Where I Be and Where You Should Be

I'm not at work this week due to Thanksgiving break, so that means only one thing. Less posting on my part. You'll certainly get some updates today and tomorrow, but once Wednesday rolls around I'll be in a gigantic rental car listening to Harry Potter VI on CD while driving to Greensboro, NC to see my adorable newborn baby niece. Other bloggers will tell you that their nieces are even more adorable. Do not believe them. They lie between their teeth. My niece is the cutest and I should know. After all, I see little tiny babies at work all the time. And brother, they don't hold a candle to my little Alexa.

Anywho, I'll post when I can, but you may not get as much from me this week. Just remember to get your Cybil nominations in by midnight tonight and all will be well and right with the world.

Here's some info for today, anyway. Not too long ago I wrote a piece on how Cheerios was putting children's books into their boxes. I had assumed that the books would be of the same quality as those "free" DVDs you can get with your Product 19 (i.e. Week-end At Bernie's). When I discovered the the books were not only good but not the usual boring classic fare, I was stunned. I have now learned that the driving force behind this miracle was a little organization called First Book. Take a gander at this mission statement:

Giving children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books.

Books stir the senses, inspire the imagination, and spark a love of reading that can last a lifetime. Access to books is essential to reading development, yet many children from low-income families have no books at home or in the childcare centers they attend. There are millions of children waiting for your help. Donate to put new books into the hands of children in need.

Not too shabby.

One of the best things about the site is the blog, which is actually a collection of podcasts with children's authors & illustrators. It updates with startling consistency. I've also just added a podcast portion to my blogroll for this sort of thing. A big thank you to Ellen for the info.