Author Archives: David Armstrong

The 2025 U.S. publishing revenue report gives parents, teachers, librarians, and homeschool families a useful reminder: children’s books are still one of the most reliable anchors for family reading habits. New formats keep growing, school reading scores remain a concern, and families have more digital distractions than ever, but the book market still shows that print, children’s reading, and home book access remain central to how young readers build confidence.… Read the rest

Illinois Reads Together is a reminder that summer reading works best when children see books as part of real life, not just a school-year requirement. The statewide initiative, announced in July 2026, connects local library summer reading programs with a child-friendly reward: the chance for young readers to be recognized at Wrigley Field before a Chicago Cubs game. For parents, teachers, librarians, and homeschool families, the lesson is practical. Incentives … Read the rest

July can be a useful reset point for families who want summer reading to feel intentional instead of rushed. New children’s book releases give parents, teachers, and homeschooling families a fresh pool of picture books, middle-grade novels, graphic novels, nonfiction, and young adult titles to evaluate before the school-year routine returns. For Leap Year Publishing readers, the real question is not simply which books are new. It is how parents … Read the rest

The architectural foundation of childhood literacy instruction is undergoing an intensive structural realignment across the United States. For decades, the dominant educational philosophy favored balanced literacy models that integrated a strategy known as the three-cueing system, or the Meaning-Structure-Visual (MSV) framework. This methodology instructed young learners to deduce unfamiliar words by looking at surrounding illustrations, evaluating grammatical contexts, or guessing based on sentence flow, rather than directly decoding the printed … Read the rest

The debate surrounding children’s literacy has historically focused on a strict binary choice: the tactile permanence of traditional printed books versus the accessible portability of digital screens. For years, educators and parental figures heavily favored physical pages while viewing digital formats as inherently distracting shortcuts. However, shifting engagement trends have sparked a massive re-evaluation of how young learners interact with written language.

The launch of the global National Year of … Read the rest

Getting a kid to read during summer break is tough. It’s like trying to sell sunscreen to vampires. But our goal is bigger than just stopping the “summer slide.”

We aim to create a place where kids love to read. It’s not just about homework. It’s about sparking curiosity.

Studies from UConn show the best approach. It involves creating a reading culture, improving skills, and engaging the community.

This strategy … Read the rest

Let’s be honest. The advice to “read more” is like being told to “eat your broccoli.” It’s good for you, but it’s not exciting.

The secret isn’t just reading. It’s the how. Forget memorizing words. We’re building a mental library that lives and breathes.

Research shows there’s no single way to learn words. The National Reading Panel found that learning is a mix. It includes direct teaching, strategic learning, … Read the rest

Trying to get students engaged today is tough. It’s like trying to explain Inception to a room full of cats. I’ve been there, and it’s not easy.

Educator Chris Merlo says something important. Today’s students haven’t seen Ghostbusters. Their view of learning is very different from ours.

Another teacher, Semma, had a moment that stood out. A student called her “mom.” It showed how disconnected they felt from the … Read the rest