Our Literacy & Reading Wiki

Welcome to our Wiki of literacy and reading resources.  We are are resource for parents, teachers, librarians ... virtually anyone who is interested in reading with kids and helping them grow into independent, successful people. We don't expect every child to become a bookworm, but we do want them to be confident readers.

This is also the home of resources related to or mentioned in Share a Story-Shape a Future, an annual literacy blog tour that first launched in 2009. The goal of the Share a Story event is to promote reading and literacy by offering practical ideas and tips for engaging kids as readers. One of the things that made the first event so valuable and exciting was that we collected and organized tons of ideas related to reading with kids. For the 2009 event we created a Literacy Resources Kit and a Giant Book of Lists. Both of these items are magazine-style products that can be printed and carried with you.

One of the lessons learned with our 2009 event is that there is so much information, and it changes so frequently, that we can't rely on a website, a blogroll, or even an annual magazine to fit it all in. That's why we created this Wiki. Here you will find information organized, cross-referenced, and digestible in ways that aren't possible in a blog. The information here is timeless ... so even if you didn't know about a particular list or ideas back in 2008 when it was written, you can still benefit from it today.

We've organized the Wiki with folders built around a specific idea. Within each folder, you'll find pages that have more specific, focused content. Here is an annotated index of our content

Booklists & Reading Ideas  -  Within this folder you'll find lists and suggestions. The pages are filles with links to ideas, articles with tips for raising readers, and booklists of every sort: ebooks and audio books, booklists organized by audience, booklists built around a theme, and even lists that answer the question "If you liked X, then you might like ..."  (also known as Read Alikes)

Creative Literacy - Learning to read isn't always about deciphering the letter combinations on a page. Playing Games, singing songs, and drawing all contribute to literacy. Writing is an important complement, too. Within this section of the wiki you'll find ideas and tools for engaging children in activities that are fun ... and just happen to benefit literacy.