May 2022 Newsletter

The Reading Allowed “Reading is a Social Justice Issue” Speaker Series will kick off this fall, featuring Deborah Gordon Klehr, Executive Director of the Education Law Center and Resha Conroy, Founder, Dyslexia Alliance for Black Children. Stay tuned for registration details!

 

The Reading Allowed Speaker Series will continue throughout the year and will highlight the link between literacy and social justice. If you would like to suggest a speaker, feel free to contact us!

Angela and her dog Churchill love nothing more than curling up with a cozy blanket and reading on her Kindle

Yes. It’s a thing! As the world modernizes and speeds up, there seems to be a decrease in the number of people reading books just for fun or for personal enjoyment. Maybe this is because individuals have become so engrossed in their digital bubble—social media platforms, games, mobile phone apps, etc. Today it’s paramount to promote the importance of reading. This is exactly the motive behind participating in #GetCaughtReadingMonth.

 

This fun, year-round campaign was launched by the Association of American Publishers in 1999. The organization works with publishers, journals, and others, and feels strongly about the existence of books as well as urging the current generation to adopt a trend of reading for enjoyment or gratification. The campaign has designated May as Get Caught Reading Month to refamiliarize people with the pleasures of reading because of want, not need.

In the US, the percentage of 9 and 13-year-olds who say they read for fun on an almost daily basis has dropped from nearly a decade ago and is at the lowest level since at least the mid-1980s, according to a survey conducted in late 2019 and early 2020 by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).

 

In the 2020 survey of younger children, female students were more likely than male students to say they read for fun. Nearly half of female 9-year-old students (46%) said they read for fun almost every day, compared with 38% of male students of the same age. And two-in-ten 13-year-old female students reported reading for fun almost every day, while 14% of their male counterparts said they did so.

 

The share of both male and female students who say they read for fun almost daily has declined across both age groups since 1984. There was a 21-point decrease among 13-year-old girls and a 12-point drop among 9-year-old girls. There were 11- and 16-point decreases for 9- and 13-year-old boys, respectively (pewresearch.org/November 12, 2021).

Reading Allowed is the only nonprofit in Philly whose tutors are trained and certified in Structured Literacy programs such as the Wilson Reading System®. They understand the stages of literacy development, recognize when students are not developing as skilled readers, and deliver the correct instructional tools to maximize student success. Reading Allowed conducts initial assessments and ongoing progress monitoring to ensure students are making anticipated progress.

 

We work with struggling readers of all ages (pre-K-adult). Each student works with a tutor for 2-3 sessions a week either in person or virtually.

Cost info: Reading Allowed charges for services on a sliding scale model based on household income because our mission has always been to ensure that every challenged reader receives the high-quality literacy support they deserve regardless of financial circumstances.

By Deborah Underwood

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Outside is waiting, the most patient playmate of all. The most generous friend. Rhythmic, powerful language shows us how our world is made, the many ways outside comes in to help and heal us, and reminds us that we are all part of a greater universe.

By Dashka Slater

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Meet Escargot, a French snail, complete with black beret, striped shirt, and red kerchief. He is on a journey to the end of the book, where there is a delicious salad, “with croutons and a light vinaigrette.” Escargot invites the reader to join him and asks the reader to name a favorite animal before he shares “a very sad thing: Nobody ever says their favorite animal is the snail.”

By Aaron Reynolds

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What happens at Nuthatcher Farm when the chickens get tired of the same old chicken feed? The rooster hatches a plan. With a pinch of genius, a dash of resourcefulness, and a little pilfering from the farmer’s garden, the chickens whip up a scrumptious snack of chips and salsa.

By Alex Smith

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In this version of Little Red Riding Hood, set on the African plains, Little Red realizes what the Very Hungry Lion is up to, and teaches him a lesson before generously sharing her donuts with him.

By Katy Hudson

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Chick is getting a new baby brother . . . and he does NOT understand what all the fuss is about. What is so exciting about an egg that just sits there? Well, it turns out this egg doesn’t “just sit there”–it cracks, two little legs pop out, and it sprints away Oh, brother Chick immediately finds himself on a madcap chase through the barnyard as he attempts to protect the legged egg from danger.

By Lisa Anchin

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The Little Green Girl is no ordinary topiary. She dreams of visiting far off places and exploring the world beyond her garden’s walls. But for her gardener, Mr. Aster, the prospect of deviating from his daily routine–let alone leaving his beloved home–is unimaginable. Try as she might, the Little Green Girl can’t uproot herself and set off on her own. To realize her dream, she’ll have to find a way to show Mr. Aster that it’s possible to carry a bit of home with you wherever you go.

By Susan Pearson

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A little boy explains to Mama Slug how to teach Little Slug to read. Here are a few of his reading rules: Attach labels to Little Slug’s favorite things; Read out loud to him; Point out words that repeat; Sound out words; Make a vocabulary list; Be patient! And, of course, it helps if Little Slug can see the book, so prop it up and set him on a rock! 

By Jacob Kramer

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Elephant loves noodles and likes having his animal friends over for pasta parties! But the kangaroos, who make all the rules and thus hold all the power, declare that pasta is only to be eaten by kangaroos. They declare that the other animals should eat sticks and branches instead. This simply won’t do and Elephant and his friends invent a machine that turns ordinary objects into pasta!

By Amy June Bates

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Although it begins small, a “big, friendly” red umbrella fantastically expands to protect and comfort everyone–big and small, human and not–during a city rainstorm. “There is always room.”

By Vivan Vande Velde

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Twitch, a squirrel, runs across a sleeping dog’s nose and into school, inadvertently launching a series of calamities. Various classroom pets narrate chapters detailing the disasters in their particular room. The cumulative mayhem results in consequences narrated by the dog. Readers will chuckle at each pet’s unique voice and talent (math, poetry, etc.). If you enjoy this story, there are two more books about Twitch to look forward to!

By Genifer Choldenko

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Ten-year-old Liam and his two younger sisters, precocious third-grader Dakota and second-grader Izzy, who has Down syndrome, face the possibility of losing their beloved dog, Cupcake, who keeps urinating on their apartment’s carpet. The kids need to make enough money to take her to the vet before their landlord upstairs finds out. And Mom and Dad have said if Cupcake doesn’t stop, they will find her a new home. But the kids will never let Cupcake go. Can they save her?

By J. Dillard

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J.D. has a big problem–his mom has just given him his first and worst home haircut. When the stream of insults becomes too much for J.D., he takes matters into his own hands and discovers that he’s a genius with the clippers. His skills bring him enough business to open a barbershop from his bedroom. But when Henry Jr., the owner of the local barbershop, realizes he’s losing clients to J.D., he tries to shut him down. J.D. decides there’s only one way to prove who’s the best barber: Let the people decide in a great barber battle!

By Kevin Hart

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Marcus, obsessed with making comics, finds new ambitions for his superhero character Toothpick when he joins an after-school film-making club. Amazon Editors’ Pick Ages 9-12!

By Tamara Ireland Stone

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After spending the summer at coding camp, Allie Navarro is excited to share the app she built with her friends until it starts to cause problems between them.

Reading Allowed participates in the United Way’s Donor Choice Program. Our Donor Code is 55108

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