Cozy Classics are board book versions of classic novels, each story represented by 12 child-friendly words and 12
needle-felted illustrations, with the idea of developing "
early literacy"—everything children know about reading and writing before they can actually do either. Current titles include
Pride and Prejudice,
Moby Dick,
Les Miserables, and
War and Peace, with
Jane Eyre and
Oliver Twist forthcoming.
[more inside]
posted by ocherdraco
on Mar 22, 2013 -
15 comments
The Secret Lives of Readers Books reveal themselves. Whether they exist as print or pixels, they can be read and examined and made to spill their secrets. Readers are far more elusive. They leave traces—a note in the margin, a stain on the binding—but those hints of human handling tell us only so much. The experience of reading vanishes with the reader.
How do we recover the reading experiences of the past? Lately scholars have stepped up the hunt for evidence of how people over time have interacted with books, newspapers, and other printed material.
posted by jason's_planet
on Dec 29, 2012 -
25 comments
From the mid 40s to the mid 50s
Coronet Instructional Films were always ready to provide social guidance for teenagers on subjects as diverse as
dating,
popularity,
preparing for being drafted, and
shyness, as well as to children on
following the law,
the value of quietness in school, and
appreciating our parents. They also provided education on topics such as the connection between
attitudes and health,
what kind of people live in America,
how to keep a job,
supervising women workers,
the nature of capitalism, and
the plantation System in Southern life. Inside is an annotated collection of all 86 of the complete Coronet films in the
Prelinger Archives as well as a few more. Its not like you had work to do or anything right?
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posted by Blasdelb
on Nov 1, 2012 -
41 comments
There is
Housing Works in NYC, which raises money for community based AIDS/HIV treatment and housing for the homeless. Here in Chicago we have
Open Books, who uses the money raised from selling donated books to run literacy programs and tutoring programs for children.
Now Minneapolis is getting
Boneshaker Books; an all volunteer run radical bookstore that will house the
Women's Prison Book Project and offer bike book delivery.
posted by bibliogrrl
on Jan 11, 2011 -
17 comments
You may have heard that reading is in a slow decline (
previously). We now know that such reports were either exaggerated, or at least
statistically questionable. On the flip-side of all this is the fact that reading as an activity has never been
more accessible (or thrifty!) considering the number of reputable
book swap programs available on the internet. There's no excuse now!
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posted by tybeet
on May 30, 2008 -
48 comments
Are people reading less? Government survey says:
yes. Declines in how much and how well people read “are adversely affecting this country's culture, economy, and civic life as well as our children's educational achievement.” Also the cause of poor
test scores.
Steve Jobs agrees: Kindle DOA because nobody reads books anymore.
WaPo says 1 in 4 persons read no books in 2006. And children didn't keep reading after they got through Harry Potter,
either.
So literacy's in a long slow decline.
But wait.
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posted by cogneuro
on Feb 21, 2008 -
122 comments
A new TV series described as "Sesame Street for adults" gets a wide release next month on PBS stations nationwide. Its producers hope it will reach a few of the estimated 90 million "low-functioning" grown-ups. In 1992, when researchers last rated the skills of adults 16 or older, they found that nearly half weren't proficient in applying basic skills to accomplish daily tasks. Is this a bold step toward improving the lives of less fortunate adults, or a disturbing sign of the increasing ignorance of the American public?
posted by eyebeam
on Jul 25, 2003 -
64 comments
Look and Read offers storylines, songs, video clips and my first introduction to
Wordy from this classic BBC School series. As someone who grew up on Sesame Street and
Schoolhouse Rock, I found it interesting to see the British equivalent. Plus, it's good campy
fun.
posted by snez
on Feb 5, 2003 -
4 comments
"'The best thing is being able to write my name,' says Siddiqa, 18...." Simple and powerful
lessons are being taught in Afghanistan.
posted by donkeyschlong
on Sep 23, 2002 -
8 comments
