Let's celebrate! Jan. 27 is Family Literacy Day and ABC Life Literacy Canada's "Read Together, Grow Together" campaign is a wonderful resource to explore at abclifeliteracy.ca.

ABC Life Literacy Canada is a national non-profit organization that inspires Canadians to increase their literacy skills. They mobilize business, government and communities to support life-long learning and achieve its goals through leadership in programs, communications and partnerships. ABC Life Literacy Canada envisions a Canada where everyone has the skills they need to live a fully engaged life.

There's a colouring contest associated with Family Literacy Day that your child can enter and possibly win a Hasbro gift pack. Some other areas on the site to investigate are: tips, activities and resources; Family Literacy Day Activity Book; The ABCs of Family Literacy; and Literacy Tips for Kids.

Another interesting aspect of this site is the fact that you can connect to great literacy ideas sent in by parents through such social networks as Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube. The icons are on the top right of the title page.

Because I joined through Facebook, a few days ago I received a page of suggestions. One example is from Christine Nesseth who wrote, "When we're grocery shopping we pick out one fruit, vegetable or special ingredient that we've never tried eating. When we get home we go on the Internet and find a recipe that uses that new ingredient. During our research we usually learn something new about the food, where it comes from and what it's used for. A cooking, history and geography lesson all wrapped up in one."

And, don't stop after the 27th. Keep going on a daily basis with one or more of the many ideas suggested by parents such as by Sheri Robertson www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=512661931. She says, "We practise our spelling words in the tub with crayon soap."

My suggestions are to read daily--just 20 minutes a day makes a huge impact on a child's learning--and read Canadian books. We have a wealth of wonderful Canadian authors and illustrators for all ages writing poetry, information books, novels and picture books.

- Marilynne V. Black is a retired elementary teacher librarian who completed a Masters of Arts in Children's Literature from UBC in 2005. She has been acting as a children's literature consultant for a number of years and can be reached at mvblack@shaw.ca.