| About Rita Soltan |
| Rita, an experienced children’s librarian, worked in public libraries in both New York and Michigan for more than 30 years. Rita holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education/Spanish Literature and a Master of Library Science, from Queens College of the City University of New York. She also holds a Master of Arts in Teaching Reading and Language Arts from Oakland University, Rochester, MI. Rita has conducted numerous workshops for librarians, teachers and parents using literature throughout the curriculum. She has organized and led many different book discussions for groups including Mother/Daughter and Father/Son book clubs, as well as, groups for children and family reading. She has been involved in planning and implementing numerous staff development programs including literature conferences that incorporate provocative book discussion and was responsible for initiating the annual "Literature and the Child" conference held, under her direction, in southeast Michigan from 1995-2004. Rita is the author of Reading Raps: A Book Club Guide for Librarians, Kids and Families (Libraries Unlimited/Greenwood Press, 2005). She has written two articles for the MLA Forum, an electronic journal for the Michigan Library Association, Precocious Readers, and The Tween Market . Her latest article, Fairy Tale Characters Breathe New Life , is for the ALSC journal Children and Libraries, Summer/Fall 2007 issue. Her newest book, Summer Reading Renaissance (Libraries Unlimited/Greenwood Press) is scheduled for publication in September, 2008. Currently, Rita is a regular reviewer for Kirkus Reviews, Horn Book Guide and School Library Journal. She is also teaching at Oakland Community College in the English and Library Technician departments. |