Raising Readers News

Raising Reader Book Celebration in Bangor!

2010-09-13T06:11:00.000-07:00

Raising Readers Book Celebration

Friday, September 24, 2010
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (ongoing)
Maine Discovery Museum
74 Main St., Bangor, ME
Free Admission
Info: (207) 541-7531

Raising Readers celebrates the collection of books given to Maine children this year through doctor’s offices with readings and activities by children’s book authors and illustrators, Amy MacDonald, Scott Nash, and Lynn Plourde.

Reading With Older Kids (From Guest Blogger, Penny Noyce)

2010-08-20T05:43:00.000-07:00

Raising Reader Guest Blogger:
Penny Noyce
Guest Blogger, Penny Noyce is the author of the new children's book, Lost in Lexicon. In the novel for readers ages 8-12, Daphne and Ivan, travel to a world riddled with forgetting and fragmented by their loss of words, numbers, and understanding.

One of the heroines of the novel, Aunt Adelaide, is modeled after Penny Noyce’s mother Betty Noyce who founded the Libra Foundation. Penny Noyce chairs the board of the Libra Foundation which generously funds Raising Readers. How appropriate to have a novelist and lover of words driving a program that has brought more than 1.3 million books to Maine children.

Reading With Older Kids
We’re all convinced of the benefits of reading to young children, but what about reading with older kids?

When my twins were in fifth grade, they received the following English assignment: Choose an adventure book to read together with one of your parents. As you read, write notes to each other about your reactions, thoughts, and questions. Communicate in writing about the book!

My son Owen and I chose to read Into Thin Air, John Krakauer’s harrowing account of the 1996 Everest climbing season, when the latest in adventure tourism went terribly wrong. Two teams of fit, semi-experienced climbers paid $60,000 each for a “guaranteed” chance at scaling Everest. When a storm howled in, three tourists and two tour leaders perished.

I loved the assignment, and Owen enjoyed it, too. We passed the book back and forth, wrote notes on the computer, and (even) talked about the book. I shared my surprise that the Everest climbers were miserable from the start, beset by insomnia, headache, and hacking cough. Owen shared his sense of the beauty of the mountain and the lonely horror of freezing to death.

Recently, a fifth grade teacher in my wealthy suburban community told me they don’t give that assignment anymore: Too many parents complained.

Parents complained?

Maybe they were too busy traveling for work to read. But couldn’t they use a Kindle on the plane and text their remarks to their children? Maybe they worried the books would bore them. But couldn’t they negotiate with their children for a book that would captivate both of them? Or maybe the parents were afraid of getting a bad grade on the assignment.

As a society, we have embraced the idea of reading to kids too young to read for themselves. Often, though, we forget the value of shared reading experiences as our kids grow older.

I was one of four children, and long after we were proficient readers, we still cuddled on the couch to listen to my mother read to us every night. She didn’t “do the voices” like an actress. She just read in her steady, calming tone; and we listened, learning to pay attention and paint pictures in our minds.

Listening to an adult read aloud exposes children to vocabulary in context, complex sentence structure, and a continuous train of thought. These are all good tools for enhancing children’s thinking, but even better is the shared intimacy of these moments. We don’t have to give them up as our children approach middle school. Even when we don’t read aloud, we can still share bedtime reading, lolling together on the couch or bed, each reading our own book, exchanging comments from time to time.

My father and brother both liked science fiction. Sometimes, on vacation, when there weren’t enough unread books to go around, the first reader tore off sections of a paperback book as he finished them and passed them on to the second reader. I’m not advocating book dismemberment, but what a message about shared enthusiasm!

You and your children can always recommend books to one another. My son Damian’s suggestions have grown from his passionate advocacy of Tony Abbott’s Droon series through his romance with Jerry Spinelli’s Stargirl to his current insistence that I read Here, There Be Dragons by James A. Owen. To tell the truth, I can’t keep up with him, but we do enough common reading that we can always discuss why characters do what they do or how it would be to live in another world. (One friend of mine tells me that the Harry Potter books provided dinner conversation for years.) I reciprocate by saving newspaper or magazine articles for Damian, choosing books from the library I know he’ll like, or sending him links to stories on the web.

By reading books together, we keep communication lines open and share our interests, aspirations, and inner worlds in a way that’s oblique, not too confrontational or embarrassing. Nobody gives us a grade.

(This post original appeared on View from the Windowseat)

Maine Parents Best in the Nation

2010-08-12T04:53:00.000-07:00

The Annie E. Casey Foundation just released its 2010 Kids Count Data Book. In it was some great news for the state of Maine. The study showed that 96% of Maine parents of young children read to their children at least three times a week.

This is the highest rate in the nation!

Raising Readers hopes that their 10 year history of giving over 1.3 million books to Maine children has helped parents find more opportunities to read aloud. The real credit, though, goes to Maine families for their commitment to their child's healthy growth and well being. Well done!

Raising Readers at the Zoo and the Museum

2010-07-30T12:43:00.000-07:00

Learn what's happening with books and reading at each stage of your child's development in our July newsletter. Take note of the dates for two upcoming special events to be held at the childrens' museums in Bangor and Portland. Happy reading!

Raising Readers Stories: Taya at 4 Months

2010-07-29T04:38:00.000-07:00

Raising Readers has touched Mom Lora in different ways - first, as a site coordinator for the Raising Readers program and now as a new Mom. Watch for posts from Lora and daughter Taya about their experiences with Raising Readers books.

Taya's 4 Month Well Child Visit
Wow! She is getting so big! As the doctor came in she turned to notice the book, Smile that he was holding for her because it had a baby on the front smiling back at her. We opened it with her doctor and she smiled back. What a great way to start a visit with her doctor.

Raising Readers Meets Will Hillenbrand Down by the Station (or was that Down on the Farm?)

2010-07-06T06:37:00.000-07:00

Raising Readers was delighted to meet picture book author and illustrator Will Hillenbrand, Jane Hillenbrand, and their son at the ALA Newbery Caldecott Banquet. The lovely folks at Holiday House made sure we got to talk with this lovely (and extremely talented) family.

Will Hillenbrand is is the illustrator of two treasured books in the Raising Reader collection.

Three-year-olds in Maine have been receiving a copy of Down by the Station (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), a sweet train tour through a zoo, at their well-child visits this past year. Will Hillenbrand's illustrations tell a story far beyond the confines of the text. A child can sit with the book alone and follow the path of each animal or that curious balloon.

Over 1o,000 Maine children received the board book Down on the Farm (Holiday House) at their 18 month well-child visit. Again, Will Hillenbrand included delightful details that go far beyond the text (watch the egg!). He told Raising Readers that the book was originally supposed to depict children playing on a farm. After many sketches, he decided to change the children to a single kid--a baby goat that is.

The Hillenbrands will be vacationing in Maine this summer, so if you spot this trio, let them know how much you liked your Raising Readers books!

Raising Readers Partners with the Maine Family Literacy Initiative and Public Libraries to Support the Literacy of Maine Families

2010-06-22T08:19:00.000-07:00

Reading is one of the best ways parents can help their children develop a love of books and reading and prepare them to learn to read. However, access to books and the parent’s own literacy level can be barriers to making that happen. A new partnership between Raising Readers, the Maine Family Literacy Initiative, and select public libraries is designed to help overcome those barriers.

Combining the Raising Readers books with access to family literacy services offered by Maine Family Literacy Initiative (MEFLI) grantees is the concept behind the new partnership. MEFLI programs across the state work with families to address the learning and literacy needs of both adults and children. Integrating the books that families receive from Raising Readers into family literacy services deepens their impact and helps families get the most out of them.

Cara Sawyer of Cherryfield Public Library with young reader.

Eight public libraries will provide access to the books by family literacy programs and others. The Maine State Library facilitated a process to identify one library in each of eight counties to house the Raising Readers book collections and collaborate with MEFLI on family literacy services.

Raising Reader MEFLI Libraries with former First Lady,
Mrs. Barbara Bush and Maine First Lady, Karen Baldacci

The participating libraries are: Belfast Free Library, Camden Public Library, Cherryfield Public Library, Paris Public Library, Skowhegan Public Library, Strong Public Library, Waldoboro Public Library and the Thompson Free Library in Dover-Foxcroft .

A complementary collaboration with the state’s Resource Development Centers provides access to Raising Readers books in the remaining eight counties.

Raising Readers: Celebrating 10 Years

2010-06-15T10:42:00.000-07:00

Rasing Reader Stories: Taya at 2 Months

2010-06-14T06:17:00.001-07:00

Raising Readers has touched Mom Lora in different ways - first, as a site coordinator for the Raising Readers program and now as a new Mom. Watch for posts from Lora and daughter Taya about their experiences with Raising Readers books.

Taya's 2 Month Well Child Visit
"Taya received Babies on the Go from her doctor at her 2-month visit today. When we got home to read it she followed my finger as I pointed to all the little babies. It was so nice to see her enjoy the book." -Mom Lora

NOTE: Share your Raising Readers Stories as well by emailing us at info@raisingreaders.org. Send quotes, stories, pictures, or whatever you would like to share about Raising Readers. (Please put 'Raising Readers Stories' in the subject line of the email.)

Books in the Home

2010-06-03T12:47:00.000-07:00

166,000 individual Maine children have received books from Raising Readers for their home libraries in the last ten years. We all know intuitively that this is a positive thing for the children of the state, but a new national study confirms the positive link between books in the home and children that do well in school.

A University of Nevada, Reno study showed that children raised in a home where they were exposed to 500 books would go 3.2 years further in their education, on average. 500 books? Who has 500 books in their home?

The importance in not the number of books but that there is a relationship between school success and books in the home. By the time your Maine child reaches the age of five, she will have received up to twelve books from Raising Readers. How do you expose your child to more books beyond her home library? Use a Maine library.

If you took two picture books home from the public library each week started when your child is a toddler, think of how many books would pass through your home. Use that library card to turn your home into a learning rich place for your future student to grow up in!

Raising Reader Stories: Taya as a Newborn

2010-04-23T08:19:00.000-07:00

Raising Readers has touched Mom Lora in different ways - first, as a site coordinator for the Raising Readers program and now as a new Mom.

Watch for posts from Lora and daughter Taya about their experiences with Raising Readers books.

Share your Raising Readers Stories as well by emailing us at info@raisingreaders.org. Send quotes, stories, pictures, or whatever you would like to share about Raising Readers. (Please put 'Raising Readers Stories' in the subject line of the email.)

Taya as a Newborn
Lorna said this about receiving her Birth Bag from Raising Readers:

"It was so nice to receive a Raising Readers bag with some books for Taya in the hospital when she was born to start her own book collection."

Spring Into a Picture Book

2010-04-06T06:20:00.000-07:00

If you like the board books and picture books that Raising Readers distributes, you might like to see the over 300 books we recommend in 30+ categories from Alphabet books to Transportation books.

As the daffodils think about blooming, you might share some of the titles we recommend on Spring. Look for them in your local library or bookstore.

New Anthology, New Name

2010-03-29T17:45:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-24T06:58:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-12T08:15:00.000-08:00

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.

Happy Birthday from a Raising Reader Family

2010-02-16T14:13:00.000-08:00

Matthew Scholer Reading His Raising Reader Book

My name is Colleen Lunn Scholer and I am a mother of three kids (6, 4, and 1). My step-father, Peter Wood, let me know that Raising Readers is celebrating 10 years this year.

My husband, Aaron, is a pediatrician at Central Maine Pediatrics and we both think very highly of the Raising Readers program. The program actually used a photo of Matthew when he was just a few days old. He was reading with me on our bed.

Mother, Colleen Lunn Scholer reads to Matthew from Raising Reader Book

The story that I share with people is that our family loves to read and, yes, we planned to read to Matthew. But in those first few days, we spent lots of time in our Master bedroom. That wasn't where we had put some of his first books. We didn't realize when we set up his nursery that we'd be in our bedroom so much! But in our room, we had the books that we received from Raising Readers and that was what I reached for. I was amazed at how alert he was and that he was actually enjoying being read to!

Dr. Aaron Scholer Reads to His Children

Today, Matthew is reading everything. He just turned 6 in November and is in Kindergarten. He reads to his sisters, reads the sports section of the newspaper- you name it.

Matthew Reads to Madeline from her 9 month Raising Reader book

I love the program and I will be sad when my daughter, Madeline turns 5 and the program will be over for our family. But I hope we will always be involved.

Peter Wood Reads to His Grandchildren

What To Do With All These Books?

2009-12-07T08:54:00.000-08:00

We hope all of our books enable parents to spend time with their children through reading, but raising readers books can also be used in many different ways to help a child grow and develop, and even build their brains!

The Raising Readers website, as well as each book your child receives at a well child visit contains activities you can do with your child using the book and the story inside.

From learning rhythm and rhym e to bringing a character to life through fun craft projects, to developing important literacy skills your child will use his or her whole life, a book is also a great tool for helping you build your child's brain and creating a whole new set of fun things for you to do together!

We believe books go far beyond quiet reading time in a comfy chair, (although that sure sounds like a great place to start) and extend to helping you take an active role in your child's life. Make use of the activities in the back of each raising readers book, and go to your local library to find even more fun things to do, and story hours to enjoy. Books are meant to be read, and so much more!

Thank you from Raising Readers!

Raising Readers Book Celebration

2009-10-23T13:47:00.001-07:00

Raising Readers Book Celebration
Friday, November 6th, 2009
5:00 – 7:00 PM

Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine
142 Free Street, Portland, Maine
Free Admission
Open to All Families

Join Raising Readers for an evening celebrating all the great books given to Maine kids at doctor’s offices, hospitals, and healthcare facilities across the state.

Families are invited to meet some of the authors and illustrators whose books have been a part of the Raising Reader program.

Join picture book creator’s David Elliott, Kevin Hawkes, Holly Meade, Scott Nash, and Melissa Sweet for read-alouds, book signings, and fun, book-related activities.

Bring your Raising Reader or other books by these authors and illustrators from home to be autographed. Each one of the guests has a story in Raising Readers: Five Stories for Maine Children, so bring it with you if you have it! Additional books by these creators will be for sale.

Families can also read together in the multicultural Raising Readers Book Nook in the museum, which is sponsored by The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center.

Dr. Belisle Prescribes Books for Feeling Better

2009-10-01T11:07:00.000-07:00

Bear is not feeling well and decides to stay home.

"Alone in his cave
as the autumn wind blows,
Bear feels achy
with a stuffed up nose."

His furry friends try to help...but end up with problems of their own. October's Raising Readers Recommends book is Bear Feels Sick by Karma Wilson and illustrated by Jane Chapman (ISBN 978-0689859854).

A companion book to our four-year-old Raising Readers book Bear Snores On, Bear Feels Sick offers a humorous lesson in hygiene.

Germs Are Not for Sharing by Elizabeth Verdick (ISBN 978-1575421964) is another humorous, yet practical, hygiene-related board book. It engages children with questions such as "When do you wash your hands?" Germs Are Not for Sharing is included in our Readers Recommends Great Books: Great Topics brochure, available through Raising Readers.

Here's to a happy, healthy October!

Lisa Belisle, MD, MPH
Medical Advisor, Raising Readers

From Germs Are Not for Sharing.

An Afternoon of Family Fun

2009-08-30T18:56:00.000-07:00

MaineHealth
Learning Resource Center
Invites You...

An Afternoon of Family Fun
Sunday, September 13th
1:00 – 3:00 pm
Maine Medical Center’s East Tower
22 Bramhall Street, Portland

An Afternoon of Family Fun celebrates the one year anniversary of the East Tower – home of the Family Birth Center and the MaineHealth Learning Resource Center.

Long after the birth of a baby, the East Tower continues to provide valuable services to parents and families in the greater Portland community.

Through the services of the MaineHealth Learning Resource Center, parents can take a parenting class, browse the lending library or talk with a health educator. Breastfeeding supplies are available through the Boutique. And the Ronald McDonald Family Room offers a loving respite to families of sick children.

Come and meet other young families, find useful health information, enjoy musical activities, experience a story walk and learn how to make a puppet. Children’s author, Cathryn Falwell will read from her book Scoot! and Karen Morgan – Maine’s Funniest Mom – will moderate the East Tower’s first Diaper Derby. All this, great prizes and delicious cupcakes will make this a celebration you won’t want to miss.

DOWNLOAD a flyer to copy and post at your organization and forward along to others.

Hope to see you there!

Space is limited and registration is requested. Please call toll free 1-866-609-5183.

Dr. Belisle Prescribes a Library Book

2009-08-03T09:43:00.000-07:00

We've had a soggy Maine summer. June set a rainy day record, in fact. Obviously this has hampered our ability to engage in beach-outings, but all is not lost. Relaxation is still possible no matter the weather: all it takes is a book.

As a bonus, book-related relaxation can be absolutely free--we need look no further than our local library. Most local libraries even offer summer-specific reading programs. Though some require that children need to be able to read independently, many have special activities designed for their littlest patrons.

Want to get your child excited about a library visit? Raising Readers Recommends Wild About Books by Judy Sierra and Illustrated by Marc Brown. In Wild About Books, librarian Molly McGrew accidentally drives the bookmobile to the zoo and--

"By reading aloud from the good Dr. Suess,
She quickly attracted a mink and a moose,
A wombat, an orynx, a lemur, a lynx,
Eight elephant calves and a family of skinks."

The animals get so excited about reading that...well, I'm not going to tell. You'll have to read Wild About Books to find out for yourself.

Wild About Books also helps children with an important early literacy skill: phonological awareness. When children listen to rhymes, they become aware of sounds. This is called phonological awareness.

For more information on phonological awareness and other literacy skills, visit the Raising Readers website. Need more book ideas? Check out the Raising Readers Recommends Great Books: Great Topics brochure, also available on the Raising Readers website .

Here's to hoping for the sun, coping with the rain and becoming "wild about books," regardless of the weather!

Lisa M. Belisle, M.D.,M.P.H.
Medical Advisor, Raising Readers

Dr. Belisle Prescribes Hand Washing

2009-06-10T12:19:00.000-07:00

Hand washing: not a glamorous topic. Most of us hate nagging our kids to do it. Yet hand washing has become even more important now with the recent news about the H1N1 virus (formerly called “Swine Flu”). This virus can live in droplets (like those from sneezing or coughing), for quite a while. Scary, eh?

Encourage family hand washing at home by:
-Having soap and clean towels in all bathrooms
-Having footstools available for smaller kids
-Reminding kids to wash hands after toileting, before preparing or eating food, playing outside and in any other questionable situations
-Taking the time to do an adequate clean-up job--singing a verse of "Happy Birthday" while washing ought to do the trick
-Role modeling hand-washing skills.
-Carrying "wet wipes" and hand sanitizer when traveling in case soap and water become scarce. (Caution: don't allow kids to put their hands in their mouths after using hand sanitizer. )

Another way to make hand washing fun is by reading to them about staying clean and germ free. Raising Readers Recommends Wash Your Hands by Tony Ross. In Wash Your Hands, the Little Princess refuses to wash her hands until the maid explains about “Germs and Nasties.” She quickly becomes convinced.

See more Raising Readers Recommends on the Raising Reader website.

Happy Handwashing!

Lisa M. Belisle, MD, MPH
Medical Advisor, Raising Readers

Prime Time Distraction

2009-06-02T05:27:00.000-07:00

The American Academy of Pediatrics has discouraged TV watching before the age of 2 for some time, but a new study really drives home the WHY.

We know that brain development from Birth-Age 5 is HEAVILY dependent on adult to infant/child communication.

Apparently when the TV is on either for the child or the adult, those vital communications are not happening.

Ina study led by Dimitri Christakis, director of the Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development at Seattle Children's Research Institute and professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine...

Over 300 2-month-olds to 4-year-olds wore recording devices on random days recording everything they heard or said for 12-16 hours. The results were startling...

For every hour of TV being watched or playing in the same room, there was a decrease of 770 words spoken by the child's caregiver and a decrease in the child's vocalizations.

"Some of these reductions are likely due to children being left alone in front of the television screen," the researchers write in the June issue of the journal Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, "but others likely reflect situations in which adults, though present, are distracted by the screen and not interacting with their infant in a discernible manner."

Lesson here? Even playing in the background, TV can distract us from crucial communication with our children.

Reading aloud to your children allows you to naturally increase bonding and communication and to use a whole new set of words. Those words are essential to those wee brains growing strong and healthy.

READ MORE in LiveScience.com Article.

The More, The Merrier

2009-04-10T03:47:00.000-07:00

Yes, but why is reading aloud to your children good for them?
Words, words, words!

Many studies have shown that there is a direct relationship between how many words a child is exposed to birth to age five and how well they will do later in school.

Does this mean you should read aloud from the dictionary before bedtime each night in hopes of turning your children into geniuses? Nope. Picture books will do just fine. Not only are there lots of words in your average picture book that you would not use in every day speech, but picture books have fun words and sounds.

For example, when you open the picture book, Down by the Station by Will Hillenbrand (Soon to be distributed to Raising Reader 3-year-olds) and read the silly words, "Puff, puff, Toot toot, Thrump, thrump, Peep, peep," you are showing your child that words and books are enjoyable. When something is enjoyable, your child will want it again and again.

More books, more words = more brain development.

To show how much people are thinking about how words and communication help in a baby's development, a group in Britain studied how caregivers talked to their children while out for a stroll.

It turns out that caregivers who used toward-facing strollers (otherwise known as baby buggies, prams, baby carriages--see photo) communicated with their babies twice as much as caregivers that used the more common strollers that faced their baby out to the world. (Read more in the New York Times article.)

Do you need to rummage through the attic for your grandmother's baby carriage? Perhaps, perhaps not. Just remember--the more words, the merrier!

Dr. Lisa Belisle Prescribes Books for Nutrition

2009-03-10T12:28:00.000-07:00

A Post from Dr. Lisa Belisle:

March is National Nutrition month. Raising Readers has many books related to nutrition in it’s library and has recommended them in their new brochure, "Raising Readers Re commends: Great Books, Great Topics".

One such read is Cows in the Kitche n by June Crebbin. This barnyard picture book set to the rhythm of the song, "Skip to My Lou" is our current Raising Readers selection for 24-month well child visits. Many of the books distributed in Maine medical offices come complete with family friendly activities listed in the back. This book will be especially popular with those who like to sing and read--at the same time!

Dr. Lisa Belisle Prescribes Books for Sleeping Issues

2009-03-03T12:03:00.000-08:00

A Post from Dr. Lisa Belisle:

This week is National Sleep Awareness Week , which has much relevance to our Raising Readers audience. Bedtime can be a stressful time for families. Some kids sleep well from the beginning of their lives. Others...well, they simply don’t.

Keeping a routine is one very important way of helping kids get ready for sleep. For more tips go to my website. Reading can--and should--be a part of this routine.

Reading has been an enjoyable part of our family’s evening routine for many years. We began with basic picture books when our (now fifteen-year-old) son and (now thirteen-year-old) daughter were very small. Our youngest child is now eight, and spends time reading to us. Don’t get me wrong: she still listens to us read. In fact our books have increased in length. Just last month Sophie and I finished the My Side of the M ountain Trilogy by Jean Craighead George.

Sophie and I still inject a regular dose of picture books into our bedtime routine. One of our favorites is this month’s “Raising Readers Recommends” book: Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anne Dewdney. In this wonderfully illustrated book, a young llama attempts to go to sleep without his mother’s help. Upstairs, alone, he calls for her repeatedly while she tries to get the chores done downstairs. Making sure he is in no danger, she responds:

Baby Llama,
what a tizzy!
Sometime’s Mama’s
very busy.

Please stop all this
llama drama
and be patient
for your mama.

Not only do I love the bold colors and rhymes of the book, I am also intrigued by the subject matter. You see, I have my own “red-pajamed llama.” My eight-year-old has a very specific bedtime routine, and gets annoyed when this is interrupted. (If this sounds familiar, you might want to check out some of the bedtime resources at www.kidshealth.org).

Another great bedtime read is Sleepy Places by Judy Hindley. This interactive book will be distributed to Maine 2-year-olds at their well child visits through the Raising Readers program in 2009. As an added bonus, this book has bedtime activities such as “Talk About It” printed in the back. For other sleepy-time picks, download our Raising Readers Recommends: Great Books, Great Topics.

Whether you chose sleepy places or llamas to lull your child to sleep, you’re sure to be a hit. After all, nothing beats a good read before bed. Just ask Sophie.

Raising Reader Author / Illustrator Wins Caldecott Honor

2009-01-30T13:23:00.000-08:00

The Caldecott Medal is the highest honor given to a children's picture book. Awarded to illustrators each January by the American Library Association, the Caldecott Medal and the Honors are highly anticipated by illustrators, publishers, librarians, booksellers, and parents that know the awards to be the ultimate badge of excellence.

Picture book lovers across Maine had a great leap of pride when they heard the news that Melissa Sweet of Rockport, ME was awarded a Caldecott Honor for her illustrations for the book, A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams.

Raising Reader families and medical practices will remember Melissa's wonderful illustrations in the book Welcome Baby: Baby Rhymes for Baby Times that was distributed in our birth bag in 2004. Melissa as a Maine author / illustrator has also appeared in two of our anthologies for 5-year-olds. In 2008 many five-year-olds were given an anthology with Sweet's Carmine: A Little More Red in it. Next year's five-year-old anthology will have Melissa's illustrations for the book Love and Kisses!

Three cheers for Melissa Sweet and for all the grand things she does for children's literature and for young readers in Maine!!

I Like the Sneezing Part!

2008-11-15T05:44:00.000-08:00

Raising Readers welcomed over 700 readers to the Children's Museum of Maine last week for an evening of picture book readings, book signings, book character treasure hunts, and an overall grand celebration of families reading together.

There were FABULOUS conversations about books and reading in every corner of the museum.

In the read aloud room, kids were asked how many books Maine doctors had given out. They were asked to think of a REALLY big number. Shouts went up of, "10! 40! 100! 300! 1000!" When we told the gathered kids that there more than ONE MILLION books given away, "woahhh..." was heard throughout the room. It IS a big number to imagine! We agree.

At another point a four-year-old volunteered that she had gotten Bear Snores On (Simon & Schuster) at her doctor's office and that it was "really, really funny." Another kid turned to her and said, "Me, too! I like the part best when the bear sneezes!" Unprompted by their families, other kids chimed in that the sneezing page was INDEED the best. 4-year-old's having a discussion about books--now that gives us job satisfaction!

Our sincere thanks to picture book authors and illustrators, Melissa Sweet (pictured), Cathryn Falwell, Amy MacDonald, and John and Ann Hassett and Lisa Jahn-Clough (she could not come but her sweet Mom did!) for coming to the event and talking and reading to over 700 folks!

(Any 5-year-old who received the picture book anthology, Raising Readers: Stories for Maine Children, will recognize this group of authors and illustrators, because each of their stories appear in this unique collection published exclusively for Raising Readers by Houghton Mifflin.)

Thanks to the staff at the Children's Museum of Maine. We love your mission and adore working alongside you.

More Pictures from the Event

Raising Reader Book Celebration

2008-10-20T12:54:00.001-07:00

Join Us...
Raising Reader Book Celebration
Friday, November 7th
5:00 - 7:00 PM
Children's Museum of Maine
142 Free Street, Portland, Maine
All Ages, Best for Birth - Six
Free Admission

As Raising Readers comes into its 8th year with over 1.1 million hardcover books given to Maine children, we will hold the Raising Readers Book Celebration to celebrate another year of families reading together!

At the celebration, children will have an opportunity to meet Maine authors and illustrators, Melissa Sweet, Cathryn Falwell, Amy MacDonald, John and Ann Hassett, and Lisa Jahn-Clough.

(Any 5-year-old who received the picture book anthology, Raising Readers: Stories for Maine Children, will recognize this group of authors and illustrators, because each of their stories appear in this unique collection published exclusively for Raising Readers.)

The authors and illustrators will read from their books and talk with families about their stories and process. Book signings will be held throughout the night. Children are encouraged to bring their copy of Raising Readers: Stories for Maine Children to have each author autograph it.

This anthology will also play a part in the activities for the night. Images from the book will be hidden throughout the museum for young readers to find. Upon finding all of the book images, children will receive a prize from Raising Readers.

Families will also be able to explore and read together in the Raising Reader Book Nook. The Book Nook is a quiet space in the Children’s Museum filled with books in English, Braille, Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Farsi and Somali and is sponsored by Raising Readers and MaineHealth.

Pictured: Cathryn Falwell reading SCOOT!

Kindergartners Welcomed to School by Maine Reads

2008-09-03T05:36:00.000-07:00

The Raising Readers' staff was thrilled to join 50 other volunteers in Augusta, Maine to help pack over 18,000 copies of The Cat at Night, a classic picture book by Dahlov Ipcar. The book which alternates day and night perspectives shows young readers the things that only cats can see.

Maine Reads' Read with Me program run by First Lady, Karen Baldacci gives a book to every incoming Kindergartner in the state of Maine. Raising Readers is happy to lend a hand to First this wonderful annual book distribution. It is the least the staff can do, as First Lady, Karen Baldacci supports Raising Readers by serving as the chair of our Advisory Board.

The Cat at Night, written and illustrated by Ipcar in 1969, has been out of print for more than thirty years. First Lady, Karen Baldacci found the book while browsing the Maine State Library children's book collection. Islandport Press, a Maine-based independent publisher, was happy to republish this Ipcar book exclusively for Maine Reads.

Maine children are truly lucky. They receive up to 12 books from Raising Readers between the ages of birth and age 5 and when they enter Kindergarten, they are rewarded with yet another wonderful picture book from Maine Reads.

Goodnight, House

2008-08-15T09:23:00.001-07:00

Here is the key to the house.
In the house burns a light,
In the light rests a bed,
On that bed waits a book...

While looking for the right books for the program, Raising Readers reviews 100's of picture books and board books. With only 14 books chosen each year to be given to Maine kids, many wonderful books get set aside. We hope to highlight books here that we have truly loved.

The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson and illustrated by Beth Krommes has the comforting night rhythms of books like Goodnight, Moon and This is the House That Jack Built.

The beautiful black and white illustrations (done on scratchboard by Krommes) are touched with areas of yellow giving nighttime a reassuring warm glow.

The book follows a family inside as the sun goes down and as the child prepares for bed. An open book on the bed leads the child on a magical ride through the night sky. This book is sure to send everyone gently to sleep and subtly promote the magic of stories.

You can always look at Books We Recommend on everything from Bedtime to Rhyme to Toilet Training on our website.

New Book for 6-Month-Olds!

2008-07-15T14:00:00.000-07:00

As you may know, Raising Readers changes its book selections every year so that siblings do not end up with the same book.

We just started giving out Baby Says Peekaboo! (DK Publishing) to six-month-old babies at the well-child visits.

Why do we try to always include a peek-a-boo book in the Raising Reader collection? Well, because we are committed to baby's brain growth! There is something in the anticipation a baby feels waiting for a picture to be revealed in a peek-a-boo or lift-the-flap book that stimulates a baby's brain.

When you are reading a peek-a-boo book you can increase the delicious anticipation by repeating the question. For example, "Where is the baby? Do you see the baby? Is the baby hiding?" Then suck in your breath in surprise as you reveal the hidden baby under the flap and say loudly, "Peek-a-Boo!" Laugh with your baby and squeeze your baby as you do this. Doing so will make your baby even more excited to see the next page and lift the next flap!

Story Walk

2008-07-01T13:54:00.000-07:00

Raising Readers is thrilled to be working with Tory Rogers, M.D. and Jill Prescott of the Children's Co-op , the folks at Let's Go! to develop the idea and design for Story Walk.

Story Walk allows families to walk alongside a path reading the pages of a picture book--thus combining literacy and physical activity.

We are developing the pilot with Cathryn Falwell's SCOOT! because of all its delicious action words.

Cathryn has created additional action illustrations that show kids how to move like the animals in the story.

Stay tuned for more news on the program. Now scoot, scurry, hurry, your way to the Story Walk Photos.