Thanks are due to the 20 volunteers on the Festival of Books Committee who
helped to plan for and staff last weekend's event. These individuals designed
t-shirts, bookmarks, banners, and fliers before the event and did an outstanding
job sharing information and welcoming potential volunteers during a long weekend
at the booth. Many thanks to all - the event would not have been a success
without you!
May's Theme: Family!
This May, Reading to Kids participants will enjoy books about Family.
Not surprisingly, these books have a wealth of wonderful discussion topics.
Our (fabulous) volunteer Curriculum Committee planned great craft and discussion ideas, which you can find
here.
One of the best books this month,
Chicken
Sunday is from exceptional author and illustrator Patricia Polacco. It is
autobiographical, detailing Polacco's own lasting bond with two
boys and their grandmother. This beautiful book
offers some great discussion options for our 4th graders, including reflections
on what it means to be a family.
Reading to Kids' most-read author, Eve Bunting, is back again this month with
the 3rd grade selection,
A Day's
Work, set in Los Angeles. This book, which features a young Mexican-American
boy and his non-English-speaking grandfather, is a great story for anyone who
has ever had to help a relative or friend who could not communicate in another
language. Given that 84% of our kids live in households where English is
not the primary language, it's likely this story will really resonate with them!
And, the 1st grade and 5th grade selections are going to be very popular this
month! We're reading the exceptionally popular
Love You
Forever in 1st grade. How much does the mom in this book love her son? So
much that when he's a grown man with a family of his own, she still sneaks in
his window to rock him and sing to him at night. Sounds a bit creepy, but this
book has been through 68 printings -- that's how popular it is.
Charlie
and the Chocolate Factory is our 5th grade selection, and all you Wonka-lovers
are bound to be pleased! This book (for the handful who haven't read it)
features a little boy named Charlie, his bed-ridden grandparents (who all sleep
in the same bed), and a giant and mysterious chocolate factory to which Charlie
and Grandpa Joe gain access by winning a golden ticket hidden in a candy bar
wrapper. In typical Roald Dahl fashion, there are many bizarrely satisfying
moments, as when a greedy Augustus Gloop falls into a river of chocolate. Enjoy!
How to Help: Donate Your Older Computer!
If you are replacing your older computer with a new, snazzy model, please
consider donating your older computer to Reading to Kids. Occasionally, we
raffle computers to kids at the schools. This not only helps us boost attendance
by kids, who learn about the raffles and come out in larger numbers, but also
helps us to get much-needed computers into kids' hands.
Many of the children we work with do not have computers at home, and owning a
computer could change a whole family's life. Please consider making this very
important donation!
Thanks for all your support!
Yours,
Maryanna Abdo
Program Director
Reading to Kids
1600 Sawtelle Blvd, Suite 210
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 479-7455
(310) 479-7435 (FAX)
info@readingtokids.org
