teachers, parents, and librarians reading the blog. It’s particularly exciting to be able to write a post about something like board books and feel like I am actually reaching parents that find the information useful.

Pam: I see Brad Pitt reading my posts, but I have an active imagination. Seriously, I hope to see parents looking for good books for their kids, new ideas to make reading fun, and engaging stories to make children’s literature accessible. I also see busy teachers and librarians who need to rely on a few sources of information and turns to a trusted source like PBS.

Jen: I think it’s a mix of three groups. There are people from the Kidlitosphere, who read because they know Pam, Susan, and me. There are teachers and librarians, who don’t necessarily blog, but who have a lot of real-world experience in connecting kids with books. And there are parents who are here because they trust PBS, and want to know more about children’s books. I try to write more for that third audience at Booklights, but I very much value the insights that I get, in the comments, from the first two.

Gina: We got a great response early on from the Kidlitosphere, and it made our launch a happy one – visitors and commenters right away! I think like Jen on this, I see three parts to our audience.

RT: Do you see an audience beyond the computer? If so, how do you hope to reach them?
Gina: That’s a question we ask ourselves a lot. A lot of our PBS KIDS Raising Readers outreach focuses beyond the computer through PBS stations and targeted libraries. We also have a ton of games and resources at www.readytolearnreading.org. Even so, I know a lot of parents simply don’t have the time to be on the computer much. Blogs are a simple and effective way to reach a wide audience. I hope that teachers and librarians who read the blog will be able to pass on any tidbits they learn from Booklights. We’re lucky to be a part of PBS Parents, which has a built-in audience of parents who aren’t necessarily tuned into the Kidlitosphere – or have even heard of that term!

Jen: One of the reasons I blog at Booklights is that I feel like the community of people who blog about children’s books is a bit self-referential. I would like to reach more parents who aren’t necessarily bloggers or teachers or librarians, and help them raise readers. Being on a PBS site helps a lot, because people trust PBS. But I don’t have any concrete ideas for how to reach that audience through Booklights beyond the computer.

Susan: I find that conferences are great places to share ideas and talk about topics that have been brought up on blogs. I just got back from the ALA Annual Conference. I talked to a number of friends, colleagues, and fellow bloggers about a variety of issues relating to children’s books … including things that have appeared on Booklights. These discussions and sessions help me generate new ideas and perspectives to share. I’m really looking forward to the October 2009 Kidlitosphere Conference (aka KidLitCon) in DC for the same reason.

Pam: I don’t know about the others, but I’ve been working on a whole telepathy thing on the side. It’s been pretty disappointing so far.

RT: The reading level for the first two paragraphs on the About page is 7.6 (averaged across 5 readability programs). Do you ever think about how readability affects your audience when you’re writing your posts?
Jen: I don’t think about readability so much, but I do try to be careful not to include too much insider lingo about the Kidlitosphere or literacy organizations. I try to write for that parent who is interested in helping their child become a reader, but doesn’t read 300 other blogs on this topic.

Pam: When I write my posts, I try to capture the tone and feeling of simply talking to another mom about reading. One of the things that I find frustrating online is finding reviews of picture books that have more words than the books themselves. I like to keep my posts short, giving busy parents smaller pieces of information that they can absorb and use.

Susan: My main goal is to make my posts accessible and like Jen, I try to avoid using jargon. The range of people reading Booklights is so great and I want everyone to feel welcome. I’ve also been having fun bringing some insider events like the Newbery banquet, some librarian tricks of the trade, and publishing stories to a wider audience.

Gina: I think about readability, although I don’t necessarily use the Flesch-Kincaid scale all the time. We do a lot of user testing and research with parents, caregivers, and teachers to hear firsthand if we’re getting it right. So far, feedback has been really positive. One reason I reached out to these specific bloggers is the fun, easy readability of their existing work.

RT: Pam, Susan, and Jen: Has collaborating and writing for Booklights/PBS Parents expanded the audience for your own blogs?
Pam: I don’t know that it has, but it also doesn’t particularly matter to me. When I have a post at Booklights, I link from MotherReader because I know my readers there want to know everything that is available to them. For Booklights, I see myself as providing more of a sampling of children’s literature, and I think that is appropriate for the target audience. As a parent myself, I’m well aware of the feeling of overload that comes from too much information, too many choices. If some readers want to get more involved in the online world of children’s literature, they can visit MotherReader and I’ll be happy to show them around.

Susan: I have to confess. I haven’t been checking my Wizards Wireless statistics since I started blogging at Booklights. I’m incredibly impressed with Jen and Pam who have seamlessly been able to keep up with their own blogs in addition to Booklights. I’ve been posting a lot less at my own blog due to the limited number of hours in the day and the demands of being a full-time working mom. That said, a lot more people seem to know who I am in the blogging and professional world because of Booklights and that’s just amazing.

Jen: I think so. I do see people clicking through from Booklights to my own blog (Jen Robinson’s Book Page), especially to read reviews of books that I’ve mentioned. It is hard to say for sure if this is a different audience, because people who don’t have blogs of their own seem to be much less likely to comment. But I also think that as we build more of a trust base through Booklights, people going through to our personal blogs will increase.

RT: What would you say is a highlight of your experience in creating/collaborating on Booklights?
Gina: I am thrilled to have gotten this off the ground in the first place, and to have bloggers whose work I genuinely enjoy reading and sharing. I learn from their posts every day! The process of finding a name was a doozy – a fun doozy – but it took a while until we settled on Booklights.

Jen: I have had a couple of recent posts, one about reading and grade levels and one about “social reading” that have both generated a lot of discussion in the comments. These kinds of discussions really make me feel like I am reaching a different audience than the one for my regular blog. It has all been tremendous fun.

Pam: I have so much respect for PBS that being part of the team is a rush in itself. It certainly doesn’t hurt to be working with people that I admire as well.

Susan: I wrote a post a little while back about cakes with children’s literature characters. Somehow it ended up on StumbleUpon and got a mind boggling number of hits. That would have never happened if I’d posted it on my personal blog. It was amazing that a post I wrote got read by so many people … and more importantly, that so many people were interested in something to do with children’s books. Another highlight was when I wrote a post about meeting Neil Gaiman without knowing how famous he was; and Neil read it and posted it on his Twitter feed. It was exciting to have so many Neil Gaiman fans visit Booklights! As Pam said, though, just being part of the team and writing for PBS has been the biggest highlight of all.

RT: Platforms like Facebook and Twitter offer both the opportunity to reach broader audiences and the pitfall of juggling too much. Do you think that “information overload” from these tools could cause people to tune out the read-with-your-kids message because they think we’re nagging?

Susan: It is important to provide information about reading with kids in all forms: whether it is in a blog, a professional journal, on Facebook or Twitter, or in storytimes. I think different people prefer different platforms and ways of getting information, so it is helpful to use a variety of outlets. The important thing is that the message (hopefully!) is getting out there.

Pam: If there is one thing I could choose to nag people about – other than drive on the right, pass on the left – it is the importance of reading with your kids. I used to do some library work in public health and have seen success stories in getting a single, simple message out to parents. For example, the Back to Sleep campaign to reduce SIDS completely changed the popular wisdom of putting a baby to sleep on her stomach. There are so many opportunities to get out a literacy message without lecturing parents in a negative way. Repeating myself is the least of my worries.

Jen: I think it is more a question of tone than volume with these messages. Many people probably resent being told what to do, especially if it seems like the teller feels superior. But I think that if we remain genuine in our enthusiasm for reading and focus on being there as a resource for people who do want to raise readers, the message will get through.

Gina: We are trying to balance making the most of these platforms with pacing ourselves. We post a Twitter a day or so from the Booklights account, and only rarely on Facebook (although we did get a hugely positive response when we posted our launch). Hopefully that’s enough to let people know about the blog without drowning them in notifications. I wholeheartedly agree with Jen’s answer about the tone. I hope parents sense that we’re on their side and understand the challenges – and rewards – of raising a reader.

RT: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Gina: It has been so rewarding to bring my love of books – usually such a private affair – into work and have been lucky enough to snag Jen, Pam, Susan, and Ann. Booklights has turned out even better than I’d hoped because of them.

Jen: I would just like to thank Gina for getting this whole thing off the ground. It has been a great experience.

Pam: There are so many opportunities to get out a literacy message without lecturing parents in a negative way. Repeating myself is the least of my worries. (She repeats, tongue in cheek.)

Susan: I just want to say again how honored I am to be included in this wonderful venture. It has been a terrific experience. And thank you so much, Terry, for taking the time and energy to put this showcase together.

RT: You are so welcome! I’m so glad we were able to do this. Pam, good luck with the telepathy!

Technorati Tags: Booklights, Jen Robinson's Book Page, kidlit blogs, KidLitCon, literacy organizations, Mo Willems, MotherReader, PBS kids, PBS Parents, promoting literacy, raising readers, read aloud books, reading aloud, RIF, Wizards Wireless

The Wash Rag, our quarterly newsletter, is now available on the Reading Tub website.   Here are the blurbs about what you’ll find in this edition  …

Chapter One – Once the 4th of July fireworks end, it seems like we’re in a (mental) mad dash back to school. There is still plenty of time to connect kids and books, so don’t rush summer away just yet. I also talk about how we’ve clarified our book review policy and process.

The Soap Dish -  We are very excited to be invited to the Wiggles concert at the John Paul Jones Arena, 26 August. Yes, I’m a little old for the Wiggles, but not for books! We’ll be there helping Reach Out and Read, who is collecting books at every venue on the Wiggles tour this year!

We’re also excited about Share a Story-Shape a Future 2010.  We’ll have more news soon, so if you haven’t subscribed to that blog, be sure to sign up.

Author Showcase ~ Summer 2009 – I took things in a new direction for this Showcase, and I am really tickled with how it’s turning out. Here are the intros for our guests.

• Fiona Ingram has been a journalist for 20 years. She had never envisioned writing a children’s book … until the magic of Egyptian treasure captured her imagination. The Secret of the Sacred Scarab started out as a short story, turned into a novel, and is now the first book in her adventure series for middle grade readers.
• For Cathy Bollinger, a simple test set the course for her life’s work. The results of a career ideas exam showed that she should be a music therapist. She didn’t know what that was, but after doing some research, she took to the idea … and it took to her. She founded Rivanna Music, a company dedicated to creating music to help kids learn everything from letters and letter sounds to life and communication skills.
• In April 2009, PBS Parents launched Booklights, a blog filled with ideas for helping parents engage their kids with books. The team comprises three highly regarded children’s literature bloggers – Pam Coughlan (MotherReader), Jen Robinson (Jen Robinson’s Book Page); and Susan Kusel (Wizards Wireless); Gina Montefusco, who works on the PBS Raising Readers Initiative; and, most recently, Ann Neely, who is a children’s literature professor at Vanderbilt University.

In the next week or so, we will post those interviews here on the blog. The interviews with Cathy and Fiona are also available on the website.  The Roundtable/Interview with the Booklights team will be up shortly.

The Final Rinse – It’s the end of the month and things are “crazy busy” but it doesn’t mean we have to shift gears yet. “Grab a book, some lemonade, the kids, and head for a favorite reading spot. We’ll share a few laughs and read what we like … for as long as we like. It’s summer. What’s the rush?”

Technorati Tags: Author Showcase, Booklights, Jen Robinson's Book Page, PBS Parents, promoting literacy, raising readers, Share a Story-Shape a Future, Wizards Wireless

Jen Robinson is hosting this week’s edition of the children’s literacy and reading news round-up, brought to you by Jen Robinson’s Book Page and Scrub-a-Dub-Tub, a Reading Tub blog.

There was plenty of news around the Kidlitosphere last week — including the “soft launch” of  Booklights, a new literacy/reading blog hosted by PBS Parents. It’s already off to a great start with some picture book recommendations from Jen, Pam Coughlin (MotherReader), and Susan Kusel (Wizards Wireless).

As in week’s past, Jen Robinson and I collected news-you-can use in the categories of  literacy & reading-related events; raising readers; literacy and reading programs and research; 21st century literacies; and other new resources.

Jen offers some updates to recent news (hint: the Red Sox are involved), but my favorites are the inspiring stories … like this article Jen found in the (Columbus) Ledger-Enquirer about a police officer participating in Heroes Read Day at the Columbus Public Library.

My favorite reading tip of the week had to be from Mary Ostyn:  “Let your kids read under the covers with a flashlight late at night. Pretend not to notice.” A mom after my own heart!

As you’ll see in Roundup over at Jen’s , we pulled a number of items from the Everybody Wins posts on Twitter. Their tweets are informative and timely … it’s like having a newscrawl for literacy and reading.

Technorati Tags: 21st Century Literacies, Booklights, Jen Robinson's Book Page, kidlit blogs, literacy projects, MotherReader, PBS Parents, promoting literacy, raising readers, Wizards Wireless