In 1968 Richard Brautigan published Please Plant This Book a collection of eight seed packets, each bearing an original poem related to its contents. Now almost 50 years later the Argentine publisher Pequeño Editor has unveiled a book that you can actually plant! The project is called Tree Book Tree and is designed to teach kids a little about the origin of paper books and sustainability. For its first release it took the popular children's book "Mi papá estuvo en la selva" (My dad was in the jungle), by Gusti Llimpi and Anne Decis, which is a true story about the...
Remembering Mary Ellen Mark, the photographer who immortalized Seattle’s street youth
“I’m interested in people who aren’t the lucky ones, who maybe have a tougher time surviving, and telling their story” – Mary Ellen Mark When we think of Seattle and the movies we usually start with the box office hits like You've Got Mail or Singles that were shot in Seattle and prominently feature our fair city but it is the documentary Streetwise, that grew out of a LIFE magazine piece by the noted photographer Mary Ellen Mark, that provides us with one of the most powerful film depictions of the Emerald City. From the preface: In April 1983 reporter...
Latest study confirms that school libraries positively impact student test scores
Well what do you know - another study, this this time from the South Carolina Association of School Librarians, confirms once again that schools with vibrant libraries and librarians make a difference. A big difference. Test scores and reading levels are higher and the chance of long-term academic success is greatly improved when a school boasts a healthy library. The evidence continues to mount yet schools all over this land are still struggling to even have a library. It wasn't too long ago when we featured the tragic plight of the Philadelphia public schools where more than 80% of the schools lack a functioning library! We have...
Independent Bookstore Day is Saturday May, 2
Are you ready for the first ever nationwide Independent Bookstore Day? Building on the success of last year's inaugural California Bookstore Day, independent bookstores across the country are getting ready for this day of celebration. And why not - after a brutal run that saw more than half our independent bookshops wiped out things have stabilized and a glimmer of hope has returned and seems to be getting brighter. Over 400 bookstores are part of the festivities and there is plenty of cool swag being produced for this special day. From signed prints by graphic novelist Chris Ware and Captain Underpants...
On the Education Front: Charter school fail, the end of the road for Corinthian Colleges, kindergarten homework with ads
A new report by the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools (AROS) and the Center for Popular Democracy (CPD) has found that financial fraud, waste, and mismanagement by charter schools has already cost taxpayers more than $200 million. The report, which focused on only 15 states!, shows a complete lack of transparency within the charter school universe and a complete lack of oversight on the federal level. “Charter schools act like they have a ‘get out of accountability free’ card...$200 million dollars that was supposed to go to schools and classrooms is just gone. And that's likely to be the tip...