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As my kids get older, it seems like it’s harder to find the time to read to them. By the time dinner dishes are put away, and backpacks are packed for the next day, it’s pass everyone’s bedtime and there is no time to read. While there is no substitute for a parent and child getting together to read, there are sources out there to help fill in the cracks.

The Smart Television Alliance
The Smart Television Alliance a great online source for parents and caregivers to easily find television programming that is educational and entertaining for kids, on the parents’ schedules. They’re also a committed supporter of the NEA’s annual Read Across America project. They even had some of our kids’ favorite TV characters give them reading suggestions.

The Smart Television Alliance has partnered with the Disney Channel to produce a Public Service Announcement to help impart the importance of reading to children everywhere. The Disney Channel asked Super Bunny, star of the new Playhouse Disney series “Bunnytown,” to read his favorite bedtime story to a friend - A Boy and His Bunny. You can see the video below.

kidthing™
kidthing released an animated digital version of Horton Hears A Who! by Dr. Seuss for Read Across America Day. It’s available for free exclusively on for download on kidthing. The pages come to life on your computer screen with animation, narration and sound effects. Parents also have the option to turn the sound off and read the book aloud. It’s very slick but as a parent you are totally in control to what books you’re downloading.

kidthing is a secure internet-based global learning platform for children, parents, teachers, family and friends that delivers the next generation Internet-based learning environment through its proprietary distribution, publishing and social networking platform. Parents and teachers can purchase, customize and personalize content for kids and can share this in private sharing groups. Publishers and content creators around the world can make their works available in the kidthing store in an enhanced electronic format. It’s sort of an online version of Kindle for children’s books with social networking features.

YouTube
There are many videos of books from Rosemary Wells to Curious George available on YouTube (probably bootleg versions, I’m guessing. I’ve created a playlist on YouTube of some kid friendly titles for my kids to watch. (I’d love to post a video here, but it keeps goofing up my blog.)

According to the Jenkins Group:

• 58% of the US adult population never reads another book after high school.
• 42% of college graduates never read another book.
• 80% of US families did not buy or read a book last year.
• 70% of US adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years.
• 57% of new books are not read to completion.

So what are they doing? Watching TV! (Among other things.) So no matter if you’re for or against the writer’s strike, your television viewing habits could be affected. So why not pick up a good book instead?

Family Activities for the TV-less

There are lots of book suggestions here at A Readable Feast including YA (young adult) titles. You can look on the right sidebar for books I haven’t reviewed yet like Bobbie Dazzler or Little Skink’s Tail. Or check out November 2006’s posts for Thanksgiving and holiday book ideas.

Did you see the Target toy catalog in last Sunday’s paper? The kids and I were excited about all the new board games out, especially Monopoly Disney Pixar Edition. Why wait for Christmas?

How about cooking as a family? FamilyFun.com has a whole bunch of kid-friendly Thanksgiving cooking ideas like Tiny Turkey Dinner Cupcakes and Tom Turkey Nuggets.

Lots of good new movies out there to rent or buy like Meet the Robinsons, too.

But if you must watch TV (and I understand - we all want to relax and “jell” for awhile) how about introducing kids to classics like the Andy Griffith Show or the original Star Trek? Both are in reruns on various local and cable stations. There’s always educational TV like the Discovery Channel, PBS, and the History Channel.

How is your family going to handle the writer’s strike?

1. Watch reruns of our favorite TV shows.
2. Watch shows we don’t normally watch on TV.
3. Watch sports on TV.
4. Do family activities like play games, cook, go to the community pool, or make a craft.
5. Rent lots of movies.
6. Turn of the TV and READ.

Though it was a challenge at first - What? We’re going to sit quietly and read books? No way! - Nathan’s and Lucie’s enthusiasm grows daily for our summer reading program. So far we’ve logged over 480 minutes per child. I’m participating in my library’s adult reading program and have read three novels so far.

They’re enjoying the books and the visits to the library. (Though sometimes it’s hard to get them to leave. I had to carry a screaming Lucie out of the library last week.) They’re also enjoying the rewards they’re getting from the library - ice cream at Good Times, kid’s meals at IHOP, and pizza from Pizza Hut.

So, how’s your summer reading program going? Do you need a little inspiration? Then check out these links:

• Scholastic’s Summer Reading Buzz - If you haven’t already done so, become a member. The site also features lots of help for parents including suggested reading lists and reading tips.
• Woman’s Day Magazine - This is a great resource for article on how to raise a reader or be a good role model for your child. Don’t forget to enter this month’s contest to win a Scholastic Pocket Reference Set.
• How to Raise Children Who Love to Read - By Carol Boles at interactive DAD Magazine - If you’re wondering why some children grow up to become successful readers and possess a love for reading, the answer is simple. Their parents have made a commitment to their reading development.
• Reading Alone Does Not Turn Children Into Bookworms - by interactive DAD Magazine - , Study Finds Genes, not just environment, play a large role in determining whether children will be bookworms.
• Turn Your Child Into A Reader - by interactive DAD Magazine - School is out and it’s the perfect time to plan a summer reading adventure for your child. The good news is planning that adventure will be very easy.

Continue Reading »

The past few years I’ve been reading a lot of tweenager books. Granted, some books like Harry Potter and The Dark Materials Trilogy weren’t around when I was a kid. Still I’m catching up on all the reading I missed like the The Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit, and the A Wrinkle in Time series.

So what was I reading as a preteen?

MAD and Cracked magazines. (Thanks to the Cracked Magazine Cover Site for the picture.) Tiger Beat and Teen Beat. National Geographic Kids. Seventeen. As a teenager, I would later graduate to Creem, Circus, and Trouser Press since I was hungry for all things punk rock and new wave (with the occasional side order of Springsteen and Cheap Trick, too).

Except for Saint Judy Blume classics like, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret and Blubber, I can’t remember what books I was reading. I just remember going to the library almost every weekend.

I was - and still am - a magazine junky. I receive several cooking and parenting mags (love those free - or nearly free - subscriptions). I also get some writing journals, and news magazines, too. My secret indulgences are Vanity Fair, Bust, Bitch, and Smart Company. And if you haven’t discovered Brain, Child - The Magazine For Thinking Mothers yet, get a subscription NOW!

So, ‘fess up? What were you reading as a preteen (magazines or books) and what magazines do you subscribe to now?

Enquiring minds want to know!

Just want to give you a quick tour around A Readable Feast to explain what I’m trying to do here. First, you’ll notice below the ads on the left side, Nathan’s and Lucie’s lists of what they’re currently reading or being read to. (Or in Lucie’s case, carrying them around the house then taking them along in the car to look at.) On the right side are all the books I’ll be reviewing, taking recipes from, or recommending in some fashion in the upcoming weeks.

How do I pick the books? Well, there’s the plethora of books those nice publicists and publishers have been sending me once I emailed them about this blog. Yes, folks, blogging has perks - free books! I’m Miss Goody Two Shoes and feel obligated to review each and every one of them, which is why my personal blog, A Mama’s Rant, is turning into a book review site these days.

Then there’s the books I’m actively looking to write about, which I pick up at my local library. Here’s a shout out to Jan, Suzanne and all the fabulous librarians at the Carbon Valley Library, and to the Weld Library District’s website. Since my local library is a teeny 1,000 sq. feet, they don’t have the room to carry many of the books I want. Instead, I request a book online, and it arrives at my branch in a day or two. What service!

Then there’s the occasional Usborne Books. Yes, you can buy them on Amazon.com, at Borders, or occasionally through Scholastic Books. Instead, support your local Usborne consultant, often a mom or grandma in your own neighborhood, and buy them directly from her.

Finally, there’s the Leveled Library Committee at the Carbon Valley Academy. I’m the board liaison helping the teachers find grants and funding. In a nutshell, we’re building a leveled reading library for the K-3 graders to use in a group setting to improve their literacy skills per No Child Left Behind requirements. I’m sure one of Nathan’s and Lucie’s future first grade teachers will pass on some great book ideas.

So as you can see, I have many resources for books. Now off to the kitchen to chow down!