April is overflowing with literacy-related events. Rhyming Picture Book Month, National Library Month, and DEAR.
Beloved children’s author, Beverly Cleary is 100 years young today!
Cleary wrote about D.E.A.R. in her book, Ramona Quimby, Age 8. Since then, “Drop Everything and Read” programs have been held nationwide on April 12th in honor of Mrs. Cleary’s birthday. Learn more about Cleary and DEAR at http://dropeverythingandread.com/
I’m celebrating DEAR and the personal influence Cleary has had on me by offering my free children’s ebook.
Here are some fun facts about this American treasure (borrowed in part from mental_floss):
SHE’S A CAT LOVER.
I know many of us can relate to this one-
Cleary’s owned several pet cats over the years, one of whom used to resent having to compete with her typewriter for attention and would sit on the keys in protest.
SHE KNOWS KIDS AIN’T PERFECT.
and this one-
Cleary was annoyed with the books in her childhood, “…because children always learned to be ‘better’ children and, in my experience, they didn’t. They just grew, and so I started Ramona … and she has never reformed. [She’s] really not a naughty child, in spite of the title Ramona the Pest. Her intentions are good, but she has a lot of imagination, and things sometimes don’t turn out the way she expected.”
SHE’S ALWAYS SYMPATHIZED WITH STRUGGLING READERS.
Getting put into the lowest reading circle in first grade almost made her resent books. Phonic lists were a drag and being force-fed Dick & Jane-style narratives was flat-out excruciating. “[We] wanted action. We wanted a story,” she lamented in her autobiography. It was an experience Cleary never forgot. Since then, she claims to have always kept children who might be undergoing similar trials in mind while writing.
SHE’S NOT RAMONA THE PEST.
Although Ramona and many of her beloved books are about sibling rivalry and relationships, she grew up as an only child.
I grew up loving her books (although I think I referred to her as Beverly Clear-ly until early adulthood).
What’s your favorite Beverly Cleary book or fact?
April is Rhyming Picture Book Month, so I thought I’d celebrate by giving away my newest picture book, Dust Fairy Tales: Absolutely Aggie.
Download the ebook for FREE, this week, on Amazon. Here’s the link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0155J4Q7I/
I just discovered that UK Amazon customers are eligible for the free offer as well.
Happy Reading!
Here are some other literacy celebrations going on this month:
This April marks the 20th anniversary of National Poetry Month, which was inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996. Over the years, National Poetry Month has become the largest literary celebration in the world with schools, publishers, libraries, booksellers, and poets celebrating poetry’s vital place in our culture.
National Library Week April 10-16, 2016
First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April. It is a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation’s libraries and librarians and to promote library use and support.
Children’s Day/Book Day – El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Día) April 30, 2016
Children’s Day/Book Day, also known as El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Día), is a celebration of children, families, and reading and held annually on April 30. The celebration emphasizes the importance of advocating literacy for every child regardless of linguistic and cultural background.
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Michelle Eastman Books 