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It’s All About the Books: How to Create Bookrooms and Classroom Libraries That Inspire Readers
The term "lifelong reader" is more than a slogan or jargon in a mission statement. Lifelong readers need passion, agency, and a sense of inquiry in their reading lives. They also need books. In It's All About the Books , Tammy Mulligan and Clare Landrigan share the systems they have developed over the last 15 years to create classroom libraries and book rooms that support both student choice and instructional goals. Getting started with designing and provisioning classroom libraries and bookrooms to support lifelong readers involves collaboration, planning, and some elbow grease! It's All About the Books is a practical yet detailed guide to creating a system where classroom libraries and bookrooms work seamlessly together to make it easy for teachers to find books to engage and scaffold all students in a school community. Each chapter includes photos, resources, book lists, and a step-by-step outline of the process so you can get started right away. From design, to inventory, to organizing, purchasing, and using these books in the classroom-they demonstrate how to make the most of what you have, and how to get what need on a budget. Every child deserves the opportunity to become a lifelong reader. It's All About the Books will help you transform how you organize books across the entire school to make each teacher's book supply seem endless in the eyes of a reader. Teachers must have easy access to what they need, when they need it, because in the life of a reader the right book at the right time makes all the difference. - Tammy and Clare want this book to impact the lives of teachers and students directly so they are donating all author royalties it generates to the . Book Love is a not-for-profit organization founded by with one to put books in the hands of teenagers. Our book will now expand that goal and put books into the hands of elementary and middle grade students as well. Thank you, Penny, for allowing us to bring the heart of this book to life through your hard work and vision. -Tammy and Clare
192 pages, Paperback
Published March 22, 2018
6 people are currently reading
209 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
June 7, 2018
This is a great professional development book for reading teachers. It makes so many great points about the importance of literacy and getting books into the hands of kids. I also really loved all the illustrations and lists of online reading communities and technology sites to use in the classroom.
July 1, 2018
I have read through this book twice now - once for myself and once to lead colleagues on a book study.
As most of you know, I read voraciously. I know it's all about the books! But Tammy and Clare still gave me so much to think about - they opened my mind to new possibilities and ways to organize and use books.
This book will stretch your thinking and make sure you're getting books into hands of readers!
As most of you know, I read voraciously. I know it's all about the books! But Tammy and Clare still gave me so much to think about - they opened my mind to new possibilities and ways to organize and use books.
This book will stretch your thinking and make sure you're getting books into hands of readers!
June 28, 2018
I think this is a great start for a teacher who is changing grades or new to the profession. A lot of time is spent talking about bookrooms, which is a great concept but my school doesn't have resources for that just yet.
I was given a fantastic library when I moved from K to the 4th grade, plus I am already a total book nerd so I was off to great start. I DID find this book helpful with one of the units I teach, the Realistic Fiction unit. The book gave some great baskets ideas that my students and I can break up that unit so that students can choose the books they want easily instead of digging through the genre baskets.
We use The Teacher College's Reading and Writing Workshop in my district and this book blended very nicely with that program.
I was given a fantastic library when I moved from K to the 4th grade, plus I am already a total book nerd so I was off to great start. I DID find this book helpful with one of the units I teach, the Realistic Fiction unit. The book gave some great baskets ideas that my students and I can break up that unit so that students can choose the books they want easily instead of digging through the genre baskets.
We use The Teacher College's Reading and Writing Workshop in my district and this book blended very nicely with that program.
April 17, 2018
Clare and Tammy hit it out of the park. A book that is radical in its notions and at the same time approachable. Blow up,your book room sets and get as many books as possible in the hands of young readers. Detailed suggestions for can do’s in any school regarding class collections and school collections. A must read for modern schools. You can’t teach the curriculum without a strong vibrant book collection.
April 17, 2018
This book is probably great for a lot of teachers. I just felt like it spent entirely too much time on the concept of book rooms. I hoped it would be more about my own classroom library. Overall, I felt like it was just a lot of information about how important it is to have a lot of books. I don't know that I got a lot out of it that would truly inspire readers.
July 15, 2019
Lots of very practical ideas for creating/organizing a classroom library and a culture of reading. The authors include lots of very innovative ways to group books: Books with an interesting format, stories to read in one sitting, various points of view, settings I don't know, surprise endings, gross topics, books that won't let you turn the lights off, the principal's favorites, books set in faraway places, if you liked ____, then try ____, to name just a few!
September 1, 2018
“Teaching our students to be wild readers is not only possible; it is our ethical responsibility as reading teachers and lifelong readers. Our students deserve it, society demands it, and our teaching hearts know that it matters.”—Donalyn Miller
June 5, 2018
It took me a while to read Clare & Tammy's book. As I was reading it my school was going through a process of refreshing our book room. We ended up going in a direction that in no way matches what Clare and Tammy propose, and honestly, it was painful to contrast the possibilities presented in It's All About the Books with the decisions made at my school, so I had to put the book aside for a while.
The intentional, thoughtful vision Clare and Tammy propose for the bookroom would be an amazing resource for students and teachers. They have lots of innovative ideas about how bookrooms can support every aspect of a balanced literacy/workshop approach, realizing that teachers need access to text for all of the elements of balance literacy: yes, guided reading, but also read aloud, shared reading, book clubs, mentor text for crafts of writing and writing structures, genre studies, grade level units/topics, literary elements and devices, AND INDEPENDENT READING! Because “Having the right book at the right time is often the most important instructional move we can make to support our students." They offer an expansive vision of a “bookroom” that far exceeds what I’ve previously imagined. To have all of these resources at my fingertips would be a dream come true. The thoughtful and intentional vertical articulation of units and books described would provide an amazing depth of understanding for students, but also for teachers as they collaborate to gather and organize the best books for their purposes. I'm grateful to have this vision of the possibilities so that I can continue to advocate for a more expansive view of the bookroom and for more funding.
The sections on classroom libraries gave me manageable next steps for improving my already substantial (self-funded) classroom library to make it more student-friendly and intentional. Clare & Tammy inspired me to do some much-needed weeding that revealed holes that need filling, and I can't wait to get started on that!
It's All About the Books has readers—and their teachers— at its heart. Clare & Tammy recognize that “Levels, percentages, and benchmarks mean nothing if we don’t also focus on developing a student’s reading life.” The chapters on supporting readers' choice and agency with books and organizing books for instruction are both loaded with inspiration and resources for taking my readers to the next level. And best of all? All proceeds from the sale of It's All About the Books go to one of my favorite organizations: The Book Love Foundation, specifically to fund elementary classroom libraries!
The intentional, thoughtful vision Clare and Tammy propose for the bookroom would be an amazing resource for students and teachers. They have lots of innovative ideas about how bookrooms can support every aspect of a balanced literacy/workshop approach, realizing that teachers need access to text for all of the elements of balance literacy: yes, guided reading, but also read aloud, shared reading, book clubs, mentor text for crafts of writing and writing structures, genre studies, grade level units/topics, literary elements and devices, AND INDEPENDENT READING! Because “Having the right book at the right time is often the most important instructional move we can make to support our students." They offer an expansive vision of a “bookroom” that far exceeds what I’ve previously imagined. To have all of these resources at my fingertips would be a dream come true. The thoughtful and intentional vertical articulation of units and books described would provide an amazing depth of understanding for students, but also for teachers as they collaborate to gather and organize the best books for their purposes. I'm grateful to have this vision of the possibilities so that I can continue to advocate for a more expansive view of the bookroom and for more funding.
The sections on classroom libraries gave me manageable next steps for improving my already substantial (self-funded) classroom library to make it more student-friendly and intentional. Clare & Tammy inspired me to do some much-needed weeding that revealed holes that need filling, and I can't wait to get started on that!
It's All About the Books has readers—and their teachers— at its heart. Clare & Tammy recognize that “Levels, percentages, and benchmarks mean nothing if we don’t also focus on developing a student’s reading life.” The chapters on supporting readers' choice and agency with books and organizing books for instruction are both loaded with inspiration and resources for taking my readers to the next level. And best of all? All proceeds from the sale of It's All About the Books go to one of my favorite organizations: The Book Love Foundation, specifically to fund elementary classroom libraries!
June 26, 2018
This book is great for teachers who teach reading! I loved the ideas about how to set up my classroom library and the ideas about digital literacy! I highly recommend reading this! I have been teaching 10 years and have always had a well organized library. I think this book will make it work much better!
June 20, 2018
As a book crazy teacher I was not certain I would learn a lot from this book, but I was wrong! Quick read, great pictures, and love all the online resources. I will use this book over and over and share the ideas widely.
June 18, 2018
Confirming and ideas to stretch classroom libraries
April 7, 2018
How can teachers (with their administrators) inventory the school-owned books, identify gaps, make a purchasing plan, and find the resources to have amazing classroom libraries and bookrooms? This book shares the planning processes that Tammy and Clare have been using for over 10 years!
Pictures that share how to label and identify all phases of the work! Clear, concise and doable!
Books are necessary in order to have all children growing! This book gives you the answers to the number of the books and where you can find examples!
Pictures that share how to label and identify all phases of the work! Clear, concise and doable!
Books are necessary in order to have all children growing! This book gives you the answers to the number of the books and where you can find examples!
October 17, 2018
If you are already a regular middle grade book blog follower, and participate in Twitter chats (does Nerdy Book Club mean anything to you?), then you might not get a ton of new ideas from this book. However, if you are new to teaching or looking to refresh your approach to reading instruction and class library management, there are many detailed ideas with specific nuts and bolts strategies for elementary classrooms that are beneficial.
Some of my favorite "new-to-me" ideas included discussions about re-imagining a school bookroom, with themed baskets (rather than just single copies of books) loaned out to different classrooms. The idea of a schoolwide inventory of books is also a good one, both to identify specific needs and get the most for spending choices, and to increase the knowledge and investment of all building professionals in specific titles and reading habits of students we serve.
Some of my favorite "new-to-me" ideas included discussions about re-imagining a school bookroom, with themed baskets (rather than just single copies of books) loaned out to different classrooms. The idea of a schoolwide inventory of books is also a good one, both to identify specific needs and get the most for spending choices, and to increase the knowledge and investment of all building professionals in specific titles and reading habits of students we serve.
January 12, 2023
If you’re a teacher or a parent or just a reader, I highly recommend this book. The insights into reading and getting books into the hands of teachers and children, is invaluable. It provides actual easy steps to make significant changes in a reader’s life and a school’s book room or classroom library!
September 3, 2018
THIS BOOK. Everything you need to know about classroom libraries, bookrooms, it's in here.
SUCH a great book. Especially love their annotated library photos. Such a great resource for educators new and veteran!
SUCH a great book. Especially love their annotated library photos. Such a great resource for educators new and veteran!
June 28, 2019
I wish I had this book about 8 years ago as I could've used it to assist me in organizing my school wide bookroom. Such an incredible resource. This will currently assist me in designing and organizing my classroom library.
July 24, 2018
Every teacher of literacy NEEDS to read this book! It’s our responsibility to make sure each and every kid has access to books that they can read and are relevant to them. Loved this!
August 6, 2019
Lots of great information for organizing books, structuring a library, and making sure that books are a huge focus at school. Would recommend for sure!
September 25, 2021
Good resource for teachers about getting students excited about reading, building classroom libraries and organizing a school bookroom. I think it would be most beneficial to K-8 teachers.
January 23, 2022
Practical tips that are immediately applicable to the classroom.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews