Raising Readers by Megan Daley

"When you find the perfect book gift for an occasion such as a christening ... buy it in bulk."

On page 205 of her new book Megan Daley offers these words of wisdom which I think apply to her own book.  If you have friends with a new baby, if you have friends with young children, if you are about to become a grandparent or aunt or uncle this book is the PERFECT present. Actually I might go so far as to say it is an essential purchase to give to anyone with children. Later I am going to talk about why this book is also important reading for Teacher-Librarians.

When my close friends had their babies I bought books like Babies Need Books by Dorothy Butler and Reading Magic by Mem Fox. I would now add Raising Readers into their gift boxes.

I first discovered Children's Books Daily back in 2012 (I think that is when Megan began her blog childrensbookdaily). I immediately loved the 'voice' of this reviewer and the name of the blog - suggesting we should be reading books every day. Of course there is also the lovely match of Daley and daily!

I like to think that one day Megan Daley and I will sit down for a long chat about the books we both love. On the first pages of Raising Readers the very first book she mentions made me sigh with happiness - Dicey's Song by Cynthia Voigt.  Perhaps we could meet in a coffee shop (note to Megan sorry to say I don't drink coffee) and the conversation could begin. I have lots of questions but first off I would like to ask Megan was it a difficult decision to include book lists in Raising Readers? People who pick up this book will expect book lists but there are problems with this. Megan explains her decision regarding the choices she makes:

"All book recommendation lists in Raising Readers do not include well-known or classic books. I have instead selected less obvious choices from my personal favourites. Consider each list a springboard for you to seek out other books that might be a good fit for a young reader."

There are some great positives which come out of this idea. Megan mentions books that might be lost in the mists of time and she draws our attention to books that need to be discovered but which perhaps did not receive awards or receive huge publisher promotion.  One example of this is What the Sky Knows. This book was short listed by the CBCA in 2006 and I loved reading it to many classes but I am sure it has languished on many library shelves ever since. Try to find this one - it is a very special book which you can share with older children too.

I do realise the author Nike Bourke and Megan may be friends as they both live in Brisbane but that is irrelevant I just happy to see a mention of this, and other, very special but perhaps less well known books. I am going to mention a few more here.  The Flying Orchestra by Clare McFadden, Puffling by Margaret Wild, Stepping Stones by Margriet Ruurs, The Red Book by Barbara Lehman, Bully on the Bus by Kathryn Appel and 45 & 47 Stella Street by Elizabeth Honey. Take look at the lists in Raising Readers you will find so many treasures.

The book is organised in a logical way but with some surprise chapters such as:

Chapter 3 The School Library
Chapter 4 Spaces for Reading
Chapter 11 Reading for the future: Sustainability and Nature
Chapter 12 Reading Mindfully

I love the way Megan's own fresh voice can be heard throughout the book with words such as "oh my glory".

Also scattered throughout the book are contributions by people such as Kathryn Apel, Joy Lawn, Natalie Jane Prior and Allison Tait. If you just want to dip into this book reading these sections would be a good way to start.

Just to finish with a few important and resonant quotes from my favourite chapter - The School Library!

"Well-resourced school libraries, with exemplary teacher librarians and library support staff, develop and sustain a vibrant reading culture, promote innovative use of digital technologies and are a participatory hub within the school."  Note to school principals this one sentence contains all the criteria needed for writing a job advertisement for a teacher librarian.

"School libraries are wonderful places which are the beating heart of many school communities and a refuge for those in need of time away from a busy school environment."

And from Chapter 4:
"Library displays should be dotted around the library, be ever-changing, professional, eye catching with all the books facing forwards and able to be borrowed from the display."

Now I am going to re-write this sentence with my own shouting voice. (Megan says its okay to be loud!)

"Library displays should be dotted around the library, be ever-changing, professional, eye catching with all the books facing forwards and able to be borrowed from the display."

Raising Readers is a practical and easy to read book and it should be added to school libraries for parents to borrow, as I said it would be the perfect gift for a family and I would also share this book with anyone who is new to the role of Teacher-Librarian. This book made me smile, laugh, cry (yes) and cheer!

Huge thanks to University of Queensland Press for supplying me with an advance copy of Raising Readers. We will have copies for you to purchase at our IBBY International Children's Book Day event on 6th April, 2019. The actual publication date is 2nd April, 2019.