Neil Gaiman reads The Graveyard Book free online

"It's kind of like The Jungle Book, only instead of a jungle it's a graveyard. It's about this 2-year-old whose family is killed, and who is adopted and brought up by dead people and taught all the things that dead people know." ~ Neil Gaiman ~

It doesn’t get any better than this for Halloween and even after; author Neil Gaiman reads all eight chapters of his Newbery Medal and Hugo Award-winning bestseller, The Graveyard Book, online and free of charge.

Going hand-in-hand with a new literary tradition started by Gaiman, “All Hallows Read,” this online telling intends to put spooky, spine tingling books in the hands and minds of children for Halloween.

Each chapter of the Graveyard Book is almost like a novel unto itself and is presented in video format.

Chapters vary in length from approximately 25 minutes to just over an hour.

Suggested reading levels for The Graveyard Book are ages 9-12, but more often than not, Gaiman’s superb storytelling and rich language as well as imagery crosses boundaries well into the adult world.

In a different video that is below and not part of Gaiman’s book tour readings, he shares his inspiration for The Graveyard Book.

You can connect to Gaiman’s free video readings of The Graveyard Book at Mr. Bobo’s Remarkable Mouse Circus, the author’s official website for young readers.

After you hear the entire book, you may want to view some of the informative question and answer sessions that took place during his book tour.

Enjoy!

PBS KIDS Reading Rainbow turns its last page

After 26 years of giving children reasons to read and opening up the possibilities that the love of literacy provides, PBS KIDS Reading Rainbow turned its last page Friday, August 28, 2009 when the powers-to-be gave the popular television show walking papers.

Over the years, Reading Rainbow was hosted by the genial yet kid-energizing Hollywood star, LeVar Burton, and even with the show garnering two dozen Emmy wins, a Peabody Award, TV Critics Award and NAACP Image Awards those factors did not prevent the program from being shuttered.

As an educational, as well entertaining children’s show, ranked only after Sesame Street and Mister Rogers Neighborhood in longevity, this demise comes as a total surprise.

What caused it? Apparently, it was twofold. Budgeting constraints being one cause (no surprise in this economy) but the other reason, which marked the show for the hit list was an initiative started with the Department of Education under the Bush administration. This initiative placed emphasis on providing children with the basic mechanics for reading, such as phonics and spelling, a niche which the current PBS KIDS program Super Why! fills quite nicely.

In an interview done by Ben Calhoun on National Public Radio’s (NPR) Morning edition, Linda Simensky, vice president for children's programming at PBS explained that when Reading Rainbow was first developed in the early 1980’s everyone was trying to figure out "How do we get kids to read books?"

Well, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Department of Education, and PBS have indeed provided the tools to help children learn to read with programs such as Super Why! but mechanics alone will not make lifelong readers. Once grasped, the tools for reading are marvelous to have but reinforcement is necessary.

Exposing young readers to the vast world of literary titles, as Reading Rainbow did during the last quarter century, opened children to the love of books, with the unlimited possibilities they provided, which (to paraphrase the show’s opening song) enabled them to be anywhere, and to let them be anything - that’s what’s in a book, just take a look.

Reading Rainbow will be missed.

Internet art with your youngster: Wrapping artistic genius in tissue paper

How do you get the little children in your life interested in reading and art at the same time?

It’s been 40 years since Eric Carle, the beloved children’s book illustrator and author created one of the most time-honored children’s classics, “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” and Carle’s instructive web site is an ideal starting point for garnering pint-sized interest, and sparking creative exploration along with a trip to your local library or bookseller.

This year marks a milestone of sorts for the evergreen story - it has been translated into 47 languages and has sold over 29 million copies worldwide.

“The Very Hungry Caterpillar” actually began as “A Week with Willi the Worm,” and fortunate for Carle that he took his editor’s suggestion to heart (to transform a plump, green Willi into a multi- color-splashed caterpillar) because it was the caterpillar that has become his most famous work, even though to date he has illustrated or authored a combined total of 70 other books.

Carle, a grandfatherly image, says about his littlest fans, “Growing up can be very difficult – I like to help children along.” And, that he does, as he shares his techniques in a step-by-step fashion that can be mimicked by moms, dads, extended family or caretakers, (who incidentally will probably have just as much fun as the youngsters) painting colorful tissue papers and assembling your very own collage.

This year Carle celebrates another milestone – his 80th birthday. He keeps engaged and active - commuting between two households; the museum of picture book art that bears his name in Western Massachusetts; a host of book signings and even writing his own blog.

How many of you have treasured memories of being read Carle’s wonderful tale?