New Reading by 9 Guide Spotlights Child Authors

The Los Angeles Times has released its free Reading by 9 resource guide. The guide, available in English and Spanish, 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 select books written by children to encourage other kids to explore writing. One such book, “I Am Jazz,” was written by author and reality TV personality Jazz Jennings when she was 13 years old. The story is about a transgender child, based on Jennings’ real-life experiences knowing from age 2 she had a girl’s brain in a boy’s body.

“Reading and writing are so tightly connected, and it’s important for young children to engage with both at an early age,” said Special Projects Lead Rebecca Castillo, who spearheaded the project, with assistance from Director of Public Affairs Monika Khare and Public Affairs Content Specialist Isabella Balandran.

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 within their communities.

To explore and download the guide, visit latimes.com/readingby9.