SILVER BIRCH & RED MAPLE BOOKS

The Silver Birch & Red Maple reading programs bring an excellent selection of recent Canadian children’s books to the attention of all Ontario children. It rewards them by making them the judges in a province-wide event.

These programs provide teachers, librarians, parents and writers an insight into young people’s reading preferences. It further affords an opportunity to honor and encourage imaginative authors who create works with high appeal to Ontario children.

The Silver Birch books this year are aimed at the Grade 5/6 reader, offering a challenging list for these students. However, no where is it written that only Grade 5/6 students can read these titles. It will truly depend on the capabilities of the individual reader. The students who participate in this program will cast their ballots on the province-wide Voting Day. This is the most democratic and unbiased process possible when the children make their choices. The program is administered by the Ontario Library Association and run by teacher-librarians and teachers in schools, but the choice belongs to the children, and in their tens of thousands they know what they are doing.

The Red Maple reading program is offered for the enjoyment of students in grades 7/8. This program differs from the Silver Birch by virtue of its virtual nature. Students are encouraged to view the information about authors and books on a special website created for registrants (This website is currently unavailable, but will be ready soon. Check www.accessola.com to check availability). The site includes e-mail access to most of the authors and a bulletin board on which students may share their thoughts on the books. Voting for most registrants is also electronic. This is part of the philosophy of the Ontario Library Association organizers that each reading program should offer a unique focus so that no one program undermines the effectiveness of another.