Share A Story Shape A Future has been a fabulous journey! I’m excited to come back tomorrow with my wrap up post, but for now I want to get to the really exciting news. The winner of The Itty Bitty Bookworm Giveaway.

The winner will receive Year One and Year Two of the Bo Curriculum.

There were many votes tallied, but in the end there had to be a winner. Without further ado, the winner is…

Summit County Integrated Preschool- Newberry

Also…

because Tara was so touched by each of the schools and their individual stories she decided to extend the giveaway to the two runner-ups. Both East Elementary and Fleming Island Elementary will be receiving Year One of the Bo Curriculum on CD! So, wonderful!

I want to personally thank Tara and The Itty Bitty Bookworm, on the behalf of the Share A Story Shape A Future Tour, for the generosity provided to these wonderful schools. I know that every student who has the opportunity to take part in this amazing curriculum will appreciate it so much!

Make sure to take a look at The Itty Bitty Bookworm Site and Blog when you have time, you never know…you may just find what you need to help the kiddos in your life!

I will be contacting the nominating parties of the winners with the details on how to receive your winnings.

The Share A Story Shape A Future Tour is going out with a bang today! Jen Robinson of Jen Robinson’s Book Page is hosting Day 5 – “Reading for the Next Generation”.  Each of the contributors will be talking about how to approach reading when your interests and your child’s don’t match. Maybe because you don’t like to read but your child does, so how do you raise the reader you’re not, and dealing with the “pressure” of feeling forced to read.

I have to say when it comes to this topic, I loved Lee Wind’s post on Monday, “Dads! The 3 Secrets to Reading with Your Daughters“. He talked all about his aversion to glitter and pixie dust, repetition with kids and how it can send you to dream land, and how to “experience” a book with your child. Every bit of this article was amazing and informative.

For me, I’ve only just begun to deal with this problem. My own son has been, from day one, an avid truck/car lover. Well, I can’t say I’m not, because one of the reasons my husband originally was drawn to me was because of my propensity to work on a car here and there. But working on them and reading about neon colored ones are completely different.

What I’ve found, through trial and error is that it’s not so much about whether you like the book, but how you make your child feel about it. You obviously don’t want to promote something you find offensive or harmful, but how many children’s books are? Engage them. Share with them and show them that you are passionate about a book or subject too. That doesn’t mean it has to be the same, my taste in books is quite different from my mother’s, but she’s who I remember reading as a child. It stays with them and as they get older the impact will be lasting.

Make sure to stop by the contributors for Day 5 and learn a little more about “Reading for the Next Generation”:

• Sarah shares “Let the Sillies Out: Reading to Babies and Young Children” at In Need of Chocolate.
• Melissa shares “Help! My Child’s Stuck!” at Book Nut.
• Mary Ann Scheuer shares “How do I help my child learn to love reading if I am not a great reader myself?” at Great Kid Books.
• Dawn Morris shares “Am I a failure if I don’t read with my kids?” at Moms Inspire Learning.
• Joyce Grant shares “Getting Your Video-Kid Reading” at Getting Kids Reading.
• Caroline Lennox shares “Princess Books? Give Me a Break!” at Learning Parade.
• Dawn Little shares “Resisting the Urge to Create a Reading Superstar” at Literacy Toolbox.
• Kate Messner shares “The Trouble with Great Expectations: Should kids be pushed to read more difficult books?” at Kate’s Book Blog
• Esme Raji Codell shares “After the Love Has Gone: Read-Aloud for the Young and the Restless” at Planet Esme.
• Amy Watson shares “Help! My Reading Interests are Different from my Child’s” at Literacy Launchpad.
• Mary Lee Hahn shares “Trusting Your Child to Make It through His/Her Current Reading Phase” at A Year of Reading.

Also, make sure to check out Tif’s site Tif Talks Books where today she will be sharing, in honor of the event, the favorite fairy tales from childhood of the participants in her event “Fairy Tale Fridays“. One not to be missed for sure!

As well, you only have until tonight at midnight to cast your vote for The Itty Bitty Bookworm Giveaway and make a difference in lives of many children! Please click on the link to cast your vote!

Susan Stephenson, the Book Chook, made the above logo for Share a Story Shape a Future at ToonDoo.com

We all start somewhere. For most of us there’s that one book that “spoke” to us and got us started on our very own “reading journey”. For me, it was Socks by Beverly Cleary. It was the story that got my imagination going and helped me to realize I could picture things I read just like the movies on TV, but I could create the way it all looked. As I’ve grown older the types of books I’ve read have varied, but there has always been that first book that got me hooked.

In an effort to get to know members of the book reviewing community better I have been asking them to share what inspired them to get into reading in a weekly feature titled “When I Was Young”. Today I’d like to highlight some of them. Because I truly believe there’s more to a “classic” than just having sold so many copies or winning certain awards. It’s the journey they get us started on that makes each one a “classic” in our own eyes.

Below I’ve included the title of each reviewer’s book as well as the short review they originally provided me for the interview. Look them over and feel free to click over to their site to get to know them a little better. You may just find your next “classic”!

Make sure to take a minute after reading to let us know what book got you started on your reading journey in the comments!

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
Reviewed by Anastasia from Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog For sure my favorite book from my childhood is Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh. I first read it back in second grade, and I immediately became obsessed with keeping a notebook and writing down everything myself. The movie (starring Michelle Trachtenberg and Rosie O’Donnell) came out that same year and just made me even more obsessed.
What I like about Harriet the Spy even know is how curious she is about everything. She’s not a typical 60′s heroine, one who’s frilly and clings to her mother. Harriet’s tough, brash, conceited, self-obsessed, confidant, not afraid to get dirty or wear pants or play with boys as well as girls, and she’s still pretty much my hero.

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
Reviewed by Aarti from BookLust My favorite book from my youth is The Phantom Tollbooth. It’s a short fantasy chapter book where a bored young boy travels to another world and helps save princesses locked in a Castle in the Air. I reviewed The Phantom Tollbooth on my blog for the Flashback Challenge in January. Another series I loved growing up was Patricia C. Wrede’s Enchanted Forest Chronicles, in which the Princess Cimorene goes to a cave to live with a dragon. There, she participates in dragon politics, makes great friends and gets rid of all the princes who come to “save” her from the dragon. The first book is Dealing with Dragons. I loved the series because Cimorene was so strong and there was so much humor, and it was a really great story. I highly recommend the story to younger girls, particularly, as Cimorene is a great role model. She is strong and self-confident and really comfortable with herself.

The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
Reviewed by Elisabeth from YS Princess’s Ideas, Resources, and Reviews I was really trying to think of some amazing book that no one else would ever say, but I have to admit – it would be the Harry Potter series – at least the first four. I first tried reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone when I was 9 or 10 and couldn’t make it past the first chapter. It wasn’t too difficult for me, and I wasn’t what you’d consider a “reluctant reader”. I had been going to the library since I moved to florida when I was 3, was reading books on my own by 4 and made my way to the adult section “far too early”, and had the 10 books that my mother allowed me to check out from the library done the same night we had gone [to the library]. Something about the book just didn’t grab me. But when I gave the book another chance a year later, I made it through. And then I made it through the second and third. And then I made it through them all again 6 more times (each!) – though I only read the fourth one four times. I was the last in the generation that wasn’t raised on computers, so the first thing I can say I really did on my own on the computer was make a website for roleplaying Harry Potter. It was amazing. I was always coming up with new things to add and always going through the books again and again. I had gone through the books so many times that I got to the point where just a quick scan of the page was all I needed to know what was on the entire page and whether I could use anything for my website (a lot of the ideas came straight from the books). I was very sad when Geocities closed this past October and I lost all my work.

My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
Reviewed by Pea from My Own Little Pod In the fourth grade my teacher, for the life of me I cannot remember her name. Asked us to choose from some books to read while we were studying the American Revolutionary War, she gave us several to choose from and after class was over I remember not being able to pick one. So I asked her what one she thought I should read. She recommended “My Brother Sam is Dead” by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier.
Written in 1974 and published in ’75. It is the historically fictional story of a hard working family that is torn apart by the War. The young narrator is Tim Meeker, an impressionable and eager to please son of a Hardheaded Tavern owning father and a Hard working solely Christian mother. When his brother Sam comes home from college to tell the family that he is leaving school to join the Rebel army the family is slowly shredded by the effects the war brings upon them. Although some of the events that take place in the story are graphic. In fact it was the twelfth most challenged book between 1990 and 2000. It tells the real story of what it would have been like to be in a mostly loyalist town with the son, or brother on the other side.
I read this book every year in an effort to bring me back to the root of my own love of books and learning. I hope that any who read this will go find “My Brother Sam is Dead” You will fall in love with the Meeker family, maybe develop a little crush on Sam and cry as the whole family learns the hard truths of war.

Baby Island by Carol Ryrie Brink
Reviewed by Carrie from Books and Movies One of my most favorite books growing up was Baby Island by Carol Ryrie Brink. I must have read it a dozen times! I have three younger sisters who loved me to read aoud to them, and I read it to each one of them in turn as they became old enough to sit still. Baby Island is the story of 12-year-old Mary Wallace and her 10-year-old sister, Jean. They are on an ocean liner bound for Australia, where they will join their father on his ranch. Then spend their time on the ship playing mother to the various toddlers and babies of the other passengers. When the ship wrecks, Mary and Jean are set afloat in a life raft with four babies, and when they run aground on a deserted island, the two girls must find a way to survive and to take care of their four little wards until they are rescued. This book appealed to the wanna-be Mommy in me – and I loved the adventure and the way the two sisters related to each other. I read it aloud to my own daughter a few years ago, and it was a hit with her, too.

Danny the Dinosaur by Syd Hoff
Reviewed by Kara from Not Just For Kids I can remember, with crystal clear recall, the day I learned to read; the day I first looked at a printed page and it all made sense. It was unbelieveably exciting. My mother is a big reader, and I always saw her with her nose in a book, so part of the thrill at being able to read myself was related to being able to do something my mother could do (it just goes to show–never, ever underestimate the power of a child witnessing an adult reading.) My favorite books from childhood are those first books I cut my reading teeth on: Danny and the Dinosaur by Syd Hoff; Johnny Lion’s Rubber Boots by Edith Thather Hurd; The Fire Cat by Esther Averil; Bears on Wheels by Stan and Jan Berenstain. They were the first books I claimed as my own; the first books that sent me back to the library for more. I still have a soft spot in my heart for that Early Reader level, because I remember how much those books meant to me, and how mastering them encouraged me to move on to chapter books.

The Forbidden Game by L.J. Smith
Reviewed by GRGenius from Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers My favorite book from my youth? Ummm, I’m not certain I can pick just one! I remember my mom reading to me when I was younger and then I just took over from there. When thinking back to childhood memories of home, I can still remember the layout of my two favorite libraries. Grant it they may have changed by now, and I know the one did as I discovered a year or two ago the roof came off in a major storm (THE HORROR!)….but they are always fond thoughts indeed. How about I tell you of the first book I reviewed at my site? The dubious honor of first review post went to the first book of a triology….The Forbidden Game by L.J. Smith. It’s a really good series that I read for the first time in 9th grade I believe….my friend loaned me a copy and I was hooked. Got the three pack as a present that very Christmas. Here is the link for the review (but be kind, it was my first post….there is a learning curve with this blogging bit…).

Man o’ War by Walter Farley
Reviewed by Emily from What Book is That? My favorite book when I was growing up was Man O’ War by Walter Farley. I had a pretty serious infatuation with horses and horseracing for years and I read this story over and over again. I think I was personally responsible for the library not getting rid of the only copy because I checked it out so often. Even now, when a chance comes up to donate a copy of this book to a charity or organization, I pick up a copy and make it happen.

The Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls
Reviewed by Melissa from Imagination Soup My favorite book was a series of books, The Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. My mom read aloud to us every night and I can still imagine Laura’s story as I did in bed so many year ago. I vividly remember a scene from (I think) The Long Winter where the snow was so high that the family had to hold onto a line tied to the barn and the house so they wouldn’t get lost in the blizzard-like conditions. All the books stuck in my mind as I imagined myself as Laura, facing the trials and challenges of the frontier. Her entire life was such an adventure, I loved reading about every bit of it.

The Paperbag Princess by Robert N. Munsch
Reviewed by Kristen from Bookworming in the 21st Century Well, when I was really little, I devoured all of the Little Critter books and outside of those I was mostly in love with The Paperbag Princess. In middle school, I encountered my first fantasy series – The Golden Compass – which made me obsessed with any and all things fantasy, but I still read a wide range of books. I recently listened to The Golden Compass on audio and loved the full casting they did and found myself still in love with the adventure-ful Lyra and the world she lives in.

Make sure to visit the Share A Story Shape A Future site for more wonderful information about Literacy. Also, make sure to stop by The Book Whisperer, the fabulous host for today’s Tour.

If you happen to be interested in participating in our When I Was Young Feature please feel free to contact us via our contact page and we’ll get right back to you!

Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post will provide us a modest commission through our affiliate relationship with Amazon.com.

I was really trying to think of some amazing book that no one else would ever say, but I have to admit – it would be the Harry Potter series – at least the first four. I first tried reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone when I was 9 or 10 and couldn’t make it past the first chapter. It wasn’t too difficult for me, and I wasn’t what you’d consider a “reluctant reader”. I had been going to the library since I moved to florida when I was 3, was reading books on my own by 4 and made my way to the adult section “far too early”, and had the 10 books that my mother allowed me to check out from the library done the same night we had gone [to the library]. Something about the book just didn’t grab me. But when I gave the book another chance a year later, I made it through. And then I made it through the second and third. And then I made it through them all again 6 more times (each!) – though I only read the fourth one four times. I was the last in the generation that wasn’t raised on computers, so the first thing I can say I really did on my own on the computer was make a website for roleplaying Harry Potter. It was amazing. I was always coming up with new things to add and always going through the books again and again. I had gone through the books so many times that I got to the point where just a quick scan of the page was all I needed to know what was on the entire page and whether I could use anything for my website (a lot of the ideas came straight from the books). I was very sad when Geocities closed this past October and I lost all my work.

Nominations have closed and now it’s time for everyone to cast their vote!
Below I’ve included a list of all of the nominated schools and a short bit of information about them from the individual who nominated them. Please consider carefully your decision, as this will affect the lives of many children. Here’s another look at what the school will win courtesy of Tara from The Itty-Bitty Bookworm:

The Giveaway
Tara is very graciously donating one full-year subscription for each of her programs for Share a Story Shape A Future 2010.

• Bailey Curriculum ~ for children 18 months -36 months. Here is a sample (pdf) of what the Bailey program includes.
• Bo Curriculum ~ for children 3 to 5 years old. Here is a sample (pdf) from the Bo Curriculum.

**Important Note**: These licenses are for one teacher, one classroom. Any reproduction of the material is a copyright violation.
To read more about the giveaway please take a look at my previous post here and make sure to check out the Share A Story Shape A Future site for other great Literacy articles and giveaways.
The Nominated Schools:
These are the schools that were nominated as well as a little bit of information about each that was provided by the nominating party. Please look over this information carefully and then move to the bottom of the post to place your vote. You can vote once per day per email address provided. Voting will close on Friday March 12th at midnight Eastern time and the winner will be announced on Saturday March 13th.

• Summit County Integrated Preschool- Newberry: Summit County Integrated preschool services children with and without disabilities in our area.  They work with a variety of students, with a variety of needs ranging, but treat them all equally.  When you walk through the doors of this school you are unable to tell the children serviced for their special needs, and the typical peers.  The curriculum is paced to meet everyone’s needs, and allows for all students to participate.  The teachers and therapists embrace literacy as a way to captivate all learners, no matter what their abilities may be.  I feel this curriculum would assist the teachers in creating motivating, high interest lessons, and assist all the students in becoming lovers of books!
• East Elementary: This school is struggling this year. All funds have been frozen and teachers have not gotten any supplies this year.The teachers are turning to outside sources such as Donors Choose and blog giveaways to get basic supplies and to enrich their classrooms.
• Fleming Island Elementary: This school has helped my daughter learn and grow.  I was really nervous about sending my “baby” (3 year old) to elementary school. My daughter and I have loved the experience and would like to give something back to the school that will help all the students and teachers!

Voting is now closed. Stay tuned…the winner will be announced on Saturday March 13th 2010.

How and why would we want to incorporate activity and sticker books into our family reading rituals? Activity and sticker books are often used by parents as “babysitters”, but when used appropriately they may help a beginning reader make connections between visual images and words on a page with reality. In fact, these valuable resources can be an excellent teaching tool when used in conjunction with reading daily, especially for children who may struggle with some form of a learning disability.

Turkeybird’s Struggle
Our sweet Turkeybird was an early reader, but a late talker. He was diagnosed with a form of Autism called “Hyperlexia” at just around 20 months of age. It basically boils down to him reading by the time he was just older than a year old, but not being able to communicate verbally or interact socially until he was a bit older. I know you’re thinking, “he couldn’t talk, but he could read???” Yes, he would literally read words off of pages but hardly say hello when greeted by another family member or friend.

We sought the aid of a speech therapist and children’s counselor not knowing how else to help him. They used evaluations and problem solving games to help him express visually the words he was struggling to connect verbally. This continued for a few months and shortly thereafter our sweet Littlebug was born. For some reason, maybe a lack of attention, triggered in him a greater desire to communicate with us, but he still struggled to connect the “truck” on the page with the truck in his bedroom.

Soon, we moved across country and no longer had the aid of outside therapists and counselors. I decided there had to be something else that I could do as a parent to help him make those little connections. While looking through some “teaching” books and materials on the internet one day I came across some sticker books. The Turkeybird has always been a huge fan of sticker and activity books. What kid doesn’t love a sticker as a reward for a trip to the doctor or for a job well done? This was it, I thought! I ordered some and the work began.

Work Together!!!
Working with The Turkeybird was the key to progression. Children learn the most when they are read to or when they are taught directly.* Starting with the above pictured Sticker Activity book and moving on to many others, we worked together.Every day, while Littlebug slept, we sat down together at the table and went through the pages of the books one at a time. The first book focused on numbers, but also used “real” life objects to illustrate the numerals. Even from the beginning I tried to allow him to place the stickers in the appropriate places and verbally tell me what each was. After this we would go on excursions, be them around the house or to different venues (the park, petting zoo, etc.), and we would point out the different things he found in his activity books. Soon, he began to connect the dots.

Repeat, Repeat, Repeat
To this day we still use the sticker books on a daily basis. We read on a daily basis. And we play together on a daily basis. It’s important to create routines in all children’s lives, but especially in those that struggle with some form of learning disability. Even as adults we benefit from a daily routine and continued persistence with a difficult task. Why would it be different with a child?

Everyday the Turkeybird looks forward to our “mini-school” sessions and asks for the next task. This shows me that he is making connections and learning more everyday. He loves to learn and I can tell when I see his face light up at the mention of crayons, stickers and books.

The End Result
The Turkeybird is talking more now, carrying on long conversations with non-family members and can now connect the words on the pages in his books to real life objects.  His social skills have progressed far beyond what was originally thought he would be capable of at this age. He continues to love reading and learning and his mom continues to love to read to and teach him.

I’m not saying that sticker and activity books will solve all your learning/teaching dilemmas, but if done right they can’t hurt. I’m not a professional, just a mom, and I make no presumptions about how effective these activity books may be in your own child’s life. Make sure to use them with your son, daughter or student; this is where you will find the best result. Children love to be taught, they love attention and exultation when they’ve accomplished something they’d never been able to do before. Interact and show you care about the outcome. And then, do it all over again.

This post was presented as part of the Share A Story Shape A Future Day Two. Make sure to stop by The Book Chook’s site for more posts pertaining to Literacy My Way/Literacy Your Way!

Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post will provide us a modest commission through our affiliate relationship with Amazon.com.

*Referenced & paraphrased from: On the Road to Reading: A Guide for Community Partners – December 1997

As part of the Share a Story 2010 event I’m honored to be hosting The Itty Bitty Bookworm giveaway!

Can you imagine enrolling your child in a pre-school where the curriculum is based on great children’s books? Every week they center their learning around a book such as Five Little Moneys Jumping on the Bed. Each child would make paper plate monkeys, act out different parts of the book, have a “pretend” pajama party, decorate their very own pillowcase and much much more. Now think of a school where the funding has been cut (or was never there to begin with) and there is no opportunity for children to learn using these valuable tools. This is where The Itty-Bitty Bookworm comes in.

The Story Behind The Itty-Bitty Bookworm
When Tara opened her preschool several years ago, she wanted to create a story-based curriculum. When she couldn’t find one, she created her own. The results of her passion are two programs, one for toddlers and one for preschoolers, both built around children’s books.

The magic of The Itty-Bitty Bookworm is in the simple, organized, teach-it-yourself curriculum. It’s a literature-based program on CD that does all the planning for you, so you can focus on what’s important ~ your children

The Giveaway
Tara is very graciously donating one full-year subscription for each of her programs for Share a Story Shape A Future 2010.

• Bailey Curriculum ~ for children 18 months -36 months. Here is a sample (pdf) of what the Bailey program includes.
• Bo Curriculum ~ for children 3 to 5 years old. Here is a sample (pdf) from the Bo Curriculum.

Eligible winners include: Government funded or subsidized preschools serving economically disadvantaged children; public schools (e.g., Bright Stars, Head Start); or a family services organization that has a literacy outreach. This is a community event, so we will create a ballot for people to vote as nominations are received.

You do not have to work at the school or have a child at the school, but you do need to give us the details about the school. Tara’s goal, like ours, is to improve access to books for readers in need.

**Important Note**: These licenses are for one teacher, one classroom. Any reproduction of the material is a copyright violation.

Please fill out the form below to place your nomination. Nominations will close Tuesday March 9th at midnight. Voting will open on Wednesday March 10th through the close of the Share A Story Shape a Future event, Friday March 12th at midnight. The winner will be announced on Saturday March 13th.

Please continue to check the Share A Story Shape A Future site for other wonderful posts and giveaways to help literacy where ever you may be, as well as Twitter for up to the minute news and details (Hashtag #SAS2010).

***Nominations are now Closed***