“Read With Me” Promotes Reading and Creative Literacy Through Literature

Read With Me is one of the projects of the Institute for Research on the History of Children’s Literature to promote reading and literacy for all children—especially those who are deprived or in crisis—and has been underway since 1389 SH. The program was shaped by the belief that every child should have the chance to access quality books and the joy of reading, and it works through reading promotion and creative learning through literature to offer that chance especially to children who, for economic, social, or hard living conditions, have less access to books and cultural activities.

View Read With Me Website About the Program

“Read With Me” Promotes Reading and Creative Literacy Through Literature

Our Philosophy and Mission

The mission of Read With Me is to expand children’s access to quality books and create conditions for creative learning through literature—especially in settings that face educational and cultural limits

Providing Quality Books
Empowering Adults Who Work with Children
Creating Environments Rich in Literature and Literacy

Our Philosophy and Mission

Implementation Methods of the “Read With Me” Program

Through varied projects, Read With Me works to give children in many settings—from home, kindergarten, and school to libraries and educational and support centers—access to quality books and to reading and learning through literature. These projects aim to widen cultural opportunity for children with more limited access to cultural resources, train caregivers and teachers in creative uses of literature, acquaint families with ways to accompany children’s learning, and strengthen libraries as spaces for reading, conversation, and cultural activity. Attention to book quality, children’s active participation in learning, and the role of adult accompaniment and support in their growth and learning are shared principles of all these projects.

Implementation Methods of the “Read With Me” Program

List of Read With Me Projects

Holding Reading Sessions and Book Lending

Establishing Child-Centered Libraries

Strengthening Basic Literacy Skills Through Literature

Strengthening Emergent Literacy: Reading with Infants and Toddlers

Reading with Family

Practical Literacy for Mothers

Reading with a Sick Child

Green Classrooms and Libraries

Training Young Librarians, Library Helpers, and Qasedaks

Strengthening Emergent Literacy: Reading with Mother–Child Groups (Ages Two and Up)

Launching “Climate Heroes” and “Birdwatching” Clubs

Developing and Teaching Curriculum to Educators and Teachers

List of Read With Me Projects

International and National Honors

International Recognition of the Program’s Reading Promotion Efforts

IBBY – Asahi 2016

Winner of the IBBY – Asahi Award for Reading Promotion

Astrid Lindgren

Nominee for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, 2017–2022

IBBY-iRead 2022

Winner of the IBBY-iRead Award

International and National Honors

International Recognition of the Program’s Reading Promotion Efforts

Some of the “Read With Me” Workshops

For the full list of workshops, visit the Amoozak online learning platform

Children’s Literature and Picture Books

Introduction to Children’s Literature and Book Illustration

Read-Aloud: Methods and Functions

Read-Aloud Skills for Educators and Parents

Display Linked to Read-Aloud

Dramatic Activities Alongside Books

Emergent Literacy

Strengthening Basic Literacy Through Literature

Phonemic and Alphabetic Awareness

Play and Learning Sounds and Alphabet

Librarianship and Children Workshop

Standards and Practices for Child-Centered Libraries

Some of the “Read With Me” Workshops

For the full list of workshops, visit the Amoozak online learning platform

Target Groups

Read With Me believes every child has the right to quality books. To reach that goal, the following groups receive special attention:

Out-of-School Child
Sick Child and Child in Crisis
Orphaned and Neglected Children
Migrant Child
Working Child
Child Affected by Natural Disasters

Target Groups

Read With Me believes every child has the right to quality books. To reach that goal, the following groups receive special attention:

A Nationwide Program for the Right to Read

From 1389 SH to today, Read With Me has expanded with partners across many provinces of Iran

More than 800,000
Covered Child: Training More than 10,000
Promoter, Educator, and Librarian: Establishing 150
Library: 31 Provinces of Iran
Implemented In

A Nationwide Program for the Right to Read

From 1389 SH to today, Read With Me has expanded with partners across many provinces of Iran