The KidLit Blogosphere

Let's just say it's a bit busy. And I feel behind. Constantly. And a little ADD while I'm at it, reading review after review, popping titles into orders, watching videos (I think Mr. Rogers from Fuse8 was the real reason I started this bloomin' thing, anyway, thanks go to both parties).

But the Kidlit Blogosphere is also a beautiful land, a land where it's implied that children are an important subset of this rather challenged society of ours--an important group of people (albeit a bit small in stature) that can actually help us all along if we would only give them some neat tools to do so. I'm seeing some awfully smart people who are reading an awful lot of text out here, despite all those freaky end-of-the-printed-word warnings we've been hearing on and off since the introduction of the printing press. I'm pretty comforted by this fact.

Books help children help us, of this much I am sure. I feel like there is nothing more beautiful feeling (aside from smelling flowers, maybe, I'm a huge fan of flowers) than reading to a child or having a child read to you--or best yet, having a child read a book and be moved enough to discuss it with you, or--control my dopamine--with another child.

Oprah that book, says Trelease, and you've got it made. Kids do what feels good, adults are no different. Give them books that feel good to read and they will naturally return for more. You'll see a lot of Jim Trelease in this blog now and in the future--he has had such an effect on my practice that I was willing to have several mini-strokes in bringing him to Chico this past January. Listening to him speak to three audiences for a combined 5 hours certainly made it worth the effort. Listening to teachers report back with changes in their classroom as a result of his visit obviously undoes any mental damage done. I even have one school site that has installed raingutters as a direct result of Jim's visit. See what I'm talking about here: http://www.trelease-on-reading.com/rah_chpt6_p4.html#rain-gutter.

Off to school at this point. I can easily see how this blogging thing can get a touch addictive.