I started to read Raising Readers when I saw that Megan Daley was awarded the Australian School Library Association Teacher Librarian of the Year. Impressive!
Daley offers guidance, advice – supported by academic literature – and book recommendations for all children, from birth to adolescence. Useful information, especially in an era of screens.
Parents are a vital part of establishing a culture of reading, with support from schools. (I laughed out loud with mention of ‘book stand-offs’ with parents.) My favourite chapters relate to ‘reading in the dark’ (bravery in the face of adversity) and ‘multimodal reading’ (ebooks, podcasts and audio books). I also loved the contributions from the 25 or so authors offering their personal and professional insights into topics such as sustainability and the ‘changing experiences of childhood in the 21st century’ to mindfulness, diverse voices, representation and memories of ‘devouring piles of books every week’.
The book outlines that ‘while our brains are wired with the capacity to acquire oral language from birth, reading and writing are not innate skills.’ In other words, a valuable skill such as reading must be taught. This updated edition incorporates the so-called ‘science of reading’ that involves educators guiding students through various stages with explicit, evidence-informed instruction.
Raising Readers is a delightfully written, yet quite sensible and useful book. The language is practical, efficient and functional, yet the overall tone is fun, engaging and inspiring.
Reviewed by Mark Parry
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Megan Daley is passionate about children’s literature and is the author of Raising Readers and The Beehive and editor of Teacher, Teacher.
She is also a multiple award-winning teacher librarian, speaker, podcaster, widow, beekeeper, literary judge and collector of indoor plants.
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