The Joy of Reading

Written by Donalyn Miller and Teri Lesesne

Narrated by Donalyn Miller

What reading experiences have entertained you, provoked you, taught you, inspired you, helped you to see your own life more clearly, or connected you with others?  As teachers, librarians, school administrators, and caregivers who love reading, we know what it feels like to fall into a book and let the world fall away. We have joyous reading memories, and we know how reading can sustain and inspire us.

Now consider: When talking with children about their reading lives at school, are you likely to hear about this transformative reading joy? Or are you more likely to hear about reading logs, book reports, and standardized tests? For too many young readers, reading is joyless. It is something that is required of them, but not something that they choose to do. 

Here’s the truth: It is possible to teach children how to read well without killing their love for reading in the process.

The Joy of Reading is a guide for teachers, librarians, administrators, and families to create the conditions for joyful reading. Donalyn Miller and Teri Lesesne draw from their decades of work with students, teachers, and librarians, providing practices that nurture joy while identifying factors that destroy joy, all with a clear understanding of the realities of today’s classrooms and libraries. 

There’s more to life than school and work. There’s more to reading than school-based value systems for it. We can aim higher than short-sighted measurements and, instead, become reading encouragers, supporters, and role models for lifelong, joyful reading. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Heinemann
• Release date: May 3, 2022
• ISBN: 9780325160054

Reviews for The Joy of Reading

[Matt and Jen Bloome · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Well, I loved the book. Great for teachers who want to confirm what teaching reading is supposed to be about. Don't listen to the end while you're walking around a grocery store, listening while you shop. It'll break your heart. You'll start blubbering in the checkout lane and the cashier will wonder if you're all right. I speak from experience.