Why books matter?

“Because for some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth.  What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet or excite you.  Books help us to understand who we are and how we are to behave.  They show us what community and friendship mean; they show us how to live and die.  They are full of all the things that you don’t get in real life – wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat.  And quality of attention: we may notice amazing details during the course of a day but we rarely let ourselves stop and really pay attention.”

- Anne Lamott

Bird By Bird

What reading is all about?

“Isn’t it amazing how we take them for granted, those little black marks on paper! Twenty-six different shapes known as letters, arranged in endless combinations known as words.  Lifeless, until someone’s eye falls on them.

 

But then a miracle happens.  Along the optic nerve, almost at the speed of light, these tiny symbols are flashed to the brain where they are instantly decoded into ideas, images, concepts, meanings.

 

The eye’s owner is changed too.  The little black marks can make him love or hate, laugh or cry, fight or run away.  And what do we call this incredible chain of events?  Reading.

 

The spoken word rushes by and is gone, but the written word remains…endures.  It can be consulted over and over again…forever.”

 

-          Arthur Gordon

Finding “Anne”

If you have ever wondered where and how “Anne of Green Gables” came about, this article (and book) will help you find out…

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/17/books/review/Bolick-t.html?ex=1376539200&en=8d10b0be410b62fd&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

How Many Gold Medals Would Boys Win if Reading Were an Olympic Sport?

How Many Gold Medals Would Boys Win if Reading Were an Olympic Sport?

What Book(s) Do You Love?

Take a few minutes to look at this web site sponsored by Milestone Books.  It’s where we will have our January General Meeting – Monday, January 14, 2008 – 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.

 I LOVE THAT BOOK

Read Others’ Thoughts About Books They Gave Away

I stumbled upon this great site that is sharing original, written inscriptions of books.  Spend some time looking at the things people have written in books that they have shared with others over the years.

 http://www.bookinscriptions.com

Nora Ephron: Thoughts about reading

“Reading is one of the main things I do.  Reading is everything.  Reading makes me feel I’ve accomplished something, learned something, become a better person.  Reading makes me smarter.  Reading gives me something something to talk about later on.  Reading is the unbelievably healthy way my attention deficit disorder medicates itself.  Reading is escape, and the opposite of escape; it’s a way to make contact with reality after a day of making things up, and it’s a way of making contact with someone else’s imagination after a day that’s all too real.”

- Nora Ephron

from I Feel Bad About My Neck

Can we teach kids to love reading?

   “He, like Rash and Owens (and I) belonged to a generation of children who had to entertain themselves with their own imaginations…To read, we learned was to live greatly.”   —Kathleen Parker

   When you have a minute, read this article by Kathleen Parker about an innovative “summer reading program” that is making a difference in Spartanburg, South Carolina.  Maybe we really can teach kids to love reading as much as we do!

Are you a habitual reader?

   Recently, I read the results of an AP-Ipsos poll that found that 1 out of every 4 Americans did not read ANY books last year.    As a regular reader and someone that loves books, I found that number surprisingly high and, honestly, sad.  Reading the summary of the polls results started me thinking about my own reading habits.  Here is a taste of what the survey found.  Where do you fit in this picture?

According to the survey,

• 1 in 4 adults read NO books last year
• Of the 27% of the people surveyed that had NOT read a book, most were older, less educated, low income, minority, living in a rural area and/or less religious
• People with college degrees read the most
• People over 50 read more than younger people
• Southerners tend to read more books than people from other regions
• Religious books (including the bible) make up a significant portion of what is read
• People that NEVER attend religious services read more than those that do regularly attend religious services
• About 3.1 billion books were sold last year which was less than a 1% increase from the previous year

Welcome to The Children’s Literacy Guild of Alabama!

   Thank you for your interest in The Children’s Literacy Guild of Alabama (CLG).  CLG was founded in 2003 by a group of dedicated women who wanted to do something about the alarming illiteracy rates in our state.  1 in 4 Alabama adults is functionally illiterate and 28% of our 4th graders read below grade level.  By reaching out to elementary students, we hope to stop the illiteracy problem in its tracks!

MISSION STATEMENT:

“To fight illiteracy among our school children by increasing awareness of the problem; providing volunteers in literacy programs; and raising money to support those programs.

   Please join us in our efforts to become a more literate society.  Help us help Alabama’s kids.  To learn more about CLG – Birmingham, visit our website at www.childrensliteracyguild.org