Saturday, October 03, 2009

That's What It's Called? Oh, Look Who Is On The List!

I am familiar with the game of folding a paper up and having a story (or image) made, with each person doing part, with no idea what came before or after.

I had no idea it was called Exquisite Corpse. Really? It has a real name? And one so cool?

The National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance and the Library of Congress have an awesome project called The Exquisite Corpse Adventure: "Yes, you have found The Exquisite Corpse Adventure educational resource center—the go-to place for supplemental E.C.A. activities to unlock the creative monster within even the wariest writer or artist, as well as a treasure trove of rich resource material for the more serious-minded who can’t get enough information about reading, writing, books, and literacy."

In a nutshell, the project brings a lot of A list children's and young adult authors and illustrators together to tell an Exquisite Corpse story. The chapters and illustrations appear at Read.Gov. You can sit back and enjoy the story as it unfolds (a chapter by Jon Scieszka is up now; the next one, by Katherine Paterson, will be posted October 9); you can also use this as a springboard and inspiration for other activities and reading at your home, school, or library.

Part of the online resources include a Literacy Resource Treasure Chest. With a whole section called Blogs That Inspire. How cool is that? Children's/young adult literature blogs are being nationally recognized and appreciated for what they do and what they contribute.

Who is this list, you may ask? It's a fabulous list that, while short, manages to include a number of different voices. They are:

Jen Robinson’s Book Page;

 the blog for the Association for Library Service to Children;

A Fuse #8 Production on School Library Journal;

Notes from the Horn Book: News About Good Books for Children and Teens;

PlanetEsme: The Best New Children's Books from Esme's Shelf;

Read Roger: The Horn Book Editor's Rants and Raves;

Richie's Picks;

Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast; and

ShelfTalker: A Children's Bookseller's Blog.

Congratulations, all!

© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

2 comments:

Jen Robinson said...

Thanks, Liz! Great explanation of how the whole ECA works, too.

Color Online said...

Thanks for sharing this, Liz and kudos for Jen for being listed.