The chance to be here and not here

Check out this letter sent to Obama from children's book authors and illustrators (thanks d for the ref). Key passages:


"Our public school students spend far too much time preparing for reading tests and too little time curling up with books that fire their imaginations. As Michael Morpurgo, author of the Tony Award Winner War Horse, put it, 'It's not about testing and reading schemes, but about loving stories and passing on that passion to our children.'

Teachers, parents and students agree with British author Philip Pullman who said, 'We are creating a generation that hates reading and feels nothing but hostility for literature.' Students spend time on test practice instead of perusing books. Too many schools devote their library budgets to test-prep materials, depriving students of access to real literature. Without this access, children also lack exposure to our country’s rich cultural range."