Reading is Fundamental is asking us to act now to reinstate RIF's funding.  From their website:  "The President's proposed budget for fiscal year 2009 eliminates the Inexpensive Book Distribution Program, which is the RIF Book Distribution Program. Unless Congress reinstates funding for this program, RIF would be unable to distribute 16 million books annually to the nation's youngest and most at-risk children."  Please consider contacting Congress in support of RIF via this link  (it's easy!).  And thank you to the children's lit bloggers who brought this to my attention.

[I love the cover image on The Art of Reading: Forty Illustrators Celebrate RIF's 40th Anniversary (Dutton, 2005)--Fred Marcellino's cat and mouse remind me a little of my kids when they're reading together.]