In March 2019 I talked about the first edition of this book Raising Readers by Queensland Teacher-Librarian Megan Daley.
Fast forward six years and Megan has revised and updated her book which I see was reprinted in 2022 and 2023. The first edition had 246 pages the new one has 266 pages so clearly there is more content.
Just perusing the table of contents, I can see some of her changes. Chapter 2 Reading and School has been given a fairly big makeover; Chapter 10 in the original edition is now Chapter 4 - Picture Books (Reading the visuals). Her list of genres now includes Narrative Non Fiction. Not surprisingly the chapter entitled Multimodal Reading now has the addition of podcasts (you probably know Megan is part of a team that present a podcast entitled "Your kids next read").
That is all I am going to say as a comparison between the two editions of this important book except to say the booklists contain lots of new titles and many of the expert voices have changed. Here are a few text quotes (different from the ones I shared previously) that resonated with me:
"Books that your child has chosen from the school library are for sharing with a loved adult and are usually a read-aloud experience until your child is reading independently. Even then reading aloud to your child is something I encourage well into the upper primary years and beyond."
"Why anyone would want to leave picture book behind is beyond me. They are works of art and the best way I know to enhance and teach visual literacy. The language in picture books is often complex and the storylines sophisticated and thought-provoking." My words - keep reading picture books to all ages even at a senior high school level - click on my sidebar label Senior Picture Book. And the best picture books are filled with amazing art (illustrations) too.
"Many of us know from anecdotal evidence that sustained and regular reading as well as reading for pleasure, contributes to positive academic outcomes. ... We want young people to be highly literate and critical consumers of words; from the novels they read to environmental signage on the streets to marketing images and the analysis required for understanding of complex ethical issues."
"Narrative non-fiction is particularly well-suited for children because it taps into their natural curiosity and love for stories and it can make complex subjects more accessible."
"Readers require sustained concentration to read and make meaning from literature. They need time to reflect and appreciate the nuances in language; we might call this deep reading, or slow reading or mindful reading ... Many readers have experienced times when they suddenly realise they have lost many hours in a good book having been in a state of 'flow'. Megan concludes chapter 12 with a short list of books that encourage mindful practices. (My friend has over 180 books to read if you are exploring mindfulness).
Megan talks over a few pages about Wordless Books. IBBY celebrate these with fabulous collections which are used with refugee children on the island of Lampedusa. Read more here and take a look at my Pinterest which is always expanding (sorry to confuse you with a different term IBBY call these 'Silent Books' even though we know they are far from silent!
If you own this book (or the earlier edition) make a copy of pages 4-5 (new edition) and include that copy if you are gifting books to a family with a new baby.
Thanks to University of Queensland Press (UQP) for sending me an advance copy of Raising Readers. When you click the publisher link you can read an extract from Raising Readers and also see some past review comments. The new edition will be published at the end of July 2025. If you need a gift for a family or to celebrate the arrival of a new baby grab this book to add to your gift. If your library has the first edition of Raising Readers consider updating to the new edition. If you have not seen the earlier edition quickly add this new book to your own book wish list. This, as I said in my previous post, is an easy book to read with practical ideas for your school library and for your home.
You might like to visit a previous post of mine from last week which is a further exploration of some issues raised in Megan Daley's Book - The Final Chapter.
CBCA Tasmania (Used with permission)
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