We are having a heat wave.  And we have summer melt and slide for kids who move backward in terms of skills over the summer months. Unacceptable really.   This is true for reading and I want to offer a solution.  JOKES. Yes, really.  OK, I just co-authored a children's joke book related to giraffes (who face extinction by the by).  Joke writing, joke telling and joke reading all build skills with a laugh2learn approach.  They involve word play and word use and creativity and puns and common phrases.  Jokes are not as easy to write and tell as they appear.   There is a guide on the website www.ladylucysquest.com and the book is Lady Lucy's Laugh Giraffe Journey.  Available @BNBuzz and @Northshire.com. Both ship for free. Amazon is apparently out of stock.   I will be writing a longer piece on this topic  and have even thought of offering a joke camp for kids in the DC area --- to improve their skills. …see more