We are celebrating all things READING during Read Across America Week (Feb 28 - Mar 6, 2022) with our friends at The Hop Ice Cream!

Check out our top 5 ice cream-inspired tips for celebrating reading every day!

THIS WEEK ONLY!
(Feb 28 - Mar 6, 2022)

Make a purchase in The Hop’s online store and a portion of proceeds will go directly to community-powered literacy programming at R2S. Pints, ice cream cakes, merchandise, and more - don’t miss this unique opportunity to support a great local literacy organization and get your hands on delicious ice cream!

TIP 1: EXPLORE NEW FLAVORS!

Do you enjoy trying new flavors of ice cream? The Hop Ice Cream has you covered with Cardacoco Latte, King Cake, Royal Cherry Cheesecake Crumble, Punk’s Not Dead (Pumpkin), Girl Scout Thin Mint, Lavender Vanilla, Unicorn Poop (wildberry with Nerds candy), and more!

Similarly, it’s always a fun idea to explore a variety of book genres. Outside of incredible picture books, both fiction and nonfiction, unique genres of children’s books include:

• Kid-friendly mysteries
• Fantasy fiction
• Children’s poetry
• Great biographies
• Animal books
• Science fiction
  
• Collections or box sets, i.e., Magic Tree House, Tristan Strong, Harry Potter, etc.

No matter what type of book your child reads, thoughtful comprehension questions play an important role in deepening their experience and understanding of the text. Check out this free reading comprehension guide from Read to Succeed with suggestions for fiction and nonfiction.

TIP 2: TRY NEW TOPPINGS!

Toppings are not just a great way to jazz up her favorite scoop or two; they also create a brand new experience with your sweet treat.

Try fun extension activities to extend your child’s experience with a book! Extension activities might look like a craft, writing exercise, a field trip, etc. Some go-to expert ideas include:

• Beginning, middle, end - write and draw what you heard/read in the beginning, middle, and end of a story.
• Create new endings for stories - if you were the main character in the story, what would you have done the same or differently?
• Create your own illustrations for the story - re-read and draw along!
• Explore questions and outcomes - if you could speak with the author of this story, what would you ask? What would you want to tell them?
• Make connections in the text:
  • Text-to-text (Does this remind you of another book you’ve read? What are some similarities and/or differences?)
  • Text-to-self (How do you see yourself in this story? Have you shared an experience you can relate to this story?)
  • Text-to-world (Is there anything you see in this story that you can connect to your real world?)
  • Field trip the topic (Was your book about nature? Go outside and explore with a nature walk! Did your book highlight creativity and art? Visit a culturally-responsive art gallery in town. You get the idea!)

Discover more inspiration for extension activities on Pinterest, Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT), Education.com, and Reading Rockets.

We are also big fans of the Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR) Student Center Activities, which offer hundreds of printable phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary activities kids love!

TIP 3: TRY A NEW VESSEL

Prefer a cup to a cone? No worries! No matter how you serve it, reading can always be meaningful, engaging, and fun. Some of our favorite ways to eat up our favorite books include:

• Physical books - check out one of Buncombe County Libraries’ 13 branches across the county for free access to not just books but movies, music, e-books, family programming, historical records, and more.
  
  Did you know? All Asheville City Schools and Buncombe County Schools students can use their Student ID number to access and borrow public library books and resources! Learn more

• Audio Books - listening to stories helps build oral comprehension skills and exposes children to new words (helpful for growing vocabulary). Access free audio books through your local library or online apps like Audible, Libby, Hoopla, and Google Play.
  
  
• E-books - this modern medium found its heyday during the COVID pandemic as many families turned to online reading resources for remote learning. Not only can you find free e-books through the NC Digital Kids Library, but free eBooks through Kobo, Epic,
  
  *Don’t miss Free Online Reading Resources
  
  
• Reading apps - reading and early literacy apps like Duolingo ABC and Star Fall make it easy to practice essential early literacy skills on-the-go or during designated screen time. Often gamified and targeted to specific skills practice, reading apps are
  
  *Don’t miss 8 Great Free Reading Apps for Kids

TIP 4: MIX IT UP!

Sundaes, shakes, ice cream cakes - there are lots of ways to incorporate ice cream into a new and exciting treat. Find unique and creative ways to infuse everyday family activities with elements of reading and writing.

• Make grocery lists together
• Write snail mail for family and friends and go to the post office together
• Play games with reading elements (i.e., Pokemon Go, Exploding Kittens, Scrabble Jr., etc)
• Read recipes and cook together
• Read road signs, maps, and license plates when on the road
  
  *Don’t miss 15 Fun Ways to Weave Reading Into Family Time

TIP 5: GO BACK TO A FAVORITE AUTHOR!

Is The Hop your family’s go-to ice cream maker in Asheville? Ours too!

Similar to trying lots of offerings from The Hop (hello, Monday Milkshakes!), you might find a fabulous author with lots of children’s and YA books under their belt. Some of our favorites include:

• Derrick Barnes: Crown, Ode to the Fresh Cut, King of Kindergarten, I Am Every Good Thing, Ruby and the Booker Boys
• Vanessa Brantley Newton: Grandma’s Purse, Becoming Vanessa, Just Like Me, Let Freedom Sing, Don’t Let Auntie Mabel Bless the Table
• Jp Miller: Black Stories Matter Series, Leaders Like Us Series, Careers in the Military
• Kwame Mbalia: Tristan Strong (trilogy), Black Boy Joy (17 stories celebrating Black boyhood), and The Last Gate of the Emperor duology
• Jacqueline Woodson: The Day You Begin, This Is the Rope, Each Kindness, Pecan Pie Baby, We Had a Picnic This Sunday Past, and more!

From our R2S family to yours, happy holidays! Check out our 2021 wrap up video above covering top highlights of our work since July.

As schools re-opened their doors these past few months, Read to Succeed jumped full force into bringing community-powered literacy programming to children, families, and community partners in Asheville and Buncombe County. Top highlights include:

• Providing one-to-one and small group tutors to over 55 elementary students in five schools and community partner after school programs (and adding more students each week)
• Training 100+ early childhood and afterschool staff at community partners in the fundamentals of how children learn to read and how to best support reading development
• Hosting Summer Reading Carnivals for 225+ families across Asheville, engaging numerous community partners, Black businesses, and celebrating reading with families
• Participating in six school and community-sponsored family events to bring books, literacy games, live readalouds, and learning supplies to local families
• Distributing 500+ culturally-responsive children’s books featuring Black protagonists to children and families around Asheville

Requests for more reading tutors and support for family reading events pour in from partners and schools every week. We cannot do this work without your generous support.

Celebrate the magic of reading this holiday season, and invest in community-powered literacy programming in Asheville and Buncombe County!

Click here to donate securely online or send a check to
Read to Succeed, P.O. Box 18652 Asheville, NC 28814.

We sincerely appreciate your support and wish you a holiday season of happiness and the joy of reading!

Are you looking for racial justice and equity trainings, workshops, or educational opportunities in Asheville and Buncombe County? Don't miss our go-to list below. And please leave a comment if you have others to add to the list!

Building Bridges
Building Bridges was founded in 1993 on a mission to dismantle racism by fostering relationships rooted in action and accountability. The organization provides programming opportunities for those who wish to strengthen their knowledge through a nine-week virtual session. Add your name to the interest list to be added to their next round of discussions and conversations.

Hood Huggers
Hood Huggers was founded on the guiding principles of restoring history and peace to neighborhoods in Asheville that are historically Black while providing education about the ongoing community-led work.

Hood Huggers offers walking tours ($25/adult; $15/youth ages 4-17) offered on Fridays and Saturdays with two options;

• Eagle St: Explore East End Valley Street by foot in Downtown Asheville and discover galleries and shops featuring art and merchandise from BIPOC creators and artisans, You'll also visit, The Block, Stephens Lee Community Center, YMI Cultural Center, and significant African American architecture.
• Burton St: Founded by E.W. Pearson in 1912, Burton Street is one of Asheville’s oldest African American neighborhoods. Learn more about the Burton Street community on this walking tour and visit the local Peace Garden and Community Center.

Driving tours: $39/adult; $20/youth, ages 4-17

• Offered on Fridays and Saturdays, driving from Burton St Community, Downtown, and East End Valley.

YWCA Racial Justice Workshops
The YWCA in Asheville took their Racial Justice Workshop for staff and opened it to the public so any community member interested in bettering their understanding of racism and racial justice can attend. This three-part workshop helps familiarize participants with the language in racial justice to better understand how racism affects everyday life. It also introduces the work of the YWCA and explores the history of injustice in the United States. Sign Up for the January Workshop series here.

YMI Cultural Center
As a landmark on the Register of Historic Places, the YMICC opened its doors in 1893 as a center for Black life in Asheville. Ever since, they have been on a mission to promote cultural preservation and uplift Black community members and Black excellence. Learn more on their website for tours, rentable space, monthly art installations, and more.

Racial Equity Institute (REI)
REI is an alliance of institutional leaders, organizers, and trainers devoted to creating equitable systems and organizations. They offer trainings that equip organizations and individuals with knowledge, tools, and skills to challenge patterns of power and address upstream systems-change barriers. REI trainings span multiple "phases" and are offered both in-person and virtually nationwide. Check out their schedule for 2022 here to register.

We are giving great THANKS for our friends and partners at Barnes & Noble Biltmore Town Square. For the second year in a row, Barnes & Noble Biltmore Town Square is hosting a holiday book drive for Read to Succeed culminating in a Family Reading Book Fair on Saturday, Dec. 18th.

What: Holiday Book Fair
When: Sat., Dec 18, 2021 (All Day)
Where: Barnes & Noble Biltmore Town Square
(33 Town Square Blvd #100, Asheville, NC 28803)

Join R2S staff, volunteers, and families at Barnes & Noble Biltmore Town Square on Saturday, Dec 18th for a family-friendly Book Fair! In addition to games for kids, there will be free cookies, books, and more. Plus, when you shop, you can present this voucher and ensure a portion of your sales goes to R2S.

The books we receive from the book drive are used throughout the year at events like our summer reading carnivals, family reading nights with local schools and community partners, and to create end-of-year book bundles for local families.

Spread the word about the book drive on your own social media platforms including Facebook & Twitter (Instagram below).

Thank you to Panashe Real Estate in Asheville, our R2S Sponsor of the Month! Panashe's dedication to the Asheville community inspired this month's blog article on giving back.

Enjoy the article above? You may also like:

10 STEM-Inspired Books With Black Characters
8 Great Free Reading Apps for Kids
Vocabulary Jar - Fun Family Literacy Idea
15 Fun Ways to Weave Reading Into Family Time
Read Aloud Tips for Young Readers (And Their Parents)
35 Things Kids Can Read That Aren't Books

We are thrilled to have Olivia Fingold on the team for the 2021-2022 school year! Olivia joins us from Duke University’s North Carolina LiteracyCorps program, a statewide consortium of AmeriCorps members working to build the capacity and impact of community and campus-based literacy programs. 

Get to know Olivia in our quick Q&A with her below:

What is your favorite children’s book?
My favorite children's book is "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle. I have very early memories of this book and its vivid imagery and also love that it has maintained its icon status to this day.

Where is your favorite place to read?
I love to read outside when the sun is shining and the weather is clear. On days like this I feel like I can be transported anywhere between the pages of a book.

What’s the last thing you read, book or otherwise?
The last book I read was "The Overstory" by Richard Powers, a narrative story told by five individuals that all revolve around trees and their significance in life.

If you could have one author, dead or alive, over for dinner, who would it be?
I would love to have Anissa Gray over for dinner; she wrote "The Caring and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls," a book that has had a massive impact on me over the past year.

Who inspired your love of reading?
My fifth grade teacher Mrs. Pahl inspired my love of reading by providing read aloud time every day for our class. During the read aloud, one student was chosen to be a note taker and write down words or phrases that stood out from the text for the class to discuss afterwards. I cherished this time and looked forward to it every day.

What’s your favorite book-to-movie adaptation?
My favorite book-to-movie series is Harry Potter. My older sister used to read one chapter out loud to me every night before we went to bed and I remember the thrill of waiting in line for a copy with her and packing into a movie theater to watch it the moment the movies were released.

When is the last time you read to someone else?
I went to the lake with a friend and their mom and brought a book along about a month ago. I hadn't started reading it yet and started discussing it with both of them when I offered to read it aloud. I only read a couple chapters but was instantly reminded of the power of sharing stories and coming together over a text.

If you wrote an autobiography, what would it be titled?
My autobiography would be titled “Carpet Tales”, and would contain an anthology of old journal entries from second grade up until now. Most are short, hysterical to look back on, and almost all written while sitting on the ground.

What is your favorite genre to read?
I love reading character-driven fiction with strong narration. These kinds of books give me the same feeling I get while watching a great movie where I feel fully immersed in the characters' lives.

What is one of your favorite things to do in Asheville/favorite aspect of Asheville?
I love that Asheville sits in the Blue Ridge Mountains where there is endless beauty and opportunity to be outside.