It's OCTOBER 1!!!!

Binge, Bingo & Books

I live for October 1st. Especially since we left the east coast, it feels like I can create my own experience of fall starting right around now. September is always still too hot and reminiscent of summer, but by now, we’re in it. Wrap me up in this SATC quote till the end of the year baby.

“There is a time of year in New York when, even before the first leaf falls, you can feel the seasons click. The air is crisp, the summer is gone. And for the first night in a long time, you need a blanket on your bed.”

Tell me you don’t feel the crisp air!

Now that I’ve managed to drop a Carrie Bradshaw quote into a post about great civics books for kids, let’s get into it.

It’s binge season. Curl up with a good book, pull up the blanket, bring out the fuzzy socks.

To kick off Civic EQ’s Book Bingo Challenge, I’m pointing you in the direction of some really special books to binge with your kids in the month leading up to the election. Find a virtual way to mark them off or print the card below and turn it into civic art with different stickers for each box (if you need a printable PDF, just send me a message).

But first, I have to give Jason Alexander major props for working overtime for civics this past weekend.

We hosted our second Storytime with Civic EQ on Saturday morning to a packed bookstore.

It was a total pinch me moment.

He read one of my favorite children’s books ever, Click Clack Moo, Cows that Type (check out my interview with the brilliant author Doreen Cronin last month) and helped officially introduce the Book Bingo Challenge.

We gave away so many baby-sized tote bags.

But seriously it was so packed!

One of the best videos ever captured on an iPhone:

In my very brief opening remarks (as Jason needs no introduction), I noted that probably every adult in the room felt like they grew up with Jason Alexander. It’s true. “Civics” might not be a destination topic for most of us, but nostalgia and solid entertainment brought everyone in, and it was a real win.

Let’s start reading!!

• Check out Readable Moments’ post 5 Kids’ Books About Voting. I love the way Sri Juneja writes about her memory of the first time she voted.

• Can we read? by Sarah Miller is a weekly guide to children’s books, raising readers, and how to build a culture of reading in your home. She has a fabulous post on Children’s Books About Values where she makes a compelling distinction between moralistic, overly-didactic children’s books and ones that organically convey values we all want for our little ones (without screaming VALUES!!!).

• I also loved this: A Growing List of Picture Books about Citizenship by the non-profit Doing Good Together, whose mission is to empower families to raise kids that care about kindness and helping others.

Happy fall and happy reading.

More soon,

Sarah