Including short stories and poetry, easy readers and middle grade tales, check out these curated lists of fun books with Halloween themes to get all the young people in your life reading and asking for more!
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The NCBLA, in partnership with the
Center for the Book in the Library of
Congress, presented a Children's "Literary Lights" Readers Theater presentation at the 2013 National Book Festival. Pictured L-R: Katherine Paterson, Jon Scieszka, Lynda Johnson Robb as Cowboy, Carol Rasco as Octopus, Susan Cooper, Grace Lin, and Mary Brigid Barrett. |
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The NCBLA's recent Readers Theater included two readers
costumed as Jon Scieszka's Cowboy and Octopus, but a successful Readers Theater does not require costumes or props. Costumes designed and constructed by Elizabeth Barrett Groth. To see more of Elizabeth's work, visit ElizabethBarrettGroth.com. |
The literacy nonprofit United Through Reading was established in 1989 with a mission to unite military families facing physical separation by
facilitating the bonding experience of reading aloud together. Their vision is that all children will feel the security of caring family
relationships and develop a love of reading through the read-aloud
experience. 
United Through Reading is the nation’s first nonprofit to promote the
read-aloud experience for separated military families. United Through Reading
offers deployed parents the opportunity to be video-recorded reading storybooks
to their children, which eases the stress of separation, maintains positive
emotional connections, and cultivates a love of reading. After recording, the USO ships the book and video to the respective soldier's family to read over and over again. At nearly 200 recording
locations worldwide, Marines, Soldiers and Sailors, National Guard, Reservists
and Airmen, can read to their children from units on ships, in tents in
Afghanistan, on bases and installations around the world and at 70 USO centers
worldwide. 
The NCBLA was recently inspired by the story of two 12-year old Girl Scout Cadettes who are collecting books for their Silver project to donate to the United Through Reading station at Baltimore-Washington International (BWI) airport. The pair launched their collection efforts this past spring by asking local stores and restaurants to allow them to place book collection bins. They are also holding baked goods and lemonade sales to raise money to buy additional books. So far the two have collected and donated over 300 books to the program!
Many
kids think of writing as a burden and a chore rather than as a
pleasurable experience. Here are some suggestions to help you motivate
your students to get them writing.
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Katherine Paterson, Jon Scieszka, Lynda Johnson Robb
as Cowboy, Carol Rasco as Octopus, Susan Cooper, Grace Lin,
and Mary Brigid Barrett.
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Our nation's first two National Ambassadors for Young People's
Literature: Katherine Paterson and Jon Scieszka.
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| Susan Cooper, Mary Brigid Barrett, and Grace Lin. |
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Lynda Johnson Robb and Carol Rasco serve as masters of
ceremony costumed as the title characters in Jon Scieszka's
picture book Cowboy and Octopus. Costumes designed and
constructed by Elizabeth Barrett Groth. |
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Katherine Paterson, Jon Scieszka, Lynda Johnson Robb as Cowboy, Carol Rasco as Octopus,
Susan Cooper, Grace Lin, and Mary Brigid Barrett perform Readers Theater at the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. |
Yesterday the NCBLA presented a Literary Lights Readers Theater
performance at the National Book Festival to an amazing audience, who
gleefully participated throughout by hollering exclamations such as
"TADA!" at all the right times. We were thrilled you could join us.
Thank you!
Our
audience members are undoubtedly still talking today about the
enchanting costumes of Jon Scieszka's characters Cowboy and Octopus,
which were designed and constructed by costume and set designer
Elizabeth Barrett Groth. Thank you Elizabeth! To see more of her work,
go to elizabethbarrettgroth.com
And last but never least, the NCBLA would
like to thank Candlewick Press for donating copies of the NCBLA’s
award-winning anthology Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out and The Exquisite Corpse Adventure, which we used as special door prizes during the presentation.
The National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance and the Center
for the Book in the Library of Congress invite adults and children of all ages
to our “Literary Lights Readers Theater” to take place at the National
Book Festival on the National Mall September 22 at 4:35 p.m. in the Special
Programs Pavilion. The National Book Festival is free and open to the
public. 
Twenty members of the
audience will each receive a copy of one of the NCBLA's books Our White
House: Looking In, Looking Out or The Exquisite Corpse Adventure,
courtesy of Candlewick Press.
