2012 First Annual B.R.A.G. Kick Off — Reading Is Not Optional!

Welcome to the 2012 First Annual Bloggers Read Across the Globe (B.R.A.G.) Event — Promoting Children’s Reading and Literacy

I’m so excited to launch B.R.A.G.!

It all started in late 2011 after publishing my first children’s picture book — Sunbelievable. From creation to production, it was an amazing journey, often crazy and overwhelming, and definitely more work and angst than I ever anticipated. But, holding the book in hand, I felt enormously relieved, and enjoyed a tremendous sense of accomplishment. 

At the same time, I discovered the Kidlitosphere—a whole new world (to me) of author bloggers writing about children’s books. From the beginning, while  Sunbelievable was still a concept and a dream, I knew I’d eventually want to share more than the book itself, but didn’t know what or how. As I learned more about individual children’s book bloggers, I also found initiatives focused on children’s reading and literacy. These fascinated and intrigued me—wonderful programs dedicated to raising children who love to read.

And that was the start of B.R.A.G. . . . something larger than my one book to help spread the word about children’s reading and literacy — the message that millions of children around the world may never experience the joy of reading our books or sharing them with their own families.

No matter how literacy is defined, it’s about the basic ability to read.

Sadly, one of five adults in the U.S. reads below the 5th grade level. Worldwide, 16% of adults ages 15 and older, can’t read or write. (CIA World Factbook, 2011) This is the common focus of Bloggers Read Across the Globe—raising awareness about the “literacy crisis” at home and abroad.

Sure, there already are many wonderful programs and organizations that support literacy, so what makes B.R.A.G. different? B.R.A.G. brings together a global community of bloggers doing what they love most—connecting and networking. I reached out to a handful of bloggers and discovered a groundswell of support for helping to spread the word about literacy issues. Bloggers Read Across the Globe (B.R.A.G.) became our way to share thoughts, insights and ideas.

From seemingly disconnected fields of interest, B.R.A.G. bloggers prepared a unique variety of literacy-related topics, such as “How to Read to Kids while Walking the Dog!” Added to the mix are articles and interviews about children’s books, book marketing, social media for authors, ideas for illustrations, video trailers, and reflections on raising kids who love to read. This collective effort is showcased in the B.R.A.G. EVENTS CALENDAR. 

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The new Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Walter Dean Myers, hit the literacy nail on the head with his platform, “Reading Is Not Optional.”

Who’s speaking out for literacy?

B.R.A.G. is our way of joining the conversation about children’s reading and literacy and adding new voices to well-established programs. The blogs highlighted below are filled with wonderful resources and ideas for encouraging parents and communities to get involved. But these are just a sample for now. More are described in future B.R.A.G. posts — so visit often!

Reading Rockets: A treasure chest of reading strategies, lessons, and activities to help young children learn how to read and read. Also helps parents, teachers, and other educators work with struggling readers to build fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension skills.

The Reading Tub: A resource-rich blog that recaps children’s and reading news. It’s packed with tried-and-true practices that help families promote reading at home. Take a look at the Family Bookshelf for recommendations on terrific children’s books. Check out the I Have a Dream edition of the Children’s Literacy and Reading News Roundup brought to you by Jen Robinson’s Book Page, The Family Bookshelf, and Reading is Fundamental. These bloggers share one dream: that every child have (at least) one book to call their own and to be successful, happy readers.

Read Across America: The National Association’s (NEA) Read Across America annual reading motivation and awareness program calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading on March 2, the birthday of Dr. Seuss. The blog provides members, parents, caregivers, and children fantastic activities to keep reading on the calendar 365 days a year. 

Scholastic Literacy Global Campaign: A global literacy campaign launched as part of Scholastic’s 90th anniversary celebration that underscores the importance of reading to better prepare children who will need strong literacy skills to survive and succeed in the 21st century. 

It knocked my socks off to find these amazing programs and bloggers dedicated to to children’s reading and literacy. Welcome to B.R.A.G. — the new kid on the blog block! And to this roster of great programs, we introduce the 2012 Inaugural Bloggers Read Across the Globe (B.R.A.G.) project — insights from blogging authors and others helping to make reading a dynamic experience. Please see the B.R.A.G. EVENTS CALENDAR for information about the the daily B.R.A.G. Join us on Facebook! 

 HELP MAKE LITERACY NOT OPTIONAL