Somewhere along the way, poetry seems to have developed a reputation for being boring, old-fashioned, and impossible to understand. Sure, there are plenty of esoteric and oblique poems out there, but there are hundreds and hundreds of poems that are accessible and enjoyable for children.

I joined Success Academy because this job lets me do what I know is right: provide access to thousands of high-quality books to kids, most of whom live in neighborhoods without bookstores, and share my love of books and my belief in the power of reading with leaders, teachers, and kids.

One School, One Book is a powerful literacy initiative designed to help an entire school community—kids and grownups alike—fall in love with books. We piloted the program last year and have now rolled it out to all first- and second-year schools. Soon, we’ll take this initiative network-wide…

Our Director of Children’s Literature, Sara Yu answers two frequently asked parent questions about supporting children’s independent reading.

This Valentine’s Day, as we celebrate our love of books across the Success Academy network, I’d like to share some of the joyful ways we spread our love of reading.

On Monday, the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association (ALA) awarded the Randolph Caldecott Medal, the most prestigious award in children’s literature. The Caldecott Medal is awarded to “the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.”

Why are wordless picture books such an important piece of our curriculum?

The why behind our controversial fifth amendment: Every Success Academy scholar has the right to NOT finish an Independent Reading book if a compelling reason is provided.

We have compiled a list of nonfiction books that can pique your children’s interest in Dr. King and the civil rights movement and launch them into further research and discovery.

Success Academy guarantees to all scholars the following inalienable rights as readers….

This year, we’re encouraging our scholars, families, teachers and other colleagues across Success Academy schools to make reading resolutions – resolving to read MORE and read BETTER to nourish themselves as readers.

Our very own Success Academy holiday gift guide!

Questions about reading? Read more advice from Director of Children’s Literature Sara Yu!

Have a question we haven’t answered yet? Post it in the comments so we can respond in a future post.

Wondering what to read with your child over Thanksgiving break? Check out our Director of Children’s Literature’s picks!

This week, we’d like to address some of the frequently asked questions about reading aloud we’ve heard from parents over the years…

The single most important thing parents can do to support their elementary school scholars is to read to them and with them at home.