Wednesday, May 25th, 2011
This article appeared on page A - 11 of the San Francisco Chronicle
Monday, May 23rd, 2011
Raising A Reader congratulates all the preschoolers transitioning to kindergarten. Librarians eagerly await their visits to the library with their blue bags. While many students will not have the benefit of Raising A Reader over the summer, we encourage all families to visit their local libraries and sign up for the summer reading program. This year’s theme is One World, Many Stories.
Visit the links below to find out what your library local libraries have to offer.
Click HERE to listen to Billy Gorilly’s song - One World, Many Stories.
Monday, May 16th, 2011
In honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage month, we are highlighting some culturally relevant books by Rosanne Thong, illustrated by Grace Lin.
These vibrantly colored books provide an opportunity to explore colors, shapes and numbers. Concept books lay a foundation for learning. Share a book with your child today.
Community Calendar of Events for the week of May 16th
Storyteller Clara Yen and her Chinese folk, family and fairy tales
Oakland Public Library- Elmhurst Branch, 1427 88th Ave. near International Blvd.
Stories, songs and fingerplays for children, ages 3 to 5 years old. Groups, please call in advance, 510-615-5727.
Saturday, May 21 * 11:00am -6:00pm
7th Annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration
San Francisco Civic Center to Little Saigon - Larkin Street, from Grove to Ellis Streets
Free Admission - Cultural Procession - Art & Crafts Alley - Specialty Foods - Two Stages - Family Fun!
Saturday, May 21 * 10:00am -6:00pm
6th International Children Dance and Food Festival
Golden Gate Park - Music Concourse “Bandshell”
This annual festival celebrates children’s heritage through country-specific dances and foods. Admission is FREE
Information about other Asian Pacific Heritage Month events can be found online at http://www.apiaheritagesf.org/calendar.shtml
Monday, May 9th, 2011
Thank you to all who supported our Mother’s Day fundraising campaign! One hundred twenty mothers will be honored with books donated in their name to Raising A Reader’s circulating collection. Today is the last day to submit an order to honor a mother with a Raising A Reader commemorative Mother’s Day bookplate.
May is a busy month for Raising A Reader, as we kick off the spring Blue Bag Bonanzas. A Blue Bag Bonanza is a fun, collaborative event between a Raising A Reader preschool classroom, their families, and the local library branch. Children receive their very own blue Raising A Reader “My Library Book Bag” and learn more about the library and its resources. Last week began the first of five Blue Bag Events in partnership with the Oakland Public Library. This week events will be held at 81st Avenue - East Oakland Community Library, Oakland Main, Chavez Branch, Asian Branch and Eastmont Branch. Oakland Public Library is a great community resource. Please read how Mayor Quan’s budget could severely effect library services in Oakland.
Calendar of Events for the Week of May 9th
Wednesday, May 11 * 10:30am
In honor Asian Pacific Heritage Month enjoy Storyteller Clara Yen and her Chinese folk, family and fairy tales
Oakland Asian Branch, 388 9th St., Ste. 190
Stories, songs and fingerplays for children, ages 3 to 5 years old. Groups, please call in advance, 510-238-3400. Preschool story time meets every Wednesday.
Thursday, May 12 * 5:00pm - 9:00pm
Farley’s Non-Profit of the Month Happy Hour
Farley’s East, 33 Grand Ave near Broadway Oakland
20% of the evening’s sales will be donated to Raising A Reader. All Ages welcome!
Saturday, May 14 * 11:00 am - 5:00 pm
25th Annual Young at Art Festival
de Young Museum, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
Kick off the 8-day-long Young at Art festival celebrating the creativity of San Francisco students with exhibits and performances at the de Young Museum and the Concourse Bandshell in Golden Gate Park.
Saturday, May 14 * 11:30 am - 5:00 pm
KoreaTown CultureFest
Telegraph Avenue from 24th-27th Streets, Oakland
CultureFest will celebrate the diverse and vibrant KoreaTown-Northgate Community Benefit District (KTO) neighborhood. This is a community that is overflowing with talented artists, musicians, great food and diverse cultures.
Monday, May 2nd, 2011
Mother’s Day is May 8th! Honor a mother this year by donating a book to a child in need through Raising A Reader. Your gift book(s) will be personalized with a bookplate printed with your mother’s name, and then become part of the Raising A Reader book rotation, where it will continue to inspire new families to share the joy of reading! You can submit your order online or email us with any special requests.
In honor of Mother’s Day Raising A Reader Program Coordinators share their favorite books that remind them of motherhood.
How Will We Get to the Beach?/Como Iremos a la Playa?
Brigitte Luciani; illustrated by Eve Tharlet; Spanish translation by Andrés Antreasyan
Ruth: This cute guessing game story gives you the feeling of how special a baby is. When the mother finds out that her baby is missing, she says I can’t go to the beach without my baby - he is the most important of all!
Is Your Mama a Llama?
Deborah Guarino; pictures by Steven Kellogg
Pat: Warm illustrations of baby animals and their mama accompany the llama’s journey to find his mother. The fun rhyme provides the audience an opportunity to guess what animal is being described.
The Kissing Hand
Audrey Penn; illustrations by Ruth E. Harper and Nancy M. Leak
Jo: My mom and I actually exchanged books a couple years ago for Mother’s Day and this is the book she gave me. With beautiful illustrations, it’s a great reminder that no matter where you are or what new adventures you face, you always know that your mother loves you.
Owl Babies
Martin Waddell; illustrated by Patrick Benson
Sara: This is a simple narrative that all kids can relate to —separation anxiety and being away from your parents for the first time.
The Runaway Bunny
Margaret Wise Brown; pictures by Clement Hurd
Michele: This story is testing the strength of a mother’s love.
Friday, April 22nd, 2011
El día de los niños/El día de los libros, or Children’s Day/Book Day, is a nationwide annual celebration of children, families and reading which emphasizes the importance of literacy for all children from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Hundreds of libraries, schools and communities throughout the country will host celebrations and programs that honor multiculturalism and stress the importance of books and literacy.
“Since 1925, Día del Niño, or the Day of the Child, has grown as an annual celebration throughout Mexico. This day recognizes children, pays homage to their importance in society, and endorses their well being. Pat Mora, a Texas native and nationally recognized author of children’s books, first heard of this Mexican tradition during a 1996 interview for a public radio program.”
Through lots of hard work and grass root support for a celebration linking language and literature, Día became an officially recognized event on April 30, 1997. This year Día will celebrate it’s 15th anniversary!
Join in the fun and check out these great local events:
Oakland Public Library - Elmhurst Branch
April 23rd, 2:30pm - 5pm
April 24th, 1pm - 4pm
April 30th, 11:00am - 1:30pm
Oakland Public Library - Cesar Chavez Branch
April 30th, 12pm -4pm
Oakland Public Library - Martin Luther King Jr. Branch
April 30th, 1pm - 2:30pm
Carmen Flores Recreation Center, Oakland
May 7th, 12pm - 3pm
To learn more about Pat Mora, the event’s core mission, or other celebration ideas visit www.patmora.com
Sunday, April 3rd, 2011
Children’s book author and illustrator, Gerald McDermott, is scheduled to speak at the San Francisco Public Library on Tuesday, April 5th as part of the Effie Lee Morris Lecture Series. There will be a reception and book signing at 5pm in the Latino/Hispanic Community Meeting Room. The 6pm lecture entitled Tricksters: The Art of the Folktale will be held in the Koret Auditorium on the Lower Level of the Main Library - 100 Larkin Street at Grove, San Francisco. For more information about the event download the invitation.
McDermott has authored many Raising A Reader favorites including:
Click on the book covers to learn more about each title.
You can read more about the author on his website.
Friday, April 1st, 2011
Raising A Reader put out a call for poetry submissions on March 15th. Today, on the first day of National Poetry Month, we are pleased to announce….
Congratulations to Roya Platsis! Her poem was selected as Raising A Reader’s entry for the CTK Foundation’s Heart and Soul grant contest.
Every letter, an accomplishment
Each word, a victory
We smile and laugh and save the world when you read books with me
Growing every day, my brain
We have everything to gain
Out of my mouth the words will rain
It’s learning you can see.
Judy Pack’s poem was selected as the runner up:
The books they’re strewn
Around the room
He sits among them all.
Mom reads of ducks,
And moons, and trucks
Forever he’ll recall.
Thank you to all the volunteers who submitted an entry! We appreciate your continued support of Raising A Reader.
Tuesday, March 29th, 2011
On Saturday, March 26, 65 Early Childhood Educators were honored at the Early Literacy Buffet, an event hosted by the San Francisco Public Library and The San Francisco Early Literacy Network. We celebrated the crucial role of early childhood educators in the lives of children 0-5 with a lovely breakfast, a showcase of early literacy resources, and mini-workshops presented by Janell Bolte and Betsy Keever Russakoff (Early Literacy Consultants), and Lynne Maes and Alli Spector (Raising A Reader and Jamestown Community Center).
As one educator remarked: “I wanted to take a moment to let you know what a positive experience Saturday’s workshop was for me. . . . [The] collaborative efforts allowed me to come away with a much greater awareness and understanding of early literacy resources in San Francisco, and gave me a renewed enthusiasm to pursue ways in which our center can benefit from these services.”
It was our pleasure to honor and nurture those people who make a difference in the lives of children each and every day.
For more information about the Early Literacy Network, please visit http://sfearlyliteracynetwork.blogspot.com/
Monday, March 21st, 2011
Sing! Play! Create! is a wonderful book that contains a collection of simple activities and songs to sing with your children. This resource is great for the classroom, home, and library. The book is divided into four locations that children can become familiar with: the pond, the garden, the zoo, and the farm. Each of the four section begins with a poem followed by simple art activities, games, and songs. Over two dozen arts and crafts can be completed in fewer than ten steps. Many of the supplies needed for the arts and crafts are inexpensive and can often times be found around the house. There are over twenty familiar songs and melodies which include Row, Row, Row Your Boat, I’m a Little Teapot, and Mary Had a Little Lamb. A number of games are included which incorporate fine and gross motor skills as well as encourage important social skills, such as taking turns and showing respect for one another. Highlighted yellow boxes provide Nature Notes with brief but interesting trivia, and Story Corner sidebars list two to five thematic books.
In celebration of Spring, we suggest reading Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert followed by a related fun craft activity found on page 42 of Sing! Play! Create! by Lisa Boston.
Materials needed to make Paper Flowers:
• Paper plates
• Child-safety scissors
• Fruit Loops or other colorful cereal rings
• Glue
• Paintbrush (optional)
• Tape
• Colored craft sticks or Popsicle sticks
What you do:
1. Cut a small paper plate into a flower shape. Glue cereal rings onto the plate (Younger children may want to paint the glue onto the plate and then add the cereal rings).
2. Tape a craft stick to the back of your flower for the stem.
3. To add leaves, ask a grown-up to cut another craft stick in half. Glue the leaves to the stem.
Happy Spring!
