commitment
and most of all, fire. We cannot hope to light a fire in the hearts
of others without a fire burning in our own. Light and stoke yours,
then spread the flame fast and furious. Let literacy be your legacy."
David BouchardDavid Bouchard
Champion for Literacy/Advocate for children
"The greatest gift we can give our children is the
gift of reading. There is no magic in giving it. There is no toy
or program that will do the job for us. It takes time, commitment
and most of all, fire. We cannot hope to light a fire in the hearts
of others without a fire burning in our own. Light and stoke yours,
then spread the flame fast and furious. Let literacy be your legacy."
David Bouchard
British Columbia's best-selling author and single most sought-after public speaker, David Bouchard has presented to hundreds of thousands of educators, parents and students the world over. Through his keynotes and presentations, he champions literacy. He defines the roles and responsibilities of educators and parents in providing children with the gift of reading. His message is spelled out in his best selling book The Gift of Reading and expanded on in the sequel, For the Love of Reading.
Shared responsibility is the first step to succeeding in promoting
literacy.
Bouchard shares his perspective: "We do not need new curriculum
or harder working teachers in order to get our students to read.
We need parents, teachers and administrators who read. The key
lies in modeling." Bouchard outlines respective roles and
responsibilities in ascertaining that all children are given the
gift of reading.
Bouchard inspires and leaves his listeners with a concrete plan and the rejuvenation needed to face literacy issues head on. A former teacher and principal, Bouchard is an award-winning Canadian author of over twenty five best selling books.
David Bouchard's books have won several prestigious awards, among them: the Governor General's Award for The Song Within My Heart in 2004, the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry award for Voices from the Wild in 1997, the Red Cedar Award for The Great Race in 1999 and the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon award for illustration for The Dragon New Year in 1999. His books have been short-listed many times for Canada's most outstanding awards, among them: the Mr. Christie Award for The Great Race in 1997, the Governor General's Award for The Great Race in 1997 and for The Dragon New Year in 1998, the Sheila A. Egoff Children's Book Prize for If You're not from the Prairie in 1996, the Silver Birch Award for If You're not from the Prairie in 1996, Voices from the Wild in 1997, If Sarah Will Take Me in 1998 and for A Barnyard Bestiary, the Hackamatack Award and the Rocky Mountain Award, both in 2000.
If You're not from the Prairie is listed on MacLean's list of the Top Twenty Children's books in the history of Canada. If You're Not From the Prairie, Qu'Appelle, and The Song Within My Heart all appear on a Southam News list of 25 Canadian Children's Classics.
David is married to Vicki and their combined family totals
five: Adrien, Etienne, Todd, Ashleigh and their very own Victoria.
