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News Release99-05 National Library of Canada launches the 1999 edition of Read Up On It for Young CanadiansOttawa, September 26, 1999 -- In conjunction with The Word on the Street literacy and reading festivals, the National Library of Canada is launching its Read Up On It kit this morning in five cities across Canada: Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and Halifax. The Read Up On It kit, now in its 11th year, is an annual bilingual guide to the best in Canadian literature for children and young adults and is based on the National Library of Canada’s Canadian Children’s Literature Collection <www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/childrenliterature/index-e.html>. The free kit is designed to encourage young people to read, on their own or with their families, and to read books by Canadian authors or illustrators. Entitled "Tickle Your Funny Bone!", the 1999 kit contains a list of humorous Canadian children’s books. The National Library has chosen an illustration by Dayal Kaur Khalsa (1943-1989) to grace the cover and to represent the theme for this year. The National Librarian, Dr. Marianne Scott, notes: "Humour and imagination are two indispensable components found in the works we have selected for this year’s kit to enable children in Canada and elsewhere to appreciate another facet of literature for young people." Bookmarks celebrating humour will be available today at the booths of the following public libraries which will be exhibiting at The Word on the Street festivals across the country: Vancouver Public Library (Vancouver), Calgary Public Library (Calgary), Toronto Public Library (Toronto), and Spring Garden Road Memorial Public Library (Halifax). A special launch will be held in Montreal on Wednesday, October 20 during the ASTED conference in Sherbrooke (Quebec). Throughout the year, Read Up On It will be delivered to over 30 000 groups and individuals across Canada, thanks to the sponsorship of Canada Post. In addition to Canada Post, the National Library of Canada recognizes, with appreciation, the other major contributors who made the 1999 edition possible: National Literacy Secretariat (Human Resources Development Canada), Canadian Library Association, ASTED (Association pour l’avancement des sciences et techniques de documentation), and the Canadian Federation of University Women. The electronic version of this year’s and past editions of Read Up On It can be found on the National Library’s Web site at <www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/read-up-on-it/index-e.html>. Free copies of the 1999 Read Up On It kit are available from: National Library of Canada |