READ Intervention

02/19/2026

Love this book!

A Mighty Girl Pick of the Day: “The Story of Ruby Bridges” by Robert Coles. When a judge ordered six-year-old Ruby Bridges to attend William Frantz Elementary, an all-white school in New Orleans, Ruby must face angry mobs of parents who refuse to send their children to school with her. Although she has to be escorted to school daily by a team of U.S. Marshals and is taught by herself by a young teacher from Boston, Ruby's courage, faith, and the support of her family saw her through this difficult time. And, by becoming the first African American child to desegregate an all-white elementary school in the South, Ruby Bridges became a hero to millions.

Written by child psychiatrist Robert Coles, who volunteered to provide counseling to Ruby during her first year at the school, this powerful story is perfect for inspiring and amazing young readers as they start back at school. Evocative illustrations by George Ford depict the furious crowd and the little girl who became their focus, as well as Ruby’s steadfast determination and courage. Highly recommended for ages 4 to 9.

“The Story of Ruby Bridges" is available at https://www.amightygirl.com/the-story-of-ruby-bridges

For more books for young readers about Ruby Bridges' inspiring story, we also recommend the early chapter book "Ruby Bridges Goes to School" for ages 5 to 8 (https://www.amightygirl.com/ruby-bridges-goes-to-school) and the memoir that Ruby Bridges wrote for ages 8 to 12 entitled "Through My Eyes" (https://www.amightygirl.com/through-my-eyes)

There is also an inspiring film about her story called "Ruby Bridges" for viewers 7 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/ruby-bridges) -- you can also watch it instantly on Amazon at http://amzn.to/WOOvgY

To give young readers more insight into the school integration struggle, Nobel Prize-winning author, Toni Morrison, has written an outstanding book, that's filled with photos capturing the major desegregation events of the period, entitled "Remember: The Journey to School Integration" -- for ages 9 and up -- at https://www.amightygirl.com/remember

For more books about courageous girls and women of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement, check out our blog post on "50 Inspiring Books on Girls & Women of the Civil Rights Movement" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=11177

02/15/2026

I'll be tuning into this episode...

Be sure you’re following the podcast so you don’t miss our conversation with Dr. David Kilpatrick about phonemic awareness!
🎤The episode is live on Monday 2/16/26.
✅ This is the link! https://www.togetherinliteracy.com/podcasts/together-in-literacy

02/15/2026

Judy Blume made me a reader. I loved her books growing up. Happy Birthday!

Happy 88th birthday to Judy Blume, the beloved author of trailblazing novels for children and teens and a long-time champion of intellectual freedom! As the author of many Mighty Girl favorites such as "Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret," "Deenie," and "Tiger Eyes," Blume's influence -- especially on tween and teen girls -- has been profound and far-reaching for two generations. But what her many young fans rarely realize is that the very thing that makes her books so powerful -- her frank, honest discussion of topics like religion, puberty, and sexuality -- also made her one of the most frequently challenged children's authors in America.

Rather than bowing to the criticism, even as a relatively new author, Blume persisted in writing openly and honestly about issues affecting young people. And she didn't stop there: she became a vocal defender of authors, teachers, librarians, and others who have faced disapproval, professional consequences, and even the loss of their careers for refusing to remove books from young readers' hands. Over the decades, she has emerged as one of the most powerful champions for children's freedom to read -- and authors' freedom to write -- about topics that some find uncomfortable or controversial.

In our blog tribute to Judy Blume, we honor her both as an author of many beloved Mighty Girl books and as a determined, forceful voice against censorship and book banning. At a time when books continue to face challenges -- and when those challenges are intensifying -- her experiences, her persistence, and her powerful words about the value of trusting young readers with complex, honest stories are more important than ever.

To read our blog post, "Protecting 'The Books That Will Never Be Written'": Judy Blume's Fight Against Censorship," visit https://www.amightygirl.com/blog/?p=7425

To discover Judy Blume's much beloved children's and young adult novels, visit our "Judy Blume Collection" at http://amgrl.co/2yCpfPy

To introduce children to the woman behind these famous books, we recommend the illustrated biography "Who Is Judy Blume?" for ages 8 to 12 at https://www.amightygirl.com/who-is-judy-blume

For two inspiring books about girls fighting against censorship in schools - both for ages 9 to 12 - we highly recommend "Ban This Book" (https://www.amightygirl.com/ban-this-book) and "Property of the Rebel Librarian" (https://www.amightygirl.com/property-of-the-rebel-librarian)

For children's books about girls living in real-life societies throughout history with little respect for freedom of expression, visit our blog post "The Fragility of Freedom: Mighty Girl Books About Life Under Authoritarianism" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=32426

And for Mighty Girl stories that pay tribute to the transformative power of books, check out our blog post "Celebrating a Love of Reading: 35 Mighty Girl Stories about Books, Libraries, and Literacy" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=11656

02/15/2026

Go Sweden! 🇸🇪 Couldn't agree more with this!👇

Sweden is making headlines by shifting classrooms back toward books, handwriting, and traditional learning methods after years of heavy screen use.

Educators noticed that too much digital dependence was linked to weaker reading comprehension, shorter attention spans, and reduced foundational skills in younger students.

Studies have shown that writing by hand and reading on paper can improve memory retention and deeper understanding compared to learning only through screens.

This move isn’t about rejecting technology, but about restoring balance so that digital tools support learning rather than replace essential cognitive development.

Sweden’s decision is sparking a wider global conversation about how schools can best combine modern innovation with proven traditional methods.

02/14/2026

Sound Start Literacy workbooks are on sale - only $17.49 a workbook! Linguistic phonics made simple.
https://a.co/d/09wfTFbE

01/04/2026

Give beginning and striving readers a sound start to reading in 2026!

Sound Start Literacy now offers consumable workbooks on Amazon. Effective and efficient speech to print instruction is easier than ever! https://www.soundsta...

11/25/2025

Looking for an easy to use resource to support your child's reading and spelling skills? Sound Start Literacy workbooks will help your child unlock the code and experience reading success!

Sound Start Literacy is a linguistic phonics program that empowers children to read by connecting speech to print. Designed for young learners and striving readers alike, including those with dyslexia, this step-by-step approach teaches the alphabetic code through the natural patterns of spoken...

10/08/2025

It was my honor to contribute to Dystinct magazine. They've done such amazing work to support dyslexic children and their families.

READ Intervention Jennifer Cerra shares how teaching story grammar, a structured approach to understanding narrative elements, can help struggling readers, especially those with dyslexia, build comprehension, reduce cognitive load, and connect more deeply with stories, in her article, "Using Story Grammar to Foster Comprehension."
https://on.dystinct.org/using-story-grammar-to-foster-comprehension-jennifer-cerra/

10/07/2025

Looking for some FREE speech to print resources?

10/07/2025

I still remember the nursery rhymes my parents and teachers read to me in preschool and kindergarten, but I find many students today have not been exposed to them. Time to pull out Mother goose and read those nursery rhymes! It supports phonological awareness right from the start.

🎵 "Nursery rhymes are more than sweet traditions, they are language boot camps. Their repetitive rhythmic structure strengthens memory and helps children recognise patterns in language."

Early Years educator, phonics specialist, and author Katie Whitehead (known to her followers as Phonics Family ) shares her top tips for building essential pre-reading skills in this blog post 👉 www.edshed.com/blog

🌍 World Nursery Rhyme Week runs from 11th–15th November.

✨ Download FREE planning and resources here: www.phonicsshed.com/en-gb/world-nursery-rhyme-week

10/07/2025

This is such an inspirational episode about literacy and incarceration. This gives me a lot of hope.❤️

Podcast Episode · The Literacy View · 10/07/2025 · 58m