"A way to ’teach’ reading for pleasure that works."

...and it's out today!

I am so maHOOsively excited – the mahoosivest I’ve ever been – to share this book with you! It truly is the summation of my life’s work to date – what Ian Whybrow (of Harry and the Bucketful of Dinosaurs fame) beautifully and accurately summed up as, “A fresh, accessible guide to using storytelling to encourage young people to read for the joy of it.”

He also added, “Should be part of every teacher’s toolkit.” $;-)

All the Better to Read You With: Stories & Lessons to Inspire Reading for Pleasure is unlike any other educator handbook out there. So far, all handbooks, textbooks, and reading schemes for the UK National Curriculum’s ‘Reading for Pleasure’ requirement have been essentially comprehension schemes in disguise. Yes, talking about a text is one way to get young readers thinking about what they’ve read – but it’s not necessarily going to get them enjoying what they’ve read.

ABRYW is different. For starters, two chapters in and you have proof of the benefits of reading for pleasure. Not a series of quotes or charts – actual evidence of your own experience.

In the middle section, there’s guidance on Reading Like a Storyteller. As you’ll hear me say all around this Substack and elsewhere (such as my podcast recording with the National Centre for Writing), storytelling is not the same as acting. This book will help you utilise the “storyteller’s magic” for yourself. A teacher from County Durham got to enjoy an advance copy, and sent in a review saying,

I absolutely LOVE THIS BOOK! I have applied some of the techniques to see much greater engagement in other subjects too, such as history. As I said at the beginning, I LOVE IT!

And another from Hampshire said,

Thanks to this book, reading for pleasure in my class is higher than before. I’ve been teaching for 34 years, but this book got me to look at reading differently and make it more meaningful. Rather than racing through to hear everyone read, I now engage the children in conversations as we go along. The advice on that area alone has proved invaluable.

But the core of the book is the selection of nine short stories and fourteen lesson plans proven to help reluctant readers discover the joys of becoming recreational readers…

And with the artwork of Winnie the Witch’s Korky Paul gracing the cover, you can feel confident opening it up for shared reading in front of any number of learners.

All the stories and lessons have been tested and perfected across over a decade of storytelling, so I have first-hand experience of their effectiveness – as have the other contributors to the book, which includes leading Cambridge teacher trainer Rebekah Owen, my original storytelling partner in crime (and now awesome children’s author) Amy Scott Robinson, and none other than Talk:Write founder Ros Wilson.

But you needn’t take our word for it. Here’s the full quote from teacher Toria Bono, of the Tiny Voice Talks podcast, used for the title of this post:

This is an engaging book that helps educators understand how to use storytelling in the classroom to develop our children’s joy of reading. The stories, lessons, and skills provide us with a way to ’teach’ reading for pleasure that works.

Here’s another from a headteacher in Cambridgeshire…

There’s a great deal to love about this book! It demystifies everything about encouraging reading for pleasure, and makes it all appear within reach.

…and here’s yet another from a deputy head up in Manchester…

I tried a couple of these lessons with my Year 1 and 2 children, and they are now well and truly addicted! Thank you for this book!

Then there’s my favourite, from another teacher in Hampshire:

This book has been a lifesaver!

Let’s Party!

The Bett Show is the UK’s largest trade fair for educators interested in education technology. And as their Head of Content, Emma Vandore, rightly said when she signed me up to deliver a presentation during the event, “Books were the first ever ‘EdTech’.”

To celebrate the arrival of the book on bookshelves in stores, schools, and homeschooling households, I’ll be happily sharing tips in casual conversations with educators throughout the event. If you’re an educator, ping me a message and head to the Bett Café!

But at 5:15pm Wednesday, the fun really starts. There’ll be a 30min presentation sharing my tippity-toppest tips for beginning to cultivate a ‘Reading for Pleasure Mindset’ among your learners, followed by an active demonstration of a free resource we’ll be giving away to everyone who shows up – something to lead a hugely inspiring conversation with your learners.

Oh…

…and there’ll be CAKE! $:-D

Don’t worry if you can’t make it, though. Just make sure you’re following the publisher Epic Tales on Facebook and/or Instagram using the handle EpicTalesST. Then you’ll get to watch it streamed, live or on catch up. $;-)

Got the book? Met me at Bett? Watched the livestream? I’d love to share a chat about your thoughts! Please hit the button below to…