I spent last Thursday with students at Bryant Elementary in Lake Oswego, Oregon. It's always a special pleasure to present to small numbers of students in the library.

The 5th and 6th graders and I did two writing workshops as well, focused on writing a letter to a "Person of the Past." They had all read APPLES TO OREGON so I gave them the option of writing to one of the characters in the story: Delicious, her mom or dad, even Baby Albert!

When asked to come up with a few sentences to finish the sentence: "You would be most surprised to find," I myself was surprised at how many of these 10-12 year-olds said, "That we use cars now but the price of gas is $4.00 a gallon so we might have to go back to horses and wagons like in your day!"

I should not have been surprised, though. These young people not only listen to their parents' worries and fears, but have their own ideas and concerns about energy and the environment.

Thoughts on the International Reading Association

This last week I had the chance to meet teachers, educators, librarians, and literacy coaches at the International Reading Association in Atlanta, Georgia. I've attended several over the past few years and this one felt, somehow, more optimistic.

Perhaps I shouldn't be optimistic about children's literature, especially the books I write which don't usually end up in chain bookstores. After all, this evening I received word from Chauni Haslet that All for Kids Bookstore in Seattle will definitely close on June 30, which is a sad loss. (I feel fortunate to be able to visit A Children's Place here in the Portland area.)

Still, I met many teachers and literacy coaches including veterans and those starting their careers who were using trade books in the classroom, in spite of slashed school and library budgets and the testing restraints imposed by No Child Left Behind.

We all need story. Yes, we need evidence-based teaching practices to help children learn to read, but most of all we need stories.