sharing

Before I had my awesome threesome (Thijs, Vera, and Emma) and was dreaming of having them, I felt that it would be really sad if they would not develop a love of reading. I worried about other stuff as well but now that I am older (and a tad more experienced) I must admit that I was blissfully oblivious.

So we started them early. I have pictures (which I should have scanned in, I know) of Thijs at three months sitting on my love's lap looking interested in a magazine; of the girls at 1 year old sitting in the middle of the living room floor surrounded by books, concentrating on reading. Books were always on the lower shelves, easily accessible for little ones. Some of the books did not survive their love or show the signs of their multi-sensory explorations.

when live gives you mealy apples....bake applecake

One of our fun outings together was spending a morning or afternoon at the library, picking books until my two largest totes were filled to the brim, then go home and continue the session with reading them all huddled on the couch.

going to the library is still a favorite outing for me

I remember Thijs reading while walking down the stairs. I remember Emma's wishlists containing nothing but books. I enjoy discussions with Vera about whether or not Alaska meant to ...do what she did at the end of the book (no spoiler alerts here). I will give some credit to selected teachers along the way for promoting inspiring and challenging books to keep them interested.

Perhaps it is no surprise that my girls have now decided to embark on a journey this coming summer to promote literacy. Which is what I wanted to share with you all, whomever you are. They applied for a grant but did not get it, and decided to go ahead anyway and try to fund it themselves.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1865607874/the-road-to-literacy

http://theroadtoliteracy.tumblr.com/

Emma writes:

The Road to Literacy

Hi everyone! My friends and I are doing a kickstarter project called The Road to Literacy where we are going to drive across the country and visit some of the least literate cities in the United States to read to kids and give out books. It would mean so much if you guys could help us make this dream a reality. I want to give these kids who might not otherwise have access to books a chance to foster a love of reading. I have always loved reading and now I finally have the chance to help other people, too. 

So if you can, please check out our page and share it. We only have 30 days to fund this guys! Help out!

One of their friends on the project, Lissy Elle, wrote:

Those that follow my work may know that I discovered photography as an art-form when I was 13 and It quickly became an escape from the trials of adolescence, and an excuse to let it soldier on. The allure of fantasy to me in regards to my photographs came with the realization that childhood is a thing wasted on trying to be an adult, and from that my favourite concept became the sheer whimsy and fantasy and curiosity that you felt before everything was a popularity contest.

 I owe my imagination and therefore my career to vigorously reading every book I could get my hands on as a child, and scribbling down every original thought in my head in order to find a way to make it come to life. It saddens me to know not all children have the childlike imagination that a lot of us have held dear far into adulthood. With thisKickstarter I hope to make a small step forward in fixing this problem.

For 1 month, myself and 3 of my friends are going to drive around America dressed up as Fairy Tale Creatures and promote literacy by reading to children in the least literate cities in America, as well as handing out free books and helping children sign up for library cards. I want to wake up every morning in a different city, dressed up like Alice in Wonderland and instill the same excitement and wonder in these children as the very first time my mother read Harry Potter to me.

It would mean the absolute world to us if you would consider donating to our cause or taking the time to look at our Kickstarter and read more about what we’re trying to accomplish, and maybe pass it on to a friend or a friend of a friend or your grandmother or your boyfriends really cool uncle.

Thank you so much for reading! Check out our project The Road to Literacy,

Check it out!