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Passionate Readers: The Art of Reaching and Engaging Every Child
How do we inspire students to love reading and discovery? In Passionate Readers: The Art of Reaching and Engaging Every Child, classroom teacher, author, and speaker Pernille Ripp reveals the five keys to creating a passionate reading environment. You'll learn how to...
Use your own reading identity to create powerful reading experiences for all students
Empower your students and their reading experience by focusing on your physical classroom environment
Create and maintain an enticing, well-organized, easy-to-use classroom library;
Build a learning community filled with choice and student ownership; and
Guide students to further develop their own reading identity to cement them as life-long, invested readers.
Throughout the book, Pernille opens up about her own trials and errors as a teacher and what she's learned along the way. She also shares a wide variety of practical tools that you can use in your own classroom, including a reader profile sheet, conferring sheet, classroom library letter to parents, and much more. These tools are available in the book and as eResources on our website (www.routledge.com/9781138958647)--to help you build your own classroom of passionate readers.
Use your own reading identity to create powerful reading experiences for all students
Empower your students and their reading experience by focusing on your physical classroom environment
Create and maintain an enticing, well-organized, easy-to-use classroom library;
Build a learning community filled with choice and student ownership; and
Guide students to further develop their own reading identity to cement them as life-long, invested readers.
Throughout the book, Pernille opens up about her own trials and errors as a teacher and what she's learned along the way. She also shares a wide variety of practical tools that you can use in your own classroom, including a reader profile sheet, conferring sheet, classroom library letter to parents, and much more. These tools are available in the book and as eResources on our website (www.routledge.com/9781138958647)--to help you build your own classroom of passionate readers.
198 pages, Paperback
Published August 2, 2017
73 people are currently reading
1208 people want to read
About the author
Pernille Ripp
4 books659 followersSince Pernille Ripp was a child growing up in Denmark, she knew she wanted to work with kids. She has loved being a 4th, 5th, and then 7th-grade teacher in the American public school system, as well as a literacy coach for adults. In her co-created teaching spaces, students’ identities are at the center of the explorations that they do, as well as considering how to fight for change.
Recently, Pernille moved home to Denmark where she is expanding her knowledge about children’s development and needs through her work in early childhood education.
She is an international speaker and educator developer, working with educators in need to better learning conditions, literacy instruction, and overall school experiences for children and adults on a global plane. She is also the founder of The Global Read Aloud which has connected millions of students in more than 85 countries. She believes in having the courage to change and even break the rules for the good of kids and education. Besides being with her own family, there is no place she would rather be than standing alongside children and educators fighting for change in the world.
You can find her across social media platforms easily.
Recently, Pernille moved home to Denmark where she is expanding her knowledge about children’s development and needs through her work in early childhood education.
She is an international speaker and educator developer, working with educators in need to better learning conditions, literacy instruction, and overall school experiences for children and adults on a global plane. She is also the founder of The Global Read Aloud which has connected millions of students in more than 85 countries. She believes in having the courage to change and even break the rules for the good of kids and education. Besides being with her own family, there is no place she would rather be than standing alongside children and educators fighting for change in the world.
You can find her across social media platforms easily.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews
August 20, 2017
Hmmm, how do you rate your own book without sounding like you are full of yourself? I gave this book five stars because I am so proud of what my students have to share with the world. How solid their advice is and how that advice has shaped my teaching. So for their wisdom, I rate it 5 stars. I hope others find it useful as well.
July 28, 2020
Absolutely the best book about reading I've read.
Pernille is my heroine. She gets kids, she gets what works for kids. There is so much in this book to come back to time after time. A book for everyone to read, but especially a book for anybody who works with kids and who wants to encourage them to read.
Pernille is my heroine. She gets kids, she gets what works for kids. There is so much in this book to come back to time after time. A book for everyone to read, but especially a book for anybody who works with kids and who wants to encourage them to read.
January 14, 2018
Pernille Ripp speaks to my heart, as an educator, librarian, parent, and passionate reader. Her book isn't a how-to manual, but a book to inspire educators to bring out the best in our students as readers. Filled with guiding questions to help you reflect and potentially shift your teaching practices, this is a gem of a professional book. I highly recommend this to all educators, especially those teaching grades 3 and up.
November 5, 2017
I'm walking away from this book with ideas to put into place for myself and my students. What's so great about Pernille Ripp? She loves reading and she loves students. Her passion is contagious when you read this book.
October 28, 2017
A must-read.
July 3, 2018
I think what I loved most about this book was Pernille Ripp's honesty as a classroom teacher. She did not hold back on what she used to do with her students, what experiences made her change, and how she has refined her practice. I appreciate her not sugar coating everything making herself sound like a flawless, perfect practitioner. Plus, she is STILL in the classroom. She has not abandoned that work to circle the globe telling everyone how to manage their classrooms. Her work is based on lots of research as well as her own trials. She provides a variety of guiding questions to reflect on practice and to use with students.
I read this from an instructional coaching lens. This book partly solidified my thinking and gave me great suggestions on how to approach my work with teachers. I wish this book was around when I was a classroom teacher. I highly recommend this for any classroom reading teacher, literacy specialist, or instructional coach.
I read this from an instructional coaching lens. This book partly solidified my thinking and gave me great suggestions on how to approach my work with teachers. I wish this book was around when I was a classroom teacher. I highly recommend this for any classroom reading teacher, literacy specialist, or instructional coach.
March 10, 2018
In Passionate Readers, Pernille Ripp shares her philosophy for creating a classroom environment that encourages students to develop a love of reading. Her practical advice comes from her own trial-and-error experiences and her dedication to doing what is right for her students. I love that she is transparent about her own successes and failures as a teacher because she is someone I feel I can relate to. Her book has caused me to reflect on my own practices and has encouraged me to be a warrior for my students because they deserve a teacher who will stand up for them.
August 26, 2019
This book was one of the best professional development books I've read. It was fast and easy, informative and inspiring, but not too prescriptive. I felt really energized to begin using some of her strategies and felt validated for some of the things I already do.
June 5, 2022
Hands down the best book I have ever read about teaching reading. Pernille Ripp provides a candid and very relevant case for giving students autonomy over their reading choices, and giving them front row direct access to a variety of GOOD books in the classroom. She discusses the importance of giving students true reading experiences, and abandoning the canned curriculum that do not provide authentic engagement with literature. Ripp also makes it clear that teachers must display their own reading life as a model and immerse themselves in the young adult genre. She offers real world scenarios and strategies from her own very real classroom. This is the best professional development I’ve received to date.
September 22, 2018
If you follow Pernille on Twitter or you follow her blog or if you have heard her speak, you're familiar with the contents of this book. Heck, if you've been paying a modicum of attention to best practices in reading instruction for any duration of time, you know the contents of this book. But what if you aren't or what if you haven't been paying attention. Well first, what heap of basals are you camping under? Second, you probably wouldn't pick up this book in the first place. Bottomline: teachers need to be readers. Though are probably are already a reader if you're reading this book, and we've now named one of the largest problems within professional learning for teachers of reading and writing. Teachers who don't read.
August 24, 2017
Loved it. Not a step by step teaching plan but so much more. The underlying message we want to send to our readers/students. Perfect time to read as I head back soon...
July 27, 2018
Passionate Readers is a must read for teachers of reading. I found it amazing in that it not only affirmed what I am doing in my own learning community, but it challenged me to reflect and make changes in my practices as well.
January 1, 2018
This is an amazing book. Everything she said confirms what I have always believed to be true about reading. Her book gave me the confidence to go with my belief in teaching reading in a way that encourages freedom and developing a love for reading at least as much as I can. I want my students to love to read and ideally to NEED to read like I do. Thank you to Pernille!!!!
June 11, 2018
I started reading Passionate Readers: The Art of Reaching and Engaging Every Child by Pernille Ripp after a colleague raved about it. I found this book to really be a love letter to reading! Ripp's take of reading is everything I believe as an educator, especially one who tries to be an "expert in the building" on literacy in the classroom. I was learned and was inspired by this book and will reference it heavily in the upcoming school year's professional development work I am going to be leading with the staff.
Simply put, this book is one every educator needs to add to their professional library!
Simply put, this book is one every educator needs to add to their professional library!
November 18, 2020
This book offers valuable insights concerning reading as an educational tool, a hobby and a form of entertainment for students.
I do however notice that most of the strategies and points of attention Mrs. Ripp brings to the table are mostly aimed at primary school classes (6th to 10th grade, probably because she's been a 7th grade teacher for years). But once you can determine the essence of her insights and viewpoints, one can easily find meaningful and helpful tips, tricks and strategies to motivate students to read.
I do however notice that most of the strategies and points of attention Mrs. Ripp brings to the table are mostly aimed at primary school classes (6th to 10th grade, probably because she's been a 7th grade teacher for years). But once you can determine the essence of her insights and viewpoints, one can easily find meaningful and helpful tips, tricks and strategies to motivate students to read.
April 4, 2019
Practical, concrete, and specific, yet set up to let you find a way to make it your own. Will give you lots of ideas and generate the enthusiasm necessary to really get to work on implementing those ideas. Thoughtful reflection on effective teaching practices, with good attention to ways of stimulating autonomy.
August 7, 2023
Yes! Give kids choice! Teaching them to love reading means we can't always teach how to read, what to read, how to comprehend, etc. It's about helping them fall in love with reading so that they can be life long readers. So much of this is stuff I already do, and it's mostly from the 7th grade perspective, but it gave me some great things to consider.
October 14, 2017
What a warrior Pernille is! She has stuffed this book full of practical everyday strategies to engage and enlighten not just your students but your colleagues as well! Thank you, Pernille for caring so much about students and fostering their love of reading everyday!
April 28, 2019
I wish this book had been made available to me as a young teacher. Perfect for teachers of literacy Gr. 3-12.
September 17, 2019
Awesome text for book lovers and teachers of reading. If you like Penny Kittle’s Book Love - this another great resource that’s similar.
October 8, 2019
Excellent thoughts on how to create a community of readers at any grade level.
October 27, 2020
This is an essential book for every educator. I wish I had Mrs. Ripp as a 7th grade student. If I had a 7th grader, I would want that reader in Mrs. Ripp's class.
October 4, 2017
I met Pernille Ripp at ITEC last year and was anxiously waiting for her book to come out this year. She doesn’t disappoint. This is a must read for every teacher...not just for the Language Arts/English teachers.
March 4, 2018
This is a book that should be read by all educators! I took away so many practical ideas, many of which I was able to implement immediately! Thank you, Mrs. Ripp!
April 8, 2019
Excellent read! I would highly recommend this for any teacher or librarian. So often we accidentally kill a child's love to read and this book discusses ways to bring that back.
April 4, 2018
I love Pernille and I love her passion for what she does. As far as practical tips though, I wasn’t sure this really gave me anything new. Got more out of a podcast and perusing her website than from the book itself.
April 7, 2020
For the first time, this book has convinced me to allow students to use audio books during SSR. Pernille was persuasive on that point; why should students who struggle with decoding be barred from the experience of getting immersed in a good story, she asks? And why should students from whom decoding is a lot of work not be able to tackle more challenging texts that their friends are reading? These questions made me realize that my job is to provide access to the experience of books, and if audiobooks helps some students, then who am I to forbid audiobooks?
In general, the sense of Pernille's book is that the teacher should remove every possible obstruction from students developing a desire for reading. She talks a lot about her rules against abandoning a book (e.g. have to read at least the first 50 pages, can't abandon two books in a row, etc.) that she later realized were obstructions to her true goal: fostering students' desire for reading. This is pretty much the book in a nutshell: whatever obstruction, small or large, teachers can remove, they should remove for the sake of their students coming in contact with books.
Additionally, Pernille stresses student choice and autonomy. I like her ideas of helping students take charge of their own reading life by taking charge of (1) their to-read list, (2) book shopping, (3) deciding when to abandon a book, and (4) setting their own personal goals for their reading life and keeping track of their goal progress using whatever means make sense to them.
Another idea I really like is letting students sit wherever they want during SSR (and in general, letting the classroom functioning and organization be more of a student decision--whatever best supports their learning--than the teacher's). Pernille admits it can be scary to give control back to the students, but she encourages teachers to do so as much as they feel comfortable. For, the more control and choice students have directly translates into greater student engagement.
In general, the sense of Pernille's book is that the teacher should remove every possible obstruction from students developing a desire for reading. She talks a lot about her rules against abandoning a book (e.g. have to read at least the first 50 pages, can't abandon two books in a row, etc.) that she later realized were obstructions to her true goal: fostering students' desire for reading. This is pretty much the book in a nutshell: whatever obstruction, small or large, teachers can remove, they should remove for the sake of their students coming in contact with books.
Additionally, Pernille stresses student choice and autonomy. I like her ideas of helping students take charge of their own reading life by taking charge of (1) their to-read list, (2) book shopping, (3) deciding when to abandon a book, and (4) setting their own personal goals for their reading life and keeping track of their goal progress using whatever means make sense to them.
Another idea I really like is letting students sit wherever they want during SSR (and in general, letting the classroom functioning and organization be more of a student decision--whatever best supports their learning--than the teacher's). Pernille admits it can be scary to give control back to the students, but she encourages teachers to do so as much as they feel comfortable. For, the more control and choice students have directly translates into greater student engagement.
November 11, 2019
A must-read for middle school literacy teachers. It changed my outlook on reading, my pedagogy, and. my practice. In turn, it also changed my students' learning.
April 6, 2019
A book for any teacher of reading. The author is a teacher in the middle school arena, but there were still good ideas to try in a lower elementary class.
*Reading was connected to the very core of who I was as a person; I simply was a reader, and so I read.
*Our literature choices must afford children a chance to step into a new experience . . . We carry a responsibility to make sure that not only are all of our students and their life experiences represented in our libraries, but so are those whose lives do not mirror ours in the slightest.
*The conversations we have shape the readers that students become. Knowing that who they are as readers includes more than just the skills they still need to be taught is a vital step in teaching the whole child. Much as we must know our own reading identity in order to foster a passionate reading environment, we must therefore also provide ongoing opportunities for our students to discover and explore their own.
*A passionate reading environment will not arise if we do not purposefully aim to create one. It does not matter how great of a literacy program you teach if you do not start a larger reading conversation with students.
*Reading was connected to the very core of who I was as a person; I simply was a reader, and so I read.
*Our literature choices must afford children a chance to step into a new experience . . . We carry a responsibility to make sure that not only are all of our students and their life experiences represented in our libraries, but so are those whose lives do not mirror ours in the slightest.
*The conversations we have shape the readers that students become. Knowing that who they are as readers includes more than just the skills they still need to be taught is a vital step in teaching the whole child. Much as we must know our own reading identity in order to foster a passionate reading environment, we must therefore also provide ongoing opportunities for our students to discover and explore their own.
*A passionate reading environment will not arise if we do not purposefully aim to create one. It does not matter how great of a literacy program you teach if you do not start a larger reading conversation with students.
September 14, 2019
I have a great deal of admiration for Pernille Ripp. I first learned of her when I happened upon the Global Read Aloud in 2015, the project Pernille is possibly best-known for. Since that time I've followed her blog, and when she published books, purchasing them was a no-brainer.
Passionate Readers really spoke to and inspired me, but more importantly, it gave me a vision of what I could do to continue to build and improve the sense of "a community of readers and learners" within my classroom. I appreciate Pernille's candidness and her sincerity; she doesn't sugarcoat things to make them "look good"-- she shares the good and the bad in her experiences. As a 30-year educator I have found that Pernille's ideas and writing validate much of my own thinking and reinforce what I believe to be important.
In a time when we have the ability to communicate with other teachers, writers, and mentors through Twitter, email, blogs, and online book clubs, I feel as though I almost know Pernille Ripp. I'm very grateful that I made her acquaintance five years ago!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews