“The ultimate literary bucket list.” —THE WASHINGTON POST Celebrate the pleasure of reading and the thrill of discovering new titles in an extraordinary book that’s as compulsively readable, entertaining, surprising, and enlightening as the 1,000-plus titles it recommends. Covering fiction, poetry, science and science fiction, memoir, travel writing, biography, children’s books, history, and more, 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die ranges across cultures and through time to offer an eclectic collection of works that each deserve to come with the recommendation, You have to read this. But it’s not a proscriptive list of the “great works”—rather, it’s a celebration of the glorious mosaic that is our literary heritage. Flip it open to any page and be transfixed by a fresh take on a very favorite book. Or come across a title you always meant to read and never got around to. Or, like browsing in the best kind of bookshop, stumble on a completely unknown author and work, and feel that tingle of discovery. There are classics, of course, and unexpected treasures, too. Lists to help pick and choose, like Offbeat Escapes, or A Long Climb, but What a View. And its alphabetical arrangement by author assures that surprises await on almost every turn of the page, with Cormac McCarthy and The Road next to Robert McCloskey and Make Way for Ducklings, Alice Walker next to Izaac Walton. There are nuts and bolts, too—best editions to read, other books by the author, “if you like this, you’ll like that” recommendations , and an interesting endnote of adaptations where appropriate. Add it all up, and in fact there are more than six thousand titles by nearly four thousand authors mentioned—a life-changing list for a lifetime of reading. “948 pages later, you still want more!” —THE WASHINGTON POST

Follow the journey of families while they complete the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten challenge. Parents/caregivers pledge to read to their children about colors, shapes, animals, cars, nature and adventure with the goal that one day their children will be reading to them.

There’s no need to spend hours trying to come up with creative programming ideas—bestselling library activity guru Kroski has already done all the hard work for you! Largely drawn from contributions by library workers across the country, this e-book is a cornucopia of ready-to-go activities, easily accessible resources, and adaptable tools for inspiring countless fun and engaging programs at your library. Best of all, these exciting low cost/no-cost library programs can be implemented using only free resources. Offering a broad selection of ideas for adults, tweens, and younger children that can be tailored to a variety of contexts, inside this sourcebook you’ll discover seniors and older adult programming resources on such topics as genealogy, financial literacy, lifelong learning, gardening, and health and wellness; career, ESL/literacy, and "just for fun" programs and book clubs perfect for adults; young adult programming resources such as the Book to Action toolkit, YALSA’s Teen Programming Guidelines, literacy and educational resources, computers and coding activities, live action roleplaying games (LARPS), and many more; free resources to teach financial responsibility to toddlers, lesson plans from NASA, resources to host an Earth Day event incorporating a “free trees for kids” program, StoryWalks and more ideas for children; makerspace, STEM, and art programming resources; Pinterest boards, idea lists, writing prompts, coloring pages, free books, and passive programming downloadables and printables; information about more than two dozen grant opportunities for funding programs; and planning templates, marketing tips, assessment resources, and tools for brainstorming and productivity.

Based on years of ground-breaking research, this book supplies a look at the unique relationship between each text and the individual reader that results in a satisfying, pleasurable, and even life-changing reading experience. Following up on her critically acclaimed Reading Matters: What the Research Reveals about Reading, Libraries, and Community, Catherine Sheldrick Ross takes a new look at pleasure reading through 30 thought-provoking essays based on themes arranged from A to Z. In short lively chapters, she discusses topics ranging from "Alexia," "Bad Reading," and "Changing Lives" to "Romance Fiction," "Self-help," "Titles," "Vampires," and "Year of Reading." Drawing on her own research as well as other published sources, Ross comments on the significance of each theme, provides examples of the phenomenon, and develops the topic chronologically, through further examples, or through reversals. The essays are unified by an underlying theory of reading that views readers as sense-makers, actively engaged in reading themselves into the text and reading the texts back into their own lives. It gives educators and librarians insights into their roles with readers and offers a message about the importance of pleasure reading. A short list of resources for further reading is supplied with each topic.

Caregiver involvement is key to a child's reading success story, and libraries are in the perfect position to provide the guidance needed for parents and caregivers to embrace their role as their children's first and most enduring teachers. Libraries offer many programs and services for children, but sometimes caregivers are left out of the equation, especially once children start school. Nevertheless, parents and caregivers are an integral part of literacy development, and libraries are a great place for them to witness modeling practices and participate in engaging family programs that encourage early literacy. Mary Schreiber combines personal experience and professional research with the programming expertise of youth librarians from across the country in this guide for libraries looking to make an even greater impact on the level of literacy attained by the children they serve. In Partnering with Parents, readers will find a wealth of information on how to talk to caregivers about the different stages of a child's reading life, what books to recommend to excite both caregivers and children about reading, and ways to encourage parent and caregiver participation in library programming, with additional information on working with and providing programming for diverse families. Whether you are a veteran in the profession or brand new to working with families, you will find something in this book that will help you to make your library a more integral part of the education community.

Concern about children's reading is an international issue highlighted by continuing OECD research. Government actions such as the priority given to reading in the review of the National Curriculum reflect current UK concern. Reading is an essential life skill not only for an individual's development and life chances but for social cohesion and a developed democracy. In an era of public spending cuts it is important to reflect upon the impact that libraries can have in growing readers for the future. This much-needed book provides valuable evidence of successes so far both nationally and internationally, and offers ideas for future development as well as inspiration for current practice. An edited collection contributed by expert practitioners, it covers all aspects of promoting reading to and with children and young people from birth right through to teenage years, including the following key topics: the importance of Bookstart how children begin to read creating young readers literacy, libraries and literature in New Zealand the Summer Challenge in libraries Stockport does Book Idol restoring reading to the classroom promoting excellence - shadowing the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway medals local book awards the sport of reading libraries and partnerships the hard to reach reader in the 21st century creative reading. Readership: Offering future scoping for managers and aiming to inspire partnership and cooperation, this will be invaluable reading for practitioners and students of librarianship in both the public and school sectors. It will also be of great interest to all teachers, consultants and educators concerned with literacy and reading, and to policy makers in both the school and library sectors.

Random Conversations talks about the lives of three friends, Justin, Deepakh and Chris, who spend their college life outside college, to say the least. As the title suggests, the book is a concoction of conversations between the three friends.The story is woven around college cultural and talks about Justin, Deepakh and Chris journey through their college years trying to make a mark in cultural competitions. The pages in this book take us through their embarrassing performances on stage, the petty challenge they take up, filthy fights with their classmates, a fake industrial visit to Bangalore, politics in College, a love story and a movie making contest. Humorous bits of their experiences are breathed into the book to give it a fresh and young feel. The book ends in a positive note with a surprise twist. Random Conversations, a conversation youll enjoy overhearing!