New Reading by 9 Guide Features ‘All Things California’

Today, on International Literacy Day, the Los Angeles Times released its annual Reading by 9 resource guide. The guide is created annually to help parents and educators support young children in developing their reading and literacy skills.

This year’s edition, “A Guide to Storytime,” was created in partnership with the Los Angeles Public Library and features “all things California,” according to Molly Heber, who spearheaded the project and also oversees The Times’ High School Insider program. “All the books either take place in SoCal or are written and/or illustrated by locals,” Heber noted.

The guide is available to download as a print-from-home product, giving families, educators and organizations instant access to use or share the guide with their communities. To that end, the guide has been condensed into 10 pages — the number of pages that the Los Angeles Public Library allows individuals to print for free every day.

In addition, the Reading by 9 website has been expanded to include current and past issues of the guide, to highlight partners and to publish content year-round. “This way, we can better connect with and serve our community of 600+ families, educators and community agencies,” said Heber.

The guide is available to download for free. The 2020 print guide can be ordered for free by parents, educators or community organizations.