BONUS: Raising Wild Readers

August 19, 2024

In this bonus episode of the Your Kid’s Next Read podcast:

Raising Wild Readers

A must-listen recording of the Your Kid’s Next Read ‘Raising Wild Readers’ event, featuring Megan Daley in conversation with Sally Rippin, the 2024-2025 Australian Children’s Laureate. This in-depth discussion looks at the joys and challenges of getting – and keeping – kids reading, and offers valuable insights, tips and advice for improving literacy outcomes in Australia and fostering a love of literature in all types of young readers.

Two powerhouses of Australian children’s literature come together in conversation for the first time when international bestselling author Sally Rippin joins Team YKNR’s

Megan Daley for an in-depth discussion about:

•the role of the Australian Children’s Laureate,

•improving literacy outcomes in Australia,

•the so-called ‘Reading Wars’ and

•how to foster a love of literature in all types of young readers

Plus, they answer questions from the Your Kid’s Next Read community.

Recorded live with permission on 23 July 2024.

About the speakers

SALLY RIPPIN
Sally Rippin is Australia’s highest-selling female author and has written over 100 books for children and young adults, many of them award-winning. Her widely popular books are beloved across the globe, and have sold more than ten million copies in 18 countries.

Her book ‘Wild Things: How We Learn to Read And What Happens If We Don’t’ has been described as a ‘true gift to parents’.

Sally Rippin is the 2024-2025 Australian Children’s Laureate.

Find out more.

MEGAN DALEY
Megan Daley is a multiple award-winning teacher librarian, author, speaker, podcaster, and literary judge.

She is the author of Raising Readers: How to Nurture a Child’s Love of Books (UQP) and The Beehive (Walker Books), as well as editor of the Teacher, Teacher anthology (Affirm Press).

She has been awarded the ASLA Australian Teacher Librarian of the Year 2023 and the SLAQ Queensland Teacher Librarian of the Year, as well as the national Dromkeen Librarians Award.

A former national vice-president of the Children’s Book Council of Australia, Megan is also co-founder of the Your Kid’s Next Read community and co-host of the Your Kid’s Next Read podcast.

Find out more.

About THE AUSTRALIAN CHILDREN’S LAUREATE
The Australian Children’s Laureate is an initiative developed by the Australian Children’s Laureate Foundation (ACLF). The Children’s Laureate is appointed on a biennial basis and must be an Australian author and/or illustrator of children’s and/or youth literature, who is making a significant contribution to the children’s literature canon of this country.

The role of the Australian Children’s Laureate is to promote the transformational power of reading, creativity and story in the lives of young Australians. The Laureate also acts as a national and international ambassador for Australian children’s literature, championing important issues affecting the entire industry, including educators, librarians, booksellers and publishers.

Find out more.

Books we mention

Click on the titles to find out more or buy. See contact page for affiliate disclosure.

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‘Wild Things: How We Learn to Read And What Happens If We Don’t’

In this exploration of dyslexia, ADHD and neurodivergent people, Australian Children’s Laureate Sally Rippin asks: What happens to kids who don’t learn how to read? And how can we help?

When Sally Rippin discovered her child was struggling to read, the best-selling children’s author assumed it would sort itself out over time. She couldn’t have been more wrong. Her son’s dyslexia and ADHD went unsupported for years, leaving him further and further behind his peers, and labelled as ‘difficult’ by an education system that couldn’t easily cater to neurodivergent kids.

By the time Sally learned how to advocate for her child, it was – almost – too late.

This extraordinary book for parents is about how we learn to read and what can happen if we don’t, through the eyes of a parent who started out by doing everything the wrong way.

Through meticulous research, interviews with educational experts and conversations with neurodivergent adults, Rippin shares her brilliant and eye-opening insights into how we can help all kids find the joy in reading, and advocate for them within our schooling system. After all, they say school isn’t for everyone, but if everyone must go to school – then why not?

Raising Readers: How to Nurture a Child’s Love of Book s

An essential and practical resource for parents and educators, Raising Readers contains everything you need to know about childhood literacy, written by award-winning teacher librarian Megan Daley.

Some kids refuse to read, others won’t stop – not even at the dinner table! Either way, many parents question the best way to support their child’s literacy journey. When can you start reading to your child? How do you find that special book to inspire a reluctant reader? How can you tell if a book is age appropriate? What can you do to keep your tween reading into their adolescent years?

Award-winning teacher librarian Megan Daley has the answers to all these questions and more. She unpacks her fifteen years of experience into this personable and accessible guide, enhanced with up-to-date research and first-hand accounts from well-known Australian children’s authors. It also contains practical tips, such as suggested reading lists and instructions on how to run book-themed activities.

Raising Readers is a must-have guide for parents and educators to help the children in their lives fall in love with books.