About the Holiday
The radio has provided entertainment, news, comfort, and information and has united people both near and far ever since Guglielmo Marconi invented it in 1895. Today, radio continues to be an important part of people’s lives around the world. February 13 was established as World Radio Day “to celebrate radio as a medium, improve international cooperation among broadcasters, and to encourage both major networks and community radio to promote access to information, freedom of expression and gender equality across the airwaves.” This year UNESCO calls on radio stations to uphold diversity, both in their newsroom and on the airwaves. According to UNESCO, this initiative encompasses three main sub-themes:
- Advocating for pluralism in radio, including a mix of public, private and community broadcasters;
- Encouraging representation in the newsroom, with teams comprised of diverse society groups;
- Promoting a diversity of editorial content and program types reflecting the variety of the audiences.
To learn more about World Radio Day and find a Celebration Kit to download, visit the UNESCO World Radio Day website.
A Fox Found a Box
By Ged Adamson
Fox was diving over and over into the fluffy snow looking for food. But one head-first leap wasn’t so soft—“Ouch!” Fox discovered an unusual-looking object under the snow and pulled it out. Fox and the other animals gathered around to study it. Finally, Owl said, “‘I think it’s a box.’” The box had a “stick on top that moved,” and curious “round things” on the front. Fox tried turning one.
Copyright Ged Adamson, 2019, courtesy of Schwartz & Wade.
Suddenly, sound filled Fox’s den. “‘The box is singing,’” chirped the birds. The animals began to move along with the music. “It felt nice.” Every day the animals listened to the box. The music was always different. Sometimes the animals listened quietly; sometimes they danced. At night the music wafted through the forest.
Copyright Ged Adamson, 2019, courtesy of Schwartz & Wade.
But one morning the box stayed silent. No matter what the animals did, the box refused to sing. The animals missed their box. But then Fox heard a “drip! drop! drip! drop!” He felt his ears twitch and his tail swish the way they did to the music from the box. The other animals began to notice the sound of the wind, the river, and the “chitter chatter of geese.” Even the snow made a beautiful sound when they walked in it.
And that wasn’t all they noticed. Smells tickled their noses and the drifting snow tasted delicious. There was always a gorgeous view. Now, every night the animals went to sleep to the music of the forest. “It felt nice.”
Copyright Ged Adamson, 2019, courtesy of Schwartz & Wade.
There’s a quiet magic to this tale that is as enchanting as the first snow of winter. Ged Adamson’s simple entreaty for people to look on their surroundings with new eyes and appreciate all they see, hear, smell, taste, and experience also touches on the joys of the unexpected and on the melancholy of and recovery from loss. Through it all these friends—who exude the charm, kindness, and thoughtfulness of all of Adamson’s characters—relish their time together, sharing whatever comes. Adamson’s adorable forest animals, rendered in a smart, fresh color palette, will make readers of all ages smile as they revel in new-found emotions while gathered around the radio and, later, when rediscovering their familiar woodland home.
A charming layered story perfect for read alouds on its own or in combination with various styles of music for listening and movement story times, A Fox Found a Box would be a favorite on home, classroom, or public library bookshelves
Ages 3 – 7
Schwartz & Wade, 2019 | ISBN 978-1984830531
To learn more about Ged Adamson, his books, and his art, visit his website.
World Radio Day Activity
Box Radio Desk Organizer
With a recycled box and the provided printable templates you can make a desk organizer that looks like a radio with this fun craft!
Supplies
- Cardboard box – Use an empty cube-shaped tissue box, pasta box, or any small box
- Wooden chopstick, stick, or straw
- Printable Radio Face Template
- Aluminum foil
- Glue – a hot-glue gun works well on the cardboard; regular glue for the buttons and tape for the station tuner window
- Paint (optional)
- Paint brush
- Scissors
Directions
- Prepare the box:
- Choose a box to be your radio. In the pictures I used a cube-shaped tissue box and a penne pasta box with a cellophane window in it.
- If you are using a box without an opening in the top, cut the top or bottom flaps off of one end of the box, depending on where you want the station tuner window to go.
- Paint the box:
- You can paint the printed front, back and sides of the box.
- OR if you want a plain box to use “as-is” or to paint: take the box apart at the seams and turn it “inside out.”
- If you are using a pasta box with a window in it, tape the stations tuner template to the cellophane window before gluing the seams
- Glue the original seam and flaps (a hot-glue gun works well).
- Paint. Let dry
- Cut out the radio dials, speaker, and stations tuner window and attach to box
- To make the antenna, wrap the chopstick, stick, or straw in a strip of aluminum foil
- Attach the antenna to your box:
- For pasta boxes tape the antenna to the inside corner of the box
- For cube tissue boxes, make a hole in the right hand corner and push antenna in
- Use your Radio Desk Organizer to hold pencils, rulers, bookmarks, anything!
You can find A Fox Found a Box at these booksellers
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound
Picture Book Review
celebratepicturebooks.com 