As I was reading through some of my Twitter feed, I snagged this link to Book Riot.
http://bookriot.com/2013/04/17/critical-linking-april-17th-2013/
What I love about this site is that they provide links to all things books. However, sometimes the conclusions drawn from the links are a tad, well, errant is the word I will use to be kind. This particular day, two links related to the topic of COMMUNITY in very different ways. The first link examines a study that shows the positive effects of the library on reading and reading achievement. We know this already. Access to books at home is key. This is the reason the students in my children's lit classes do a project that involves identifying a hine that needs books and supplying them (from the hundreds if books we provide free). What bothers me here, though, is the comment following the link that states if a family "cares enough" to spend money on books...as if the lack of books in the home is always a choice. As we conclude National Library Week, we might remind ourselves that not all homes have "extra" income for books. I relied on libraries often growing up and as I was rearing the grandkids it was a godsend, too. We need to do more to remind kids and parents of this valuable resource.
The second link concerns the banned books list topped by Captain Underpants. I have already blogged about it here. Freedom to Read is essential. If there are titles on this list, check them out. Donate them to the school and public libraries, too.