Got an Empty Wall?

If you've ever wanted to own an original piece of art by the likes of David Shannon, Jon Muth, or Mary GrandPré, this could be your lucky day. As part of its Global Literacy Campaign, Scholastic is auctioning off twelve pieces of original art from some crackerjack children's illustrators. From the looks of the prices, the bidding is fierce, but hey, if you've got that kind of money lying around, to what better use could it be put?

Thanks to colleague and Facebook friend Lisa for the heads-up.

Read Indeed

My Google Reader unearthed this.

Nine-year-old Maria Keller started Read Indeed in 2007, hoping to get one million books into the hands of children by her eighteenth birthday (2018, in case you're counting). So far she's got just over ten thousand, passing them on to various charitable organizations. You can donate or suggest an organization by emailing her at readindeedforkids@yahoo.com.

In fact, this sounds like something for the Kidlitosphere--perhaps as part of the Third Annual Kidlitosphere Conference? Cogitate!

I love this idea, and while it undoubtedly gets cuteness/human interest points for being the idea of a nine-year-old, it also sends out the message that kids care as much about literacy as grown-ups do. Fabuloso.