Author/Illustrator: Esphyr Slobodkina Age Level: 4 and up

This timeless classic is a story about a peddler

and mischievous monkeys and is great for

beginning readers! After stealing the peddlers caps while he naps, the

monkeys mimic the peddlers actions while he tries to convince them to

return the caps. This delightful tale has a clear beginning, middle and end

for younger children to learn about predictions and sequence events. With

recognizable patterns, it’s no wonder this book has been a welcome addition

to bookshelves for decades. Your children will laugh with delight when the

peddler learns the secret to getting his caps back!

Author: Paul Showers Illustrator: Aliki

Age Level: 4 and up

This book is not only a wonderful read, it’s perfect to add to your nightly

routine as the weather warms and spring fills the air. The Listening Walk

is the story of a little girl and her father and the sounds they hear.

Footsteps, a sprinkler, crickets and more—this book encourages children

to listen to the sounds around them. This book describes a neighborhood

walk, but listening walks can occur anywhere! Camping, at the park, in

the grocery store. So don’t be surprised if your children want to go on

their own listening walk after reading this book!

201 S. Garfield St., Room 13 Kennewick, WA 99336

NONPROFIT ORG

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PAID

PASCO, WA

PERMIT # 109

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Book Reviews

Our mission: To encourage and educate

families and caregivers about their important role in raising a

reader, support schools in assuring that children read on grade level by the end of third

grade, and facilitate community involvement in helping young readers be

successful.

S tudy after study proves that children

who are read to have more academic

success. Unfortunately, those same studies

report that about two-thirds of children

living in poverty in America have no books

at home.

We are grateful to have active

community businesses and partners who

understand that literacy starts with access

to books, and have been fortunate to benefit

from book drives that allow us to make sure

families and caregivers can help children

develop a love or reading.

Through a partnership with Kadlec

Medical Center, we held five book drives at

the Tri-City America’s hockey games and

collected more than 860 new and gently

used children’s books from the community.

This past holiday season, we also were

the recipients of the Barnes & Noble

Holiday Season of Giving event. Customers

were able to purchase a collection of books

in which a portion of the proceeds went

directly to the Reading Foundation. The

Holiday Season of Giving event brought in

more than 2,600 books.

We also participated in the 2013 Family

Expo at the TRAC in Pasco in January,

sharing our message of Reading 20

Minutes a Day, as well as educating more

than 5,000 patrons about the programs

under the umbrella of the Children’s

Reading Foundation.

By the Numbers

Garden Montessori School parents, teachers and

students collected 149 books

Kamiakin High School students and faculty brought

in 270 books

Barnes & Noble Customers provided 2,600 books

Tri-City Americans Fans

donated 860 books

Total: 3,879

Thank you for your support!

Board of Directors:

Suzanne Heaston, President

John Neill, Past-President

Jessica Blankenship, V. President

Chris Eerkes, Secretary

Kyle Cox, Treasurer

Bonnie Taylor

Nancy Kerr

Brad Fisher

Andy Perdue

Scott Mitchell

Alysia Johnson

Liza Nagel

Jill Brog

Lorraine Cooper

Nancy Sauer

Michelle Turner

Randy Way

Sean Simmonds

RB McCord

Martin Valadez

Executive Director: Amy Ward

201 Garfield St., Rm. 13 Kennewick, WA 99336

award@readingfoundation.org www.read20minutes.com

Community Gives Books

Engaging kids at the 2013 Family Expo

Winter 2013 Winter 2013

Engaging kids at the 2013 Family Expo

Community advocate Deanna Hawkins with Mission Support Alliance has always been a reader, and especially enjoyed reading about far-away places. She shares her tip to help raise a successful reader:

As a Navy brat, we moved all the time, and I was lucky to have lived all over the world. I thrived on the anticipation of finding out where we would move next. As soon as my father received his next military assignment, I would run to the base library to find out all I could about the new destination. When I had kids of my own, I wanted to make sure they enjoyed reading as much as I did. To make it fun, I began stocking up on kids’ books. And, when my kids started losing teeth, I began leaving a new book and a dollar bill under their pillow in place of the tooth. I always wrote a message of encouragement to keep reading from the “tooth fairy” on the inside of the book. My kids always looked forward to losing a tooth because they knew they would be receiving a book from the tooth fairy. A word of warning though—don’t do what I did with my youngest child who was almost 10. One night he lost a tooth late in the evening and I was out of books! Therefore, I panicked and recycled a book I had given him previously, thinking he wouldn’t notice. Well, he did. And he tells me today that was the day he figured out Mom really was the tooth fairy. Oh well, the intentions were good, right?

Thank you Deanna for sharing your story!

Volunteer tutors work one-on-one with struggling readers in 1st through 3rd grade for thirty minutes

twice a week. Team Read operates in the Kennewick School District and trains new volunteers.

First-time expectant and first-time parents with children under the age of 1 can attend FREE education workshops and be eligible for a free book each month from the Dolly Parton

Imagination Library for up to five years.

L etter recognition is imperative for a child to become a reader. It’s the foundation for forming

words, and there are a lot of great resources available for parents and guardians to make learning letters fun. Chances are, plastic Easter eggs will be readily available this spring. Use the eggs as an opportunity to help your child connect upper and lowercase letters together using the smaller half for lowercase and keeping the eggs color coordinated. You can add stickers of objects that start with the same letter, such as a basketball on the egg with the letter ‘B’. Make the letter’s sound with your child as they make the upper and lowercase connection when you spread out the egg halves for them to play and learn. For older children, create a series of rhyming words on the eggs. On the larger half you can write the word ‘at’, for instance. The smaller half can have an assortment of letters that create words with ‘at’, such as ‘m’, ‘p’, and ‘c’. The child can rotate the single letters to make different rhyming words.

First time classroom teachers in grades K-3 working in local schools receive a free classroom library of 100 books. This program is supported by Goodwill Industries of the Columbia.

Parents and caregivers with children birth to age five can attend FREE classes to ensure their children are ready for school. Classes are free to Kennewick residents and

available in the spring, winter and fall.

Books for Babies provides a new board book and early reading information to each new mother after the birth of a child at local hospitals. Mission Support Alliance is the proud sponsor

of this program.

Our Summer Reading Program ensures kids stay engaged in literacy activities during their break away from school. The program consists of story time at various locations in our community and

begins in June with weekly themes and guest readers.

C h i l d r e n ’ s R e a d i n g F o u n d a t i o n

P r o g r a m s a n d A c t i v i t i e s

Read to Lead Keynote

Speaker Steve Leahy

W e are excited to announce our Steve Leahy as the 2013 Read to Lead Keynote Speaker.

Leahy is the Washington State Director for America’s Edge, an organization focused on strengthening businesses and the economy through investments in quality early care and education with the goal of ensuring a more skilled and better educated workforce. And the investment will pay for itself over time with a rate of return of up to $16 for every $1 spent. The Read to Lead breakfast event takes place at the Three Rivers Community Center on May 9th and starts at 7:30 am.

M ark your calendars for the annual Books & Vines dinner and auction event! On

September 12th, guests will enjoy an evening under the stars with live entertainment, incredible wines and

a gourmet dinner, live and silent auctions. Sponsorship opportunities are available, including corporate tables. Individual tickets can also be purchased. Contact Executive Director Amy Ward for ticket and sponsorship information at award@readingfoundation.org.

get involved! Make it your business to

Event: Read to Lead Date: May 9, 2013 * 7:30 am - 8:30 am Facts: Business community event that kicks off with an inspirational speaker, warm breakfast and call to action Event: Books & Vines Date: September 12, 2013 * 5:30 pm - 9:00 pm Facts: Community event that provides entertainment, food, wine, dancing, live and silent auctions Event: Free Family Mini Golf Date: June 22, 2013 * 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm Facts: Family event in a relaxed and fun atmosphere. Donations go directly to your local Reading Foundation Event: Adult Mini Golf Tournament Date: June 22, 2013 * 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm Facts: $200 per team, includes Taco Truck dinner and two drink tickets (additional drinks can be purchased)

Title sponsorships: $5,000 Supporting Sponsor: $2,000 Table Sponsor: $1,000

Title sponsorships: $10,000 Hospitality Sponsor: $5,000 Table Sponsor: $1,000

FREE! Donations accepted

Title sponsorships: $1,000 Green Sponsor: $500 Team Sponsor: $200