Last week, Pam Allyn shared a post on Edu@Scholastic, our blog about education and learning. In it, she declared 2015 to be the year of diversity in children's literature. She speaks about the importance of being able to recognize oneself in the stories and characters that we read about. Take a look at the preview of her post below, and click through to read the rest!

"Diversity is the heartbeat of our humanity. Books are mirrors into our inner lives, and also windows to the world. Our school and classroom libraries, on and offline, should be a reflection of both.

Finding a character who lives part of your own story is deeply powerful for a growing child. The thrill that ran through me when I recognized myself, my scrawny, shy, dreaming self, when I read Anne of Green Gables, or the thrill that ran through me when I recognized another part of myself in Jo in Little Women, who penned her stories in her "garrett," is unforgettable to me. All children should have the opportunity to have that thrill run through them, the recognition of a character that is alike to you at your core."

... read the full post at Edu@Scholastic

March 4th, 2015 is World Read Aloud Day, a very important day started by Pam Allyn, the founder of LitWorld and an ambassador for our Open a World of Possible literacy initiative. Pam sought to elevate the conversation around reading aloud and to the need for universal access to books, so this day is dedicated to that cause. We are so proud to have her join us on March 4th to speak more about it! Details below!

Twitter Chat: Reading Aloud
Join Pam Allyn and author Kwame Alexander (who just won the Newbery Medal for The Crossover) for a Twitter chat at 10am ET on March 4th. They'll be taking over @Scholastic to chat with parents and teachers, share tips, and answer questions. 

PBS NewsHour Chat: Reading Aloud
Then from 11am-12pm ET, Scholastic's own parenting expert Maggie McGuire will host a Facebook chat with PSB NewsHour around the subject of reading aloud, and how parents can engage their kids around reading in easy, meaningful ways every day. Maggie will be joined by Pam Allyn and Dr. Perri Klass from Reach Out and Read. Come prepared with questions!

If you do one thing today, listen to this. Over the weekend, Pam Allyn spoke with NPR about literacy in the digital age, the power of pleasure reading, and how our new inititative, Open a World of Possible, works to promote and celebrate every child's right to read.

In this 45 minute interview, Pam talks about her own experiences with reading, from childhood discoveries to the magic she encounters today through teaching and travel. I love how she tells students that even she is a struggling reader; she comes across hard passages and get frustrated as an adult reader just like they do. 

She also talks about the power variety, how parents and teachers need to model good reading behavior, and the importance of allowing choice. How kids need to experience the freedom of selecting a book because it sounds interesting to them or because the title makes them laugh. Pam said it best when she said "when I read, I’m choosing to read because it matters to me, not because someone told me to do it." Whatever the reason, kids need ownership over their chioces.