Tips for Reluctant Readers
RIF RAP
April 2022

As RIF of NOVA celebrates 50 years in 2022, we are hearing from our community of supporters!

"MahoganyBooks is a proud supporter of Reading is Fundamental of Northern Virginia. We share with RIF of NOVA a goal to provide books that represent the amazing diversity of so many young people who deserve to have their stories seen and heard. Our world is much richer because of it. Congratulations RIF of NOVA for 50 years of fostering the love of reading."

-- Ramunda Young, Owner/Co-founder MahoganyBooks and Emeritus Council member, RIF of NOVA
"The Seward Group is excited to wish Reading is Fundamental of Northern Virginia a happy 50th anniversary. We appreciate the work you all do to promote reading, literacy, and the love of books for Northern Virginia's children. Wishing you continued success -- and happy to be a proud supporter!"

-- Melody Abella, Real Estate Agent and Founding Partner, The Seward Group

What WAS happening in the children's book world in 1972 when RIF of NOVA began? On a special page on our website, we will count backward from January through December to reach the top-selling book of 1972.

Number 9 on the list is: The Upstairs Room, a 1972 Holocaust survivor autobiography by Johanna Reiss documenting her childhood in occupied Holland during the Nazi invasion. The book, published by the Thomas Y. Crowell Co., won many awards, including a 1973 Newbery Honor and the 1973 National Jewish Book Award for best children's book.
Spring Book Distributions at NOVA RIF Schools
Gobble Up a Sweet Read!

What a sweet way to encourage reading! Herndon's Hutchison Elementary School librarian and NOVA RIF liaison Marci Hoyt welcomed her students to a week-long reading fest in early March with books and some sweet treats, too! Those lucky enough to pick the right lollipop were able to choose TWO books to take home forever! How sweet is that!!!
Patrick Henry Feb 22 1
Patrick Henry K-8 School Gets Into Character!

Children at Patrick Henry K-8 in Alexandria picked out NOVA RIF books dressed in book character costumes. Library media specialist and NOVA RIF liaison Lauren Neal led the way in her unicorn costume! A serious blast for all! Find a full listing of photos of books distributions from this school year on our website, linked here!
Patrick Henry Feb 22 1
Patrick Henry Feb 22 3
Cover Story:
Sneaky Ways to Get Kids to Read More!
Display subtitles during TV watching? Hook them by listening to audio books while in the car? How about leaving the comics in a convenient place? Or playing board games and letting the kids read the game instructions?

These are a few strategies listed in an article in Today's Parent. For many children, reading is hard or takes too much time with all the other activities of life. What can parents do? Sneak in some reading when the kids aren't looking, says blogger Jacqueline Miller -- sort of like "sneaking veggies into pasta sauce." It all adds up! Find that article by clicking here.
A Poem to Welcome a Little One
Families about to welcome a baby have so many things to do to prepare...buy a crib and car seat, set up a new baby's room, buy books to read to the newborn, etc.! Few are lucky enough to have a new baby poem written just for them. Little One started just this way...as a poem for a friend. Emily McDermott turned it into a book about a mother's love as she anticipates her son's arrival. Read more about Emily, her book, and her specialty poetry business in our website feature: Celebrating Local Children's Book Authors.
Special Book Givers!
The Welcome Club of Northern Virginia (WCNV) held a book drive to help NOVA RIF. When delivering the books -- along with some checks to buy additional books -- WCNV's Connie LePore (middle of photo) said, "Such a good cause! Enjoy the books and use the money for more." (We will!) Also pictured are Karen Peterson (l) and Judy Huber (r). All three are former teachers. Whoo hoo! Thank you, WCNV!
The children of the Primrose School of Haymarket participated in a book drive in early March, resulting in 346 books for NOVA RIF. As part of the drive, the children learned about Og the Bookworm and the wonderful character trait of CARING. We are grateful to Assistant Director Tina Curtis and the Primrose families for caring and for collecting these special books for NOVA RIF children.
*Contribute online by Paypal or credit card at: https://donorbox.org/donate-to-rif-of-nova. Donate links can be found on every page of our website, too.
*Send a check to our mailbox:
RIF of NOVA
P. O. Box 7012
Arlington, VA 22207-0012
Other options to help:

*Register with smile.amazon.com. Type in Reading is Fundamental of Northern Virginia, Inc. to select us as the charity you want to support. Amazon will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases to RIF of NOVA. The 0.5% can really add up!
*If your workplace holds a United Way campaign, designate RIF of NOVA as your chosen philanthropy. Our United Way # is 8959.

Thank you for any donation -- no matter how big or small! And thank you for being part of the RIF of NOVA community!
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