Raising readers by Megan Daly

Megan Daley distils all the truths and motivations of my own journey in a school library. I loved her simple overview of the joys of reading, the power of a picture book, the role of a school librarian and the opportunities to add joy, meaning and empathy in the life of a reader through placing the ‘just right’ book into the hands of a child or teen at just the right moment. For parents there are suggestions and overviews of how to raise a reader in the early years, but also there may be insights into the importance of a passionate librarian or teacher-librarian in the life of a child reader. (Always encourage parents to be advocates for good library staff!) For teachers and for library personnel (particularly those in early career mode) this is a gem of a book with wisdom shared in easy bite-sized pieces, about the practice of reading promotion and the amazing ways that library staff can value-add to education and personal development. With book titles recommended and even Bookweek costume ideas (although only a minor section) this book touches on all the areas of library practice.

I read this updated edition of this book in Bookweek, and although I am now retired I loved revisiting all the joys and challenges in the teacher-librarian role. Her reflections on the rigours and science of reading, the challenges for readers in accessing literature when reading is not easy, and the value of diversity in literature are brief but worthy of consideration. What I loved was her personal stories of using books to tackle difficulties and to create relationship growth. It is always sad to hear of school library staff being undervalued and this book demonstrates that there is so much to be applauded and appreciated in the role of ‘reading ambassador’. Students in Senior School Child Studies classes would also benefit from the first chapter about books and the development of ‘readers’ under the age of two.  I loved this book … every librarian should revisit this book on a regular basis to keep best-practice at the forefront of their service.  It is easy to read cover-to-cover or to visit in bits and bites.

Themes: Reading, libraries, diversity, reading promotion, books.

Carolyn Hull