The Wash Rag, Winter 2006

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Greetings! As we begin our journey into 2006, I have been struck by the number of reports I've seen about adults "announcing" their struggle with illiteracy. I've read interviews with professional sports figures, successful businessmen, and others with great personal achievement. Despite their outward success, they have--for decades in many cases--lived with the shame and kept the secret that they could neither read nor write their name. I find myself amazed by their creativity in keeping the secret and simultaneously saddened by the weight of the pain they carry with them every day.

Then, I think about kids today. Life presents enough challenges for our children; life without knowing how to read shouldn't be one of them. Thanks to the recent stories, I have learned some of the "tricks of the trade" that hint to what may be someone hiding the fact that s/he can't read. The path to reading is one that is done together, whether student and teacher or parent and child. Illiteracy is the dark cave where one must journey alone. How would I feel knowing that my child is struggling, alone ... all while I am sitting right here, with a chance to work through this together. In the end, I am further resolved to do everything possible to keep our children away from that dark cave. What about you?

The Reading Tub, Inc. announces that Brandi P. of Maryland won the personally autographed set of My Grandma and Me picture books. Thanks to the auction, we have some seed money to begin formulating our Nonna's Voice project. Our next step is to facilitate a partnership with several sponsors. We now return to our regular programming ....

As you know, each edition of the Wash Rag includes interview with our Featured Authors. This month, Neal R. Voron, one of those authors, has an exciting offer for you. Keep reading to learn more.

John Luksetich is a teacher, whether it is standing in front of an elementary or middle school class, or writing a children's book. He has taken some of the small events in his children's lives to build stories with purpose. John is also credited with being one of the first authors to introduce animal rights to children in a thoughtful way. To meet John and learn more about the inspiration for his stories, click here.

Sherry Moore draws on the children in her life to build her stories that have meaning and purpose for teaching our youth. She's written everything from picture to middle-reader chapter books. In 2004, when she learned that her local school was turning away children because they could no longer offer free preschool, Sherry used book sales to raise the money. To meet Sherry Moore and learn more about her children's books, just click here.

Neal R. Voron is a prolific writer. His body of work includes short stories, chapter books, and songs, among others. For Neal, communication (regardless of medium) is crucial to making a difference in people's lives. To learn about Neal's philosophy, click here. Here's Neal's special offer: The first person who correctly answers the question below will win an autographed copy of The Obstacle Course, Neal's new book. Here's the question: What word does Dr. Acton say is our "foundation word"? To enter the contest, send us an Email with your name, mailing address, and your answer! To learn more and read an excerpt from The Obstacle Course, click here.

ADVERTISEMENT: Authors and Publishers. The Reading Tub is looking for Children's Authors for it's Featured Authors Program for Summer and Fall 2006. To become a Featured Author requires a $100 donation (tax-deductible). Learn more about what being a Featured Author could mean for you (or your client), click here.

Well, 2006 is showing itself to be a great year. In February we leaped over the 400 mark for registered readers, including a new international contact! Haven't registered yet? Click here to get registered. By the time we publish the next Wash Rag, we will have put into place some exclusive "members only" benefits that expand our current capabilities. If you are a Registered Reader, you'll get access to those things free for one year. Individuals not registered by April 1, 2006 will be required to pay for those services.

Speaking of dealing with expansion ... how are those New Year's Resolutions coming? We've got a winner that's good for everyone: Spend 20 minutes reading with my child(ren) TODAY! Your decision could be the difference between a successful life and a frustrating one for your kids. Which do you want for them?

Now that we've successfully transformed "Tub Side Reading" into a monthly Book Bag, I needed to find a new way to properly wring out the Wash Rag each quarter. So "The Final Rinse" is it.

My thanks to all of you who are helping to spread the word about the Reading Tub™. Whether you're talking to a neighbor or a fellow author, the result has been a tremendous outpouring of books for us. Even as we plug away at the current holdings, we seem to keep a steady 240 more titles on our shelves waiting to be shared with a child.

Thanks to you, we have been able to keep the site up and running, with FREE access to book reviews to anyone who visits The Reading Tub™ Web site. The Reading Tub, Inc. directly placed more than 100 books--valued at more than $1,200-- with Public Charities so that we can get books into the hands of those who need them most: children learning to or struggling with reading!

Until Spring .... The Reading Tub Crew

The Wash Rag, Winter 2006

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