What are the Sunrise Readers?

The Sunrise Readers are a reading scheme. They are a delightful series of carefully structured reading books to be used in the teaching of reading in the first years of a child’s education in English. The vocabulary accumulates gradually, and the children are soon reading lively, interesting stories that are written and selected for their character-building emphasis. The Sunrise Readers are relevant to the child’s environment and experience.

The Sunrise Readers were first written and published by Longman Zimbabwe in 1984/1985. They were approved by the Ministry of Education, and soon became the reading scheme of choice in most schools in the country. In recent years, learners entering Grade One have been required to bring the first three Sunrise Readers with them.

The Sunrise Readers in have become a well-known, reliable and essential tool in the teaching of reading in Zimbabwe over the past thirty years. They are a popular and proven product. Teachers, parents and children in Zimbabwe find the Sunrise Readers a common bond and an effective tool in the process of learning to read, and have great confidence in them. In fact, when the authors met teachers to ask for feedback when revising the Sunrise Readers, and they responded via questionnaire, many teachers said, “Why change anything at all?” We had to reassure them that the essence of the Sunrise Readers would remain intact, whilst they would be brought up to date in essential areas.

“What? You haven’t heard of the Sunrise Readers? These books have established a reading culture in Zimbabwe. Teachers, children and parents rave about them! How have you managed to teach reading without them all these years? Well done for an amazing job! The Sunrise Readers will make your teaching so much easier –and the children and parents will love them! There are also free resources and lesson ideas online …”