Book Review: Your Child's Writing Life

Author: Pam Allyn
Publisher: Avery Trade (August 2, 2011)
Audience: Adult (Specifically directed towards parents)
Source: NetGalley (e-book for review)

Description from GoodReads:

New educational research reveals that writing is as fundamental to a child's development as reading. But though there are books that promote literacy, no book guides parents in helping their child cultivate a love of writing. In this book, Pam Allyn, a nationally recognized educator and literacy expert, reminds us that writing is not only a key skill but also an essential part of self-discovery and critical to success later in life. Allyn offers the "the five keys" to help kids WRITE-Word Power, Ritual, Independence, Time, and Environment-along with fun, imaginative prompts to inspire and empower children to put their thoughts on the page.

A groundbreaking blueprint for developing every child's abilities, Your Child's Writing Life teaches parents how to give a gift that will last a lifetime.


 "Reading is like breathing in, writing is like breathing out.  A child reading and writing, one from the other is building the capacity for reflection, synthesis, and inquiry." - Pam Allyn
In July, I reviewed Pam Allyn's The Best Book for Boys and have subsequently recommended it to a number of teachers, librarians, and booksellers that I know.  Pam is a teacher, author, motivational speaker, global literacy advocate, and a parent.  She is passionate about her work and is extremely knowledgeable about the field of literacy. 

Allyn's latest book is directed at parents.  Early in the book, she indicates that there are various books on helping your children to read but really no books on nurturing a child's writing life.  She sets out to provide that resource for parents.  As I read through the book, I had to remind myself of this fact, since often times I have on my educator's hat and in this case, I needed to switch gears and look at the book from a different angle.  Though the book does have useful information and reminders which can be used by teachers, the book is really directed at parents, and specifically parents who are interested in their child's writing.  I can see two groups of parents which will gravitate towards this book - the newer parent who is trying to make sure that he/she provides a solid foundation for his/her young child and the parent of an older school-age child who may be struggling with writing and wants to know more about how to support their child's writing.

Allyn makes an extensive case for the importance of early writing, as early as ages 1 to 2 years, in the role of children being better readers and more confident writers later on.  She discusses five writing pillars that are essential in this process: stamina, creativity, organization, fluency, and phonemic awareness.  Early, frequent writing exploration will stimulate and support each of these areas.  Allyn provides multiple examples from her own children's lives as well as from others about how a parent can encourage and support a very young child in this process and how to continue to nurture it as the child grows.  Additionally, Allyn share 5 Keys for Forever Writers which she connects with the word WRITE: word power, reading life, identity, time, and environment.

Two other sections parents will find particularly helpful are the developmental stages of writing and the section on how to help children when they are struggling with writing.  In the developmental section, Allyn breaks things down by a particular age of the child and focuses on the developmental characteristics of that age as connected with writing, the writing elements that are evident at this age, suggestions for writing activities, and suggestions for books.  This varies per age level and provides some additional information for parents are children become a little older.  With these sections, I can see parents scanning through the sections that are not relevant for their child at that particular time and reading more thoroughly the section relevant to where their child is at currently and then returning later to look at other sections.  I can also see teachers pulling out some of the information for a particular age child when speaking with parents about supporting their child's writing at home.

Though I am not a parent, I do have many friends with school-age children.  As I read through this book, many of them came to mind.  I tried to imagine them reading this book or picking it up.  Hence, my earlier statement that I believe this will be a book sought out more by newer parents interested in literacy development or parents of older school-age children whose child may be struggling with writing.  Most parents with pre-school or school aged children are extremely busy and though the activities provided by Allyn in this book are very practical, I am not certain I see parents sitting long enough to read the book or applying the information without some condensing of material (for example, a teacher using the book to provide a hand-out to parents on a child's writing stage, writing ideas for that age level, and some tips on how to support it at home).

Additionally, for teachers working with lower-income families, and families/parents who have limited literacy skills- especially in English, the information provided by Allyn will certainly need to be teased out and formatted in a manner that they can relate with.  Allyn is a passionate supporter of global literacy and I would love to see a companion piece to this book specifically for teachers working with families who the information in this book would be more of a challenge to access or for ideas that would not overwhelm families with limited literacy skills and different cultural values. 


Please note:  There were some formatting issues with the e-galley which were a bit distracting, and also made checking out the references or notations difficult. 

For more information about Pam Allyn, check out the following websites -

Her official website:  http://pamallyn.com/
Or her LitWorld page: http://litworld.org/
Or her LitLife page: http://litlifeinfo.com/

Friend her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pamallyn

Follow her on Twitter: @pamallyn

Interview with Pam Allyn, Author & Global Literacy Advocate

I want to take a moment to welcome Pam Allyn, Author and Global Literacy Advocate to Kid Lit Frenzy.  Pam took time from her busy schedule to tell us a little more about LitWorld and how we can promote literacy, too.  Thanks Pam for stopping by and sharing your passion with us.

Can you share with readers how you developed LitWorld and what was one or two things you have learned about Global Literacy that most surprised you?

I visited a school for HIV/AIDS orphans in Kenya to do teacher training work and saw most profoundly how much children themselves so believe in the power of education not only to change their lives but to save them. They are hungry to learn, so hungry. When I came back home, I started to think about how in this new era literacy is going to be the one way every child can open every door for his or her dreams and how we can best make that happen.

I stated LitWorld three years ago to campaign for this dream.  One of the most surprising things I've learned is that while I love schools, they cannot be the only solution. We have to cultivate all families and everyone in the community as literacy leaders too. I think there are going to be lots and lots of ways we can imagine to help all people learn to read and write, whether it's via a mobile phone or by a roving LitWorld Ambassador. Although school was designed to give kids a chance, around the world I too often see kids piling into schools but nothing much is happening there. We cannot rely on schools alone.  I want LitWorld to be about learning to read transformationally.

The other surprising thing I learned is that the numbers of illiterate people worldwide are staggering, even more so than I had ever imagined.  The official number is 774 million, which is huge to begin with, but I have traveled a great deal in these past three years and both here and everywhere I meet hundreds of people who may be able to decode the aplphabet but are still not reading anywhere near what it would take for them to use reading as a powerful force for change in their own lives.  The numbers are unacceptable.  We can change this problem, if we all join together and see this as the Human Rights issue of our time. 

What advice would you give to teachers and librarians who would like to develop joint community literacy initiatives or activities?

I love this; collaboration is the key in this new era.  The internet is powerful but can also be confusing.  Please visit us at Litworld.org and we can help you organize for joint community initiatives.  Our World Read Aloud Day is in its third year and we need your support for that one!

In a day and age of scripted Language Arts programs and high-stakes testing, some teachers and administrators are hesitant to branch out or deviate from what has been given to them. Yet, for many urban schools, improvement in reading scores are still slow. Where would you advise a teacher or school to begin in supplementing required reading programs in order to support children in developing personal reading habits at school and at home?

The main problem is that children are never given an opportunity to actually read and to build stamina, fluency and enjoyment. They are constantly asked to do activities and responses to reading, which does not improve stamina, probably the key and most underdiscussed aspect of a personal reading life. Teachers simply must give kids more time to read in school.  It's actually that simple, truly.  Even ten minutes a day of independent reading levels in books they really love, about topics that matter to them, is going to improve test scores, and best of all, give them the idea that having a reading life matters. 

With decreasing/disappearing funding for school libraries and librarians - and even public libraries - the classroom library is becoming even more essential. What suggestions or tips would you have for a teacher in creating a basic functional classroom library that can grow over time and address the diversity of his/her students?

Invite your students to help you build the library.  Ask them what motivates them as readers and build baskets, bins and on-line resources around those passions.  Also, I co-authored a book The Great Eight (Scholastic) that has tons of really cool photos of classroom libraries.  These should help in setting up your own!  I believe the classroom library is truly essential and should change over the course of the year to reflect our students as growing readers. Access to powerful texts that inspire us as readers and writers is so crucial.  

For more information about Pam Allyn, check out the following websites -

Her official website: http://pamallyn.com/
Or her LitWorld page: http://litworld.org/
Or her LitLife page: http://litlifeinfo.com/

Friend her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pamallyn

Follow her on Twitter: @pamallyn

From July 1-7, 2011, you also have a chance to win a copy of Pam Allyn's Best Books for Boys. For details, click here.

Book Review: Pam Allyn's The Best Books For Boys

Author: Pam Allyn
Title: Pam Allyn's Best Books for Boys: How to Engage Boys in Reading in Ways That Will Change Their Lives
Publisher: Scholastic Teaching Resources (May 1, 2011)
Audience: Educators/Librarians/Parents
Source: Copy for Review

Description from GoodReads
Get all boys reading with this extraordinary guide—chock-full of a wide range of must-read titles organized by interest, age, and development. With this resource in hand, you'll never again struggle to find the right book for even your most reluctant readers. The carefully chosen book selections are accompanied by brief explanations of each book, and a recurring feature, Talk About It, will help you extend the book through conversation, supporting and enhancing the reading experience. In addition, ready-to-use lessons align with themes and topics of special interest to boys that will motivate and inspire them to read more. Finally, Pam answers your most pressing questions about the challenges for boys as readers and shows you how you can maximize environments, routines, and structures to ensure that boys are reading widely and passionately. For use with Grades K-8.


I must admit that I was slow in discovering Pam Allyn and her wonderful work to support literacy not just here in the United States but also globally.  My staff and I did our best (despite some District events) to celebrate World Read Aloud Day (March 9, 2011).  With a goal to increase student literacy and love for books, how could we not try to participate in some way?  And yet, I'm glad to have discovered Allyn, her books, and her passion for Global Literacy.


So when I was asked to review Allyn's new book - Pam Allyn's Best Books for Boys: How to Engage Boys in Reading in Ways That Will Change Their Lives - it was easy to say yes.  While I was reading the book, I couldn't help but think about teachers that I would like to give a copy to.  This practical resource for parents, teachers, librarians or anyone who cares about children and reading looks at why a book like this was needed as well as provides very practical ways to encourage and support reading with boys.

The book opens with an introduction, and if you tend to skim through introductions or think they aren't important, I encourage you to read this one.  Throughout the whole introduction, I wanted to verbally voice my agreements with her statements and observations.  I nearly cried at the story of Sammy who developed pride in his reading and shouted an emphatic agreement when Allyn indicated that "we need a Title IX for the classroom to equalize the gender opportunities for all..." (p. 8)

And I loved this explanation Allyn gives as to part of the purpose of the book:

"In this book, I will share with you the critical elements for helping boys build confidence, feel like contributing members of a reading world, and stretch the rope so that they can make progress in leaps and bounds." (p. 7)

Within the Key Question and Answer section, Allyn talks about the READ (Ritual, Environment, Access, Dialogue) Model and answers some very important questions about boys and reading.  I am already thinking about how I can use this section of the book as part of a discussion with the teachers that I work with.

As if it wasn't enough for the introduction and first two sections to have information that will just resonate with those who have spent any time with boys.  The final section is an amazing K-8 reading list in annotated bibliography format with talking points for specific books.  Each category looks at books for emerging readers, developing readers, and maturing readers.  The list is filled with old favorites and many new titles.  After reading the book, I find myself wanting to go back to read titles that I have missed or to keep referring the book to every teacher that I know (and librarians too).

If you are looking for a gift for a teacher or a librarian or parent, I would highly recommend Pam Allyn's Best Books for Boys: How to Engage Boys in Reading in Ways That Will Change Their Lives. I know that I will be handing out copies of this to both new and experienced teachers.

For more information about Pam Allyn, check out the following websites -

Her official website:  http://pamallyn.com/
Or her LitWorld page: http://litworld.org/
Or her LitLife page: http://litlifeinfo.com/

Friend her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pamallyn

Follow her on Twitter: @pamallyn

To purchase a copy of the book on Amazon, please go here: http://tinyurl.com/3mmfpwb

From July 1-7, 2011, you also have a chance to win a copy of Pam Allyn's book.  For details, click here.