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Tag Archives: Dr. Virginia Lowe
Intelligent reading – Comprehension in young children
Reading – we all recognise it as a core skill. By ‘intelligent reading’, I mean reading with a level of comprehension commensurate with the child’s experience of the world they inhabit. Fortunately, reading to children is now encouraged as being supportive of reading literacy and as a sound foundation for future learning.
Not that long ago, children were seen as passive recipients of the eager parent’s input via the quality time spent in ‘read to me’ and ‘bedtime story’ sessions.
I always felt sure my children were taking in much more than the professional opinion allowed.
Recently, I borrowed a copy of Dr. Virginia Lowe’s very excellent book, “Stories, Pictures and Reality: Two children tell” (Routlege 2007) based on the record of her own two children’s responses to books from birth to adolescence. Dr. Lowe’s book vindicates what I felt all along as a parent! This book should be set reading for students of primary, early childhood and remedial teaching, child and family psychology and for anyone with an interest in literacy or children’s literature!
Her children had a smorgasbord of stories proffered continuously, both Dr Lowe and her husband being librarians who were passionate advocates of children’s literature. The children’s reactions to and responses concerning elements of story and illustrations provide a wonderfully insightful peek into the psyche of the child. Both Lowe children clearly had a blessed and privileged childhood, but being ‘read to’ is within the reach of most children. Public libraries and school libraries are accessible to most families. Even if parental work commitments make a nightly ‘reading’ impossible, there are weekends and visits to grandparents when a ‘storytelling’ session can be included in the agenda.
There are other options.
Storytelling sessions are held regularly in many public libraries and are ‘free’.
And online resources such as “Ripple Reader” and “A Story Before Bed” provide a way for even absent grandparents and parents to read to their children. In the USA and Israel, ‘bedtime stories’ are part of official early education policy. Programmes like “Reach Out and Read” and “Read to Me” do a monumental job in promoting literacy and the power of storytime to be a deeply meaningful and bonding time in families.
Links for Writers – a growing resource
This series of links were included as part of an article I wrote for WQ Magazine,”Markets – from woe to go and getting a foot in overseas! ” [March issue 2011] . Sadly, the actual links had to be removed due to space restrictions so I have placed most of them here.
This list of resources, sources and publishing opportunities on the internet and elsewhere is far from exhaustive. Please do contact me if you have or know of a resource that can be included!
Review Blogs and sites
Book Review blogs
- Terry Doherty – Reading Tub and Jen Robinson – Reading Tub Blog
- Dr. Virginia Lowe – Create a Kid’s Book
- Debra Sloan – The Picnic Basket http://www.thepicnic-basket.com/
- Carol Denbow – A Book Inside http://abookinside.blogspot.com/
- Magdalena Ball – Compulsive Reader http://www.compulsivereader.com/html/
- Susan Whitfield http://susanwhitfield.blogspot.com/
- Jo Linsdell – Writers and Authors http://writersandauthors.blogspot.com
- Betty Dravis & co-bloggers – Dames of Dialogue http://damesofdialogue.wordpress.com/
- New Zealand Writer – http://new-zealand-writer.blogspot.com
- Sarah Chavez-Detka http://minorreads.blogspot.com/
- Kerry Neary http://kerryneary.blogspot.com/
- Catherine Johnson www.kangaroobee.wordpress.com
- Sandie Lee Muncaster http://imaginationcafeblog.blogspot.com/
Review Sites
All genres:
Goodreads – http://www.goodreads.com/
Children’s Literature:
Terry Doherty Reading Tub http://www.thereadingtub.com/
Reading Tub Blog http://readingtub.wordpress.com/
Marketing & Promotional Aids
- BookBuzzr www.BookBuzzr.com World’s No. 1, Free Online Book-Marketing Technology for Authors
- Freado www.fReado.com World’s Biggest Book-Winning Site
- Free Press Relese DIY site – http://www.prlog.org/submit-free-press-release.html
Magazines that publish short stories and poetry
[I have submitted a list of online journals most on Facebook, some with links – http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150093435850908 and growing.] New additions
Leaf Garden Press http://leafgardenpress.blogspot.com/
http://leafgardenpress.blogspot.com/2009/01/submissions-open.html
Rose and Thorn http://www.roseandthornjournal.com/Home_Page.html
Good Reading – http://www.goodreadingmagazine.com.au/
Children’s Writers & Illustrators:
Dream Chaser promotes children’s writers and illustrators globally. http://www.dreamchasersmagazine.webs.com/
Poetry Sites and Blogs:
- QPF – http://www.queenslandpoetryfestival.info/?page_id=11
- Graham Nunn – Another Lost Shark http://anotherlostshark.com/
- Graham gives an excellent list of inks to other poet’s blogs.
- Jessica Bell http://thealliterativeallomorph.blogspot.com/2011
- Poetry UK http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk/
- My own, under J.R.McRae : http://jrmcrae.blogspot.com/ – note review of John Knight’s “Letters from the Asylum”
Children’s Poetry
Publishers
- Salt Publishing http://saltpublishing.com/kids/
- List UK http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk/publishers/children/
- USA Children’s Poetry Publisher http://www.boydsmillspress.com/reviews/wordsong
- http://www.boydsmillspress.com/writers-and-illustrators-guidelines
- http://www.cupcakepoetry.com/?tag=wordsong-boyds-mills-press-childrens-poetry-kids-publisher-publishing
Magazines
Interview with RebeccaNewman of “Alphabet Soup” and with Meredith Costain of “Comet”, “Explore”, “Challenge “(Pearson education)
http://monthofpoetry.wordpress.com/2011/01/30/poetic-aside-publishing-poetry/
CHILDREN’S POETRY Blogs
Julie Larios – The Drift record http://julielarios.blogspot.com/
Children’s Writers’ Blogs :
- Jackie Hoskings http://www.writing4successclub.com/public/department63.cfm
- Kat Apel: http://katswhiskers.wordpress.com/
- Tara Lazar http://taralazar.wordpress.com/
- Susanne Gervay http://www.sgervay.com/blog/ [YA]
- I am endeavouring to add regular tips, tricks and resource links to my own blog, so keep posted…
Publisher’s blogs:
- Sharon Creech – http://sharonkaycreech.blogspot.com/2011/01/book-design.html#comment-form
- Tate Publishing – Curtis Winkle, Senior Editor tatepublishingeditors.blogspot.com
- Tate Publishing – Melanie Hughes, Director of Production melanieharrhughes.blogspot.com
Writers blogs – tips n tricks
Jayme Ian Woode http://jaymesianwoode.wordpress.com/
Writers’ Organisations:
Writing cross genre:
- Fellowship of Australia Writers [FAW] http://www.writers.asn.au/
- Australian Society of Authors [ASA] http://www.asauthors.org/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=ASP0016/ccms.r
- State of Writing [free] – http://astateofwriting.org.au/
Children’s/YA writing Organisations:
- CBCA http://cbca.org.au/
- SCBWI Australia and New Zealand also provides updates for members via an emailed newsletter: http://www.scbwiaustralia.org/
- QWC http://www.qwc.asn.au/
- Book Links http://www.booklinks.org.au/
Australian Poetry, books, children, children's books, children's literature, children's stories, children's verse, creative arts, creative writing workshops, e-books, Education, fantasy, Fiction, haiku, humorous poetry, humorous verse, humour, illustration, imagery, inspiration, ipad, iphone app, Literacy, narrative verse, nonsense verse, performance, picture books, Poetry, Reading, review, Reviewing, Reviews, science fiction, SCWBI, story books, Teacher Resource, teen fiction, verse, Writing, young adult fiction Carol Denbow, Catherine Johnson, Debra Sloan, Dr. Virginia Lowe, Jen Robinson, Jo Linsdell, journals, Julie Larios, Kerry Neary, Links, magazines, Magdalena Ball, New Zealand Writer, Poetry, publishers, Review sites, Sandie Lee Muncaster, Sarah Chavez-Detka, sites, Susan Whitfield, Terry Doherty