New Anthology, New Name

Raising Readers produces an anthology each year of five books by Maine authors and illustrators for five-year-olds in the program. We are currently working on our 6th book created exclusively for Raising Readers. This anthology will be our third with Boston publisher, Candlewick Press.

As you see from the list of titles below, we try and create a title that labels the book a unique treasure (or treasury) for Maine kids.

Will you help us name the new anthology? If we choose your title we will send you the very first copy of the anthology when it arrives in our hands next year. Simply leave us a comment on this post.

Previous Anthology Titles:
1. Raising Readers A Collection of Stories from Maine
2. Raising Readers 5 Stories from Maine
3. Raising Readers Stories for Maine Children
4. Raising Readers Five Stories for Maine Children
5. Books from Maine: A Raising Readers Collection
6. ???

March is Raising Reader Month

The following Proclamation by Maine Governor John Baldacci was read today at the Blaine House by First Lady, Karen Baldacci making March in Maine RAISING READERS MONTH.

Proclamation

Whereas Raising Readers is celebrating its tenth year and has provided over 1.3 million books to Maine children, ages birth to five, at well-child visits with their healthcare providers,

Whereas 166,000 individual Maine children have received books provided by Raising Readers at more than 600,000 well-child visits,

Whereas if it wasn’t for Raising Readers, many Maine children would not have any children’s books in their homes,

Whereas children who are read to are more likely to have the early literacy skills they will need to succeed when they go to school,

Whereas over 1400 healthcare providers in Maine play a key role in encouraging positive brain development in children by encouraging parents to read to their child frequently starting at birth,

Whereas all 30 hospitals in which babies are born and 335 health care offices that provide well-child care and cover the entire State of Maine participate in the program,

Whereas Raising Readers is carried out through the close collaboration of MaineHealth and EMHS, the state’s largest non-profit health systems in order to reach healthcare providers all over the state,

Whereas Raising Readers is completely funded by the Libra Foundation and is the ONLY statewide initiative of its kind in the United States,

Therefore, I, John Baldacci , Governor of Maine, do hereby proclaim March 1 through March 31st as RAISING READERS MONTH.

Two at the Zoo

Many Maine families attending their 18 month well child visit will now receive this fabulous board book full of zoo animals and one great grandpa! Originally a hardcover picture book from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Raising Readers asked that it to be published in board book form for durability.

Above is one of our favorite spreads from Two at the Zoo with the boy roaring at the lions and the lions roaring back. We suspect that many Maine 18-month-olds will be roaring at bedtime!

And, of course, many families will receive our previous and equally grand board book, Down on the Farm while supplies last.