A Dandelion Story: Calgary Reads is Spreading Early Literacy Across Calgary Beloved non-profit’s early literacy initiatives to be carried on by community partners CALGARY, AB—At a time when children need help learning to read more than ever because of the pandemic, Calgary Reads is scaling up by spreading its early literacy mission across the city: Several community partners will carry on its critical early literacy work and raise the next generation of readers. After forming 22 years ago with a one-to-one volunteer tutor program for struggling young readers, Calgary Reads has bravely incubate ..read more

The Calgary Reads Big Book Sale is Back May 6-16 Sale returns after a two year hiatus, allowing thousands of Calgarians to discover pre-loved books and help children become joyful, confident readers CALGARY, AB— In just a few weeks, Calgarians will have the chance to shop more than 150,000 gently used books at one of the city’s most beloved events: The Calgary Reads Big Book Sale. Now in its 18th year, many sale-goers eagerly anticipate the chance to stock up on everything from children’s books and mysteries to bestselling novels and popular self-help books. Not everyone knows that the Big Boo ..read more

Celebrate Family Literacy Day with us by participating in our family reading challenge: 27 x 27! The challenge is simple: Read 27 books by Jan. 27—Family Literacy Day. We’ve created a reading tracker that doubles as a bookmark so you can get inspired by your progress and reflect on all the wonderful stories you’ve read together. Enter to win a family Lit Kit Enter to win our NEW Lit Kit box! The Lit Kit ($200 value) is packed with love and bite-sized ideas for joyful reading. To enter, all you have to do is send a picture of your completed 27 x 27 book tracker to communications@calgaryreads.co ..read more

Dear Calgary Reads friends, As I reflect on this past year, one word continues to surface: joy. Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are. As we looked for a new way to connect young readers who would benefit from one-on-one time reading with 55+ volunteers, our digital e-wee read program took off. To see the smiles of children and caring readers connecting—even virtually—brought everyone involved great joy. Our plans for the return of the Big Book Sale last spring had to change, and though we were disappointed, as so many of you reached out ..read more

Gift the magic of reading this Christmas by creating a reverse advent calendar! What a fun and meaningful way to help children furthest from opportunity experience the magic of reading this season! Each day, add an item to a box and once it’s full, deliver to the Little Red Reading House porch (near the corner of 8th Avenue and 8th Street SE) between December 24th and 30th so we can get these reading essentials to young families in Calgary who need them most through our Reading Place affiliate partners (Children’s Cottage, CUPS, Families Matter, Discovery House and carya). Here are some instru ..read more

“Adults and children are embracing reading as a key to success in school and life and families are intentionally creating joyful reading relationships. We are so proud that our beloved Little Red Reading House has inspired our sixth community reading place at carya.” – Steacy Pinney Congratulations to our partner carya! It’s been an absolute pleasure creating this beautiful reading place with you! Read the whole story behind this project and see more photos at the carya Blog. The post Sue Mallon Reading Nook: A New Reading Place at Village Commons appeared first on Calgary Reads ..read more

We still remember the day we found out Calgary Reads had been chosen as the Willow Park Charity Golf Classic (WPCGC) for the 2020 tournament year. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to raise an amount most charities can only dream about, so in our office in the Kahanoff Centre the summer before—2019—we danced a dance of joy. Of course, like so many events meant to be held at the height of the pandemic, the 2020 tournament was postponed. As was our 2020 and 2021 Big Book Sale, the event we count on so dearly to raise funds to further our mission: bringing children their very own books, stron ..read more

She enters the Little Red Reading House, mask-clad and knapsack in tow. Our hellos are underscored by the sound of the rain hitting the pavement outside. She shakes the droplets from her umbrella and leans it against the wall of the front hall. Slipping off her shoes, she proceeds into the house.   The way Dilshad looks throughout the house – it reminds me of the way an adult might react to their childhood home decades after moving. There is wonder in her eyes. It’s as if every picture hanging on the walls, every toy resting in the baskets and every book occupying the shelves holds ..read more

Hundreds of children across Alberta could make it through the literacy loss of this last year if they had a trained volunteer reading one-on-one with them, even virtually. If you’re reading this, it’s probably been a while since you were learning how to read and maybe had a caring teacher, parent or tutor who helped you ‘crack the code’ of this complicated language of ours. It’s easy to forget that our human brains are not inherently wired for reading, that it can take an incredible amount of time reading aloud with a caring adult to help a child get to that place where ‘beat’ rolls confidentl ..read more

Why 3-6-9? At age 3, we’re helping children develop the vocabulary they need to be school-ready at age 6, and to be able to successfully make the shift at age 9 from learning to read, to reading to learn—so they can succeed in school and in life. Each talk discusses the value of literacy and different ways to support early childhood learning. Past Talks The Lifelong Value of Early Literacy How Calgary Families Are Navigating COVID19 Upcoming talks March 17, 3pm The Power of Books: Reading, Mental Health and the Comfort Collection Join Laurie Vermeylen, PolicyWise for Children & Famil ..read more