Have you discovered Pernille Ripp?

“We hold the future of the world in our hands when we teach children and our teaching should reflect that weight. That is why I teach, so that every child will have the opportunity to live fully realized, to be safe, and to be valued. It starts with us, every day, and how we can give back power to the children in our care and co-create change to live up to the expectations kids have of us.”

The Author Village

Pernille Ripp is an educator now living in Denmark. Here is the link to her blog - it is well worth dipping into her wisdom about reading and access to books and time and all the things I 'bang on about' here. You can read her bio here. Her latest post is: It’s Not That They Can’t Read… – looking at imposter syndrome and reading identity.

If you know someone who is new to teaching make sure they read this post: 10 Myths for New Teachers.

This is a very recent podcast interview with Pernille Ripp and The Human Restoration Project podcast.

I highly recommend her post entitled: A Few Ideas for Building a Whole School Reading Culture.

Here are a few points that resonated with me:

Readers as Role Models and Community Builders

• Student reading ambassadors: Choose students who can share book recommendations, host quick booktalks, or lead reading events across grade levels. Their excitement will hopefully spread.
• Staff reading showcases: Create a “We’re Reading…” wall where teachers and staff post photos with their current reads, along with a short note about what they love about them. Let students see that reading isn’t just for kids – it’s for everyone. Or do it individually, I have shared my “Mrs. Ripp is currently reading and loving…” wall many times.
• Cross-grade reading buddies: Pair older students with younger ones. Let them read aloud, share favorites, and have conversations about books. It’s about connection and mentorship, not just fluency.

Reflection and Building Reading Identity

• “Why I Abandoned This Book”: Normalize that not all books work for everyone. Students can reflect on a book they didn’t finish and why and create a bulletin board. It’s a great way to build critical thinking and give permission to stop reading what doesn’t click.
• Reading Playlist Pairings: Invite students to create a short playlist that pairs with the vibe of a book they’re reading. Share the playlists with classmates – a creative, multimedia way to share bookish identity.
• “Who am I as a reader?” activities: Structured exercises where students think about their favorite genres, their reading goals, their best reading memories. This builds ownership and identity.
• Meaningful reading goals: Move beyond page or book counts. Encourage goals like, “I want to find a book that makes me think,” or, “I want to reread an old favorite and see if it still feels the same.”

And this one: Why Picture Books – 5 Reasons Why They Belong in Every Classroom

• Picture books give us a common language.
• Picture books can teach us complex matters in a simple way.
• Picture books can make us feel successful when we have lost our way.
• Picture books relieve stress.
• Picture books can make us believe that we can read well.

Pernille is also involved with the Global Read Aloud - check it out and here are the 2025 books:

Stories bring hope. Even as we turn another page filled with despair, our heroes emerge victorious, bruised and battered, but forged by fire. And so this year’s choices are once again books meant to spark hope. To create change. To push questions and inspiration. Perhaps even to spark anger as we search for a path forward. But I also hope they bring you joy, connection, and a renewed sense of togetherness because in a world where powerful people seem to be hellbent on tearing us all apart, books can create a bridge, if even for a moment. So if you like the choices for this year, join me as we kick off the Global Read Aloud on October 6th, 2025.