A novel addition to the team

In the last few months, we have brought you a video series on books for reluctant readers. In it, several educators have shared some of their recommendations.

This week we're pleased to welcome a new member of our team. Meet Literacy Cat, Teacher's resident kitty who likes nothing more than to curl up with a good book.

As you can see from the video, she's reading Nanny Piggins and the pursuit of justice, and she's finding it hard to put it down (or share).

But, as the editorial team likes to say, that's just one cat's opinion. So, we asked to Lori Korodaj, a teacher librarian based in the ACT, for her verdict.

Here's what she had to say:

‘It was a great delight to read Nanny Piggins and the pursuit of justice, the sixth in a nine book series, from the Australian author R.A. Spratt.

The adventures of the world's greatest flying pig had me enthralled from the first moment. What child wouldn't love to have a nanny with such derring-do, who believed in eating cake at every opportunity, and feared the damage that school was doing to the young minds of children?

The story begins with Nanny Piggins getting herself into trouble with the law - by tightrope walking between high rise buildings to gain access to a delicious chocolate cake! Her predilection for adventure and danger proceeds to lead her and those around her into the most humorous and exciting situations in subsequent chapters of the book.

Children will delight in the way the author highlights the ridiculousness of the adults in Nanny Piggins' world, while classroom teachers can read each chapter as a standalone story within a lesson, or the book as an ongoing whole over the course of days or weeks.

My children loved the book. Give yourself a treat and get your hands on this and other books in the Nanny Piggins series!'

- Lori Korodaj, teacher librarian, ACT

Stay tuned: Next month Teacher will be taking a look at the latest research around what motivates school-aged students to read for pleasure.