Granted

The Kids in Need Foundation is calling for applications for its 2013 grants program. The awards range from $100 to $500 and must be used for classroom projects. To apply for the program, certified pre-K—12 teachers should visit the Foundation’s website by September 30, 2013 and complete an application. Winning teachers must have a project that makes “creative use of common teaching aids, approaches the curriculum from an imaginative angle, or ties non-traditional concepts together for the purpose of illustrating commonalities.” From 300-600 grants are given each year. Check out the guidelines before applying, and examine the sponsor list to select the application that is most relevant to your location, grade level, or preference. Sponsors include: Office Depot Foundation, Office Depot Star Teacher, Ready Steady Go!, Jo-Ann Craft & Fabric Stores (for preK only), Fred Meyer Fund, and VIA Credit Union. The Kids in Need Foundation is a non-profit organization that gives free school supplies to disadvantaged school children and teachers from under-funded schools.

For the Love of Reading

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund released Raising a Reader! How Comics & Graphic Novels Can Help Your Kids Love to Read, a free resource for educators and parents written by Dr. Meryl Jaffe, with an introduction by Jennifer L. Holm and art by Raina Telgemeier and Matthew Holm. The guide explains the skills that graphic novels offer kids, how to teach reading with comics, and more. Visit www.cbldf.org to download a copy for free.

“Comics are an incredible tool for helping create a genuine love of reading,” noted Holm. “With Raising A Reader!, we set out to create a resource all about what graphic novels offer kids that includes vital information about how to read comics, how to create reading dialogues with them, and how comics are important tools for 21st-century learners.

Día Programming Award

Applications for the 2013 Estela and Raúl Mora Award are now being accepted by REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-speaking. The award recognizes exemplary programming that celebrates El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day, Book Day) or El día de los jóvenes! El día de los libros (Youth Day/Book Day). Día is a nationally recognized initiative that emphasizes the importance of literacy for all children from all backgrounds. Libraries, schools, colleges, museums, and other community organizations can apply for the award. The deadline is August 15, 2013.

The award was established in 2000 by author Pat Mora and her family “to honor their parents and to motivate libraries to celebrate Día.”

Awarded

Edie Parsons has won the first Karen and Philip Cushman Late Bloomer Award. The award is “for authors over the age of 50 who have not been traditionally published in the children’s literature field.” The award was established by the Cushman’s in association with the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). Karen Cushman published her first children’s book, The Midwife’s Apprentice (a 1996 Newbery Medal winner), when she was 53. Parsons is currently looking for a publisher for Mercury Sea, a middle grade fantasy. “The story takes place in a world where alchemy works, crystal ships sail the seas, and the industrial revolution never happened,” noted Parsons in a recent interview. Parsons will receive a $500 award and free tuition to attend any SCBWI conference.