Bring Reading Rainbow to Every Child, Everywhere!

From the Kickstarter website for the Reading Rainbow Project:

Hi. LeVar Burton here. You may know me as Kunta Kinte, from ROOTS, or Geordi La Forge, from Star Trek: The Next Generation.
You also may have grown up with me on Reading Rainbow.
It was my mother who taught me that, by picking up a book, I could "go anywhere" and "be anything." Ever since Reading Rainbow began in 1983, I have dedicated myself to fostering a love of reading in children, just as my mother did for me.
Over the past year, I have watched Kickstarter bring communities together to support artists and inventors. Again and again, I have been inspired by watching like-minded people team up to accomplish impossible dreams, and to change the world.
Now, I am hoping you will join me on my mission: to bring Reading Rainbow back for every child, everywhere. 

 Here’s the problem:

And: numerous studies reveal that children who can't read at grade level by the 4th grade are 400% more likely to drop out of high school.
And: as of 2011, America was the only free-market country where the current generation was less well educated than the one before.
These problems won't solve themselves.  Real change will require us all to work together. We cannot afford to lose generations of children to illiteracy. And if we work together, we don't have to.

Want to help?   

Go to the Kickstarter page and make a a donation!
  Don't have any money to donate right now? 
Help by spreading the word!

Free SYNC Audiobooks Week 2!

SYNC Week Two Is All in the Family!

Download the 2nd FREE pair here » This Week's Audiobooks: Available to download free May 22 – May 28 CRUEL BEAUTY By Rosamund Hodge Read by Elizabeth Knowelden Published by Harper Audio (Available EXCEPT UK & British Commonwealth) Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom — all because of a reckless bargain her father struck. And since birth, she has been training to kill him. Betrayed by her family yet bound to obey, Nyx rails against her fate. Still, on her 17th birthday, she abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. "Knowelden's subtle inflections add to the mystery and mood as Nyx explores her new home and builds her plans even as she grapples with her growing feelings toward the Gentle Lord and her ambivalence toward her mission." – AudioFile Magazine OEDIPUS THE KING By Sophocles Read by Michael Sheen and a Full Cast Published by Naxos AudioBooks In the hands of Sophocles, the master dramatist, the anguished tale of a man fated to kill his father and marry his mother retains its power to shock and move beyond any Freudian reference. "Aristotle admired Oedipus Tyrannos as the pinnacle of tragic art. Indeed, aside from its fine poetry and Freudian undertones, it is a taut, suspenseful detective story." – AudioFile Magazine Thank you to Harper Audio and Naxos AudioBooks for generously providing this week's titles. Available for a Limited Time:  Remember — grab these titles before they are gone! Once you have downloaded the MP3 files, they are yours to keep. Downloading Tips:  The OverDrive Media Console will deliver SYNC summer audiobooks to you. The app is available for every major desktop and mobile platform. Visit OverDrive to download.

Happy Children's Book Week

May 12th to the 18th is Children's Book Week. 

Celebrate by downloading a bookmark HERE 

and by reading some great books!

#weneeddiversebooks

Yesterday I participated in the #weneeddiversebooks campaign, and I'd encourage you to participate in the third part that comes tomorrow if you're able.  It's a campaign to raise the awareness of the need for diversity in characters in books.  Hopefully it will get the attention of the publishing world.

Day 1 - yesterday - was a photo campaign. Here's my photo:

Today - day 2 -  was a Twitter chat.

Tomorrow, the third portion of the campaign will begin. There will be a Diversify Your Shelves initiative to encourage people to put their money where their mouth is and buy diverse books and take photos of them. Diversify Your Shelves is all about actively seeking out diverse literature in bookstores and libraries.

I hope you can participate by looking  at the Tumblr, using your social media outlets to share the idea,  and diversifying your shelves! 

Here's to more diversity in books to meet our school populations' needs!