Velocity of Being - Letters to Young Readers

Letter to Young Readers

The age old question in every language arts, English, and reading teacher’s mind is how to get all kids to love and value reading. Why do so many of our students despise and hate the simple act of reading? That is especially perplexing today when there are so many reading options out there. We wrote a blog post of simple ways to help ensure that all students love reading, but we recently discovered a hidden gem of a book that is a powerful resource to further aid in that quest. We have found that when shared with our students, it sheds a new light and perspective on what a gift it is to read. That book is Velocity of Reading: Letters to Young Readers.

Oh, where to begin with this book? Well, the first thing that caught my eye was the cover, which is just a glimpse into the art that accompanies each letter. Looking at this book is like looking at paintings in an art museum. Once you read the letters, you begin to see how the illustrator was inspired by the words on the page.

The pulsing heart of this book are the letters to young readers which all focus on why we as humans read. Some of the letters are clever takes on the creativity of reading. Other letters focus on heart wrenching stories of history where books were taken from people so they wouldn’t get any ideas about creating a better world. And still other letters focus on not liking to read, but that books were always waiting for them when they were ready.

Each letter offers a different insight into the gift of reading. We read a letter with our students at the beginning of every week with the hope that it inspires them to not only do their independent reading homework, but to be grateful for the opportunity. We want to reframe the experience of reading homework so our students don’t view it as a chore or one more thing to do, but instead view it as the pathway to live a more fulfilled life.

Another great thing about this book is that 100% of its proceeds go to the New York Public Library system. For more information about this book, click here: https://www.brainpickings.org/2018/11/20/a-velocity-of-being-letters-to-a-young-reader/

This is one of the most beautiful books we have ever read, inside and out, and we highly recommend it to every language arts, English, and reading teacher out there.