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We were given a copy or Raising Readers for review purposes by University of Queensland Press.
Raising Readers
I was raised a reader on the lap of my book-loving mother, and if there is one ideal in parenting that I have never wavered on, it is my desire to do all I can to grow my own literature lovers.
So, when I heard that teacher-librarian superstar, and blogger at Children’s Book Daily, Megan Daley was releasing a book called Raising Readers, I was excited to read it. Whether you’re a teacher, a librarian, the parent of little kids, or the parent of older children, Raising Readers will be relevant to you.
Daley has done such a thorough job of talking about big picture concerns, plus oodles of great little tips for encouraging children to love reading at every stage of their journey. She is extremely knowledgeable, but I love that she also sprinkles a lot of personality and humor into her writing. Daley is a parent, as well, and completely understands so many of the challenges. This is a reading guide for real families!
Topics range from the early years, to school age reading, what you might expect from a school library, digital reading, visual literacy, reading mindfully, and a lot more. Throughout the book, she has invited guest authors, including authors, bloggers, and educators, to share their expertise, adding to the depth of information. She also has a great “How-To” section, which covers things like how to give book gifts, how to create a Book Week costume, how to start a book club, etc. I’ve been taking copies of some of the suggested books lists with me on my trips to the library to pick up books for my kids that Megan considers excellent!
A Conversation With Megan Daley
I am so delighted to have had the chance to pose some questions to Megan Daley. I could have covered a million topics, but I tried to narrow it down to some issues that I’ve seen come up, either in my network or from Artsplorers readers. I hope some of your questions about raising readers are answered here!
What is a teacher librarian, and why does it matter if a school has one?
Teacher librarians are primary or secondary school teachers who have undertaken further study, usually a Masters degree, to gain teacher librarian qualifications. Like any other specialist teacher your child may have in their school life (PE teacher, French teacher, Science teacher etc.), they are experts in their field, in this case experts in children’s and YA literature, knowledge management, the research process and increasingly, in the area of digital technologies and all things STEAM related.
School libraries provide physical and digital learning spaces with access to high quality, diverse collections of resources, activities and services. Sadly, I believe the role of the teacher librarian and the purpose of a school library has not been widely understood by parents, those in school management and even higher up, to those developing education policies. With ever tightening budgets and priorities ‘shifting’ from print to digital, many school principals and educational organisations have made decisions which have decreased or cut the role of the teacher librarian and, in some cases, have shut school library doors entirely.
While a wave of hysteria did sweep through schools as the digital revolution took over, reading will always be a priority in education. I remain quietly confident that the ‘trend’ of looking at school libraries as an outdated resource is turning and there is evidence to show that libraries are ‘back in vogue’. Well-resourced school libraries and quality teacher librarians are worth their weight in gold, and the positive impact they can have on an entire school community is well documented anecdotally and in the research. Well-resourced school libraries, with exemplary teacher librarians, develop and sustain a vibrant reading culture, promote innovative use of digital technologies and are a participatory hub within schools.
What are effective ways that parents in the school community can support our school libraries and advocate for the best possible libraries for our kids?
Schools are responsive to the concerns of parents and every family can and should be an advocate for a great school library with qualified library staff. One of the best ways to ensure we see an increased focus on the importance of the school library is for parents to be involved in ensuring that 1) there is a functioning library at their child’s school, 2) that it has qualified library staff working in it and 3) that it has a budget of sorts. Many parent P&F groups fundraise and make monetary donations to their school library for projects such as purchasing multiple copies of books for book clubs or Readers Cup competitions (run internally or as part of the regional, state and national championships). School libraries vary in size, funding and staffing but all are focused on supporting student learning and creating life-long learners and readers; every school needs one. Check out the #studentsneedschoollibraries campaign for more information
My eldest daughter is 6, so we’re well immersed in the world of home readers. I’ve found these little books are the topic of endless “school mum” chatter – how boring or dated they are, if they’re a waste of time, if our kids have been given the right level, etc. You talk in Raising Readers about the difference between home readers and books that early readers choose for themselves, and why kids need both. Could you demystify the home readers a bit for us early primary parents?
Love to! I have a lengthier ‘chat’ about home readers in my book as they are an area of confusion for so many parents (and children!). Briefly, Readers are short texts, specifically designed for the purpose of teaching reading. Readers are designed to include high frequency sight words, simple sentences, predictable storylines, pictures which help to de-code the text and a levelled system where books increase in difficulty as reading mastery is achieved.
Classroom readers are for teaching the mechanics of reading, whereas library books and other recreational books help young people develop an emotional attachment to reading and develop lifelong reading habits. Picture books and early chapter books are complex interplays between words and text and require young people to think deeply, imagine, wonder and interpret. They contain sophisticated language which requires discussion and increases your child’s vocabulary. They are also full of images that add to the text and tell another side of the story.
Young people need both classroom readers and recreational readers to become an independent reader. I think it’s also really important to point out here that early-childhood-trained teachers are specialists in ‘the teaching of reading’ and there is often a reason that your child will bring home a reader that perhaps seems too easy (or too difficult). It’s important to have open lines of communication with teachers but it’s also worth remembering that, in almost all cases, teachers have the reading needs of their students in their heads 24/7 (truly!), so try not to get too hung up on what level/dot/box/shelf your child is reading at…their teacher has their reading journey mapped out.
One of my favorite chapters in Raising Readers is the one on genre books. It made me confront what I realize is my own prejudice against some “genre” books. I sometimes do a bit of an eye roll when my kid comes home with something like a stack of Pokemon books from the school library. Could you share the benefit of genre books? And, do you have suggestions for parents who are wondering what to do if their child only seems to pick up books from a particular genre – especially if it’s one that the parents don’t find especially “literary”?
Ha! I know the sight of a pile of Pokemon books all too well! In my library we encourage all students to borrow a range of books, so we would probably dissuade a child from borrowing ‘a stack’ of Pokemons, Geronimo Stiltons, comics or the blasted ‘colourful fairy books’. I won’t ‘out’ the title of the colourful fairy series but you all know which series I mean – there are about 200 in the series and if you’ve read one, you’ve read the plotline of all 200. They are not quality literature on any level.
Having said that, it’s often actually part of a child’s reading journey that they will devour an entire genre…be it ‘the funny books’, fantasy books, comic books or in the case of many tweens, World War 2 books. Reading in a particular genre for a time can build reading confidence and fluency. It is very comforting to read something predictable and those feelings of comfort and happiness around books are crucial – they are laying down some strong foundations of reading joy. When the storyline or text type is predictable it’s also a time to focus on the mechanics of reading and to build up fluency so that when your child moves on to something else (I promise, they nearly always move on!), they are reading more confidently.
I’ve recently had a couple of parents tell me about their kids, who read well for their grade level, but get “stuck” on a particular middle grades series or author, and aren’t interested in reading beyond that limited repertoire. Should parents push their kids to expand their reading horizons, or trust that as long as they’re reading, they’ll find their way to new books in their own time?
Reading a particular series can be incredibly comforting. Of course it can also be a bit of an ‘easy read’ so it’s all about balance. I sometimes talk to young readers about their Billie B Brown books, Treehouse books, Wimpy Kid books, Walliams books or whatever other series they are completely smitten by and I’ll encourage them to take a teeny step sideways into another book series which might be similar.
In the case of my tween daughter, she’s been reasonably obsessed with Harry Potter for some time now. Without wanting to curb her enthusiasm, I’ve given her lots of other books which are similar in style but will open her to other series or stand alone books. With all my students at school I talk about ‘reading the rainbow’ – reading widely and from all genres. I challenge them to borrow books each week which are varied and I have lengthy conversations with them such as ‘okay you’ve adored Billie B Brown and I also love and adore her, now lets meet Ginger Green and then Lulu Bell and Violet Mackerel’. It’s all about conversations and providing a varied selection of books to tempt.
Finally, would you recommend a few of your favorite resources for both children and parents to get quality book recommendations?
Is it cheeky to start with my own website? I started Children’s Books Daily when I had a newborn baby and was out of the ‘bubble’ of the library world (briefly!). I realised that ‘the rest of the world’ did not have access to the book recommendations of library staff and so I began my site with the hope of being an online destination for book reviews and reading tips for newborns, right up to young adult readers. I have loved this journey!
Author Allison Tait started an ace Facebook group, Your Kid’s Next Read, a few years ago now which now has over 7000 members. I co-manage this with her and author Allison Rushby. It’s an awesome place to ask all manner of questions around reading and book recommendations.
There are also some great kidlit podcasts like KidLit Club, One More Page, Middle Grade Mavens and The Happy Book.
Offline – obviously I think teacher librarians are your best resource. If you don’t have one of those in your life then strike up a relationship with the librarians at your local council library and get to know your local independent bookstores.
Thank you for so much insightful information, Megan! Grab a copy of Raising Readers for an entire book of content like this on, well … raising readers! And, find Megan Daley at Children’s Book Daily blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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