Book Review: The Power of Joyful Reading by Eric Litwin and Dr. Gina Pepin

 

Okay, so this book is geared towards teachers and librarians, but parents and caregivers would benefit from giving it a read or two as well.  One of the authors is one of my absolute favorites, Eric Litwin.  He wrote this book with Dr. Gina Pepin, an award winning teacher and university instructor.  Both have experience working with children in grades K-3, Eric as a former 3rd grade teacher and best selling children's author and Gina as a K-3 reading teacher.  In the book as well as during a webinar I attended, Eric talks about his experience of walking by a kindergarten classroom where the kids were super excited about reading, one girl even hugging a book.  When he got to his 3rd grade classroom and asked his students if they wanted to hear a story, he was met with mostly silence and a couple of no responses.  He was shocked that the joy of reading was gone and wondered what had happened between kindergarten and third grade.  From that point, it became his mission to focus on reading and find ways to engage readers so they could find the joy again.  If you have read any of his books, you notice right away that they are filled with music and repetition and are very interactive which gets kids involved in the story.  Kids become familiar with them and eagerly seek them out.  In short, they find fun in reading.

Now yes, there is a lot of technical knowledge and research based information in the book.  You may not be as fascinated with all that as I am, but it provides a solid foundation for the activities and tips both authors share.  It doesn't read like a textbook.  It's actually a very engaging and easy to follow read.  The authors explain and illustrate their points clearly.  There are a lot of examples of books you can share and activities you can do along with children to promote early literacy.  The love and joy of reading needs to be established even before a child starts school as I have highlighted in many other posts.  The authors provide additional resources on the Scholastic website (www.scholastic.com/joyfulreadingresources) and suggestions for books that encourage participation.  The authors encourage finding moments throughout your day to add music and movement, taking time to make up a silly rhyme or even just wiggle your body along with a song.  It may not seem like it, but it promotes joy which leads to literacy success.

Readers of this book will enjoy the personal stories and examples of how children benefit from joyful reading, including a story of a girl who at 15 months old was completely nonverbal.  Today she reads above grade level and is quite a chatterbox.  Joyful reading and sharing books together is so incredibly powerful!

A reader of this book is encouraged to activate their reading superpowers to help teach children.  Reading superpowers are not limited to those who may be teachers, librarians, or other educators.  It is something that anyone can achieve.  The authors provide a concrete and easy to follow guide for how to gain and maximize those powers.  If you want to find out how you can become a reading superhero and harness your superpowers, check out this book at your local library.

The Power of Joyful Reading:  Help Your Young Readers Soar to Success! / Eric Litwin and Dr. Gina Pepin.  New York:  Scholastic Inc., 2020.   372.427 L737p

	372.427 L737p 2020