Expiration Dates
by Judy Newman
Certain things hit me hard about how quickly time flies … the expiration dates of the spice jars in my kitchen cabinet is one of those things.
I am not a cook. I enjoy reading cookbooks more than I like cooking from them. I have two reliable signature dishes: Egg in the Hole, I learned from my mother, and Chicken Marbella from The Silver Palate Cookbook. So, when I get adventurous and try something beyond the chicken-and-egg family, I need to shop for the required spices.
Typically, I use a teaspoon or two—or sometimes even just a pinch or a dash (recipes do include excellent vocabulary words)—of those brand-new spices. But after I’m done, the jars sit in our cabinet—nearly full. Most of the time, these bottles: ground cloves, saffron threads, cinnamon verum—expire before I am motivated to repeat the recipe that called for them.
When I first purchase those spices, their expiration dates seem very far away. But when I go back to use them again, many of those expiration dates have come and gone. It seems like yesterday I was making fancy new dishes with aromatic spices, but it wasn’t.
I know of at least two schools of thought on expiration dates of spices and other products we purchase and don’t use all of. Some people say expiration dates are marketing ploys to get you to buy more of a product prematurely. Others say the expiration dates are legit and you should abide by them and throw away expired products or dire health and well-being consequences will ensue. I don’t know the real reason, but it’s annoying—and feels so wasteful—to throw away all these beautiful spices. I guess the message is: I either need to stick to Egg in the Hole and Chicken Marbella or cook more often with the spices I’ve purchased.
And maybe … one of the reasons I prefer reading to cooking is that excellent children’s books never expire.
In my family, we are currently three active generations of readers who devour children’s books. We all love to read: The Little Engine That Could; Make Way for Ducklings; Blueberries for Sal; Little Bear; The Cat in the Hat; Are You My Mother? and Bread and Jam for Frances are in continuous rotation. These are titles that have been on our family bookshelves for decades. And then, almost every week, we add newer favorites like Tony Baloney, Hairiette of Harlem, Pete the Cat, Henry and Mudge, No, David!, and Yasmin to our reading lists.
These books—and the many others we get from our beloved Watchung Booksellers, school book fairs, and the public library—come from a wide range of authors and illustrators, but they have one thing in common. They will not expire as long as there are children and their teachers and families who understand and appreciate the importance of choosing and owning your own books, which motivate kids to read, build their home libraries, and develop a culture of literacy in school and at home.
We do have a pernicious literacy crisis in this country—70% of children are not reading proficiently by 3rd grade—and many of those children live in “book deserts” and do not have the same access to bookstores and book fairs and libraries that our family does. And as publishing and literacy professionals, we must commit to changing that reality. Providing access and the opportunity for all kids to choose and own books they are motivated to read—with support for teachers and families to help all kids develop their literacy—is critical and solvable.
Programs like Scholastic’s new school-based book club, the United States of Readers, in which every child in under-resourced schools chooses 10 brand new books over the course of the school year (and teachers get 25 books for their classroom libraries!); and the 35-year young nonprofit organization, Reach Out and Read (just profiled in the New York Times as the only U.S. nonprofit honored with Nicholas Kristof’s prestigious 2024 Holiday Impact Prize) are poised to address this crisis.
The United States of Readers and Reach Out and Read are committed to providing access to the best books to all children and the grown-ups who support them—particularly children living in poverty and attending under-resourced schools. We offer the very best titles: a wide range of familiar old chestnuts loved by generations and brand-new books in which all children can see themselves represented.
Unlike my fancy jar of marjoram, the books included in the United States of Readers and Reach Out and Read programs will not expire. As the holiday season approaches and many of you are doing a much better job than I am of cooking delicious, spice-filled meals for family and friends, let’s commit to supporting literacy for all.
If you’re interested in learning more, please reach out to me at JNewman@Scholastic.com.
Judy •
Judy Newman, Chief Impact Officer, Scholastic