In My Own Words

Story Time: Reading and Literacy Links

The links on this page offer additional tips on how to read aloud with your children, activities you can do to promote literacy, lists of well-written children's books, and more.

General Tips and Activities
Books and Authors

General Tips and Activities

www.pbs.org/wgbh/lions/tips/index.html
"Literacy Tips for the 10-Minute Parent" from Between the Lions. A collection of hints for working literacy into a child's day.

www.ala.org/parentspage/
The American Library Association's suggestions for raising a reader, using libraries, and selecting good reading materials with a child. The site includes a section on logging onto the Internet safely.

www.ed.gov/pubs/parents/Reading/
"Helping Your Child Learn to Read" has concrete ideas for how to get children to love reading and includes a range of literacy activities to do with children.

www.ed.gov/pubs/SimpleThings/
"Simple Things You Can Do to Help All Children Read Well and Independently by the End of Third Grade." A tool for families, child care providers, senior citizens, schools, libraries, universities, and other organizations.

www.ed.gov/inits/americareads
A great site, complete with online book reviews, word games, and other kid-centered materials, as well as information for families and child care providers.

www.ed.gov/Family/RWN/Activ97/
America Reads Challenge: Read*Write*Now! Fun activities that involve writing and reading.

www.rif.org/home.html
Reading Is Fundamental. Click on Family Fun for book lists, story samplers to guide your reading, and engaging activities. Try Rifnet for a variety of literacy links.

www.trelease-on-reading.com/
This site contains tips and book suggestions by Jim Trelease, author of The New Read-Aloud Handbook.

Books and Authors

www.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/
The Children's Literature Web Guide is the place to start if you want online resources related to books for children and young adults.

www.tcps.k12.md.us/memo/besall.html
Want to keep your children reading after school? How about getting involved with the Black-Eyed Susan Awards? Each year, Maryland students vote on which books and authors should receive the awards. Even if your kids aren't eligible to vote, they can still read the nominated books-quality contemporary literature for children of any age.

www.carr.lib.md.us/read/index.htm
The Reading Corner is sponsored by the Carroll County (MD) Public Library. Included are book lists, book reviews, links to authors' websites, and other handy information concerning kids' books.

www.childrensbookguild.org/authors.html
Candid thoughts from children's book authors and illustrators in the Mid-Atlantic region. Did they like writing as children? How do they know what to write about? Do they ever run out of ideas? One author even tells how many rejection slips she's received! Sponsored by the Children's Book Guild of Washington, D.C. (Book lists included.)

www.carr.lib.md.us/authco/mid-atla.htm
Mid-Atlantic Authors and Illustrators. This site features short bios, book lists, audio clips, and other information about local children's book authors and illustrators. (For authors from other areas of the country, try http://www.carr.lib.md.us/authco/other-au.htm.)

falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/storyhandbook.htm
The Handbook for Storytellers, by Inez Ramsey of James Madison University. Feeling creative? Learn how to weave effective narrations of your own that children will love.