Ms. Hollingworth goes above and beyond to make certain her students are learning, reading, and writing to their fullest potential. She knows the importance of providing each student with a sound foundation in reading and writing. Ms. Hollingworth served as our "reading specialist" for many years, and I often received numerous compliments and letters of commendation from parents and teachers thanking her for giving the "gift of reading" to their children. She is well liked, admired, and respected by our entire school community. Ann Hollingworth is an asset to our school system and should be recognized for her extraordinary capabilities and significant contributions in the area of reading instruction throughout her years of service.

When X entered first grade, he immediately had problems with reading and writing. We sensed he had a lack of confidence and he felt inferior to his classmates. Within a short period, he no longer wanted to go to school in the morning, and when he was at school he wanted to leave. Many days his mother would bring him to school crying. X had convinced himself he was unable to read and write. Although we worked with him at home, it seemed nothing was changing and we felt we had made a terrible mistake by allowing him to be promoted.

At the end of September, it was suggested that X be enrolled in the Reading Recovery Program. After working with Ann Hollingworth for a few weeks, X seemed to be gaining self-confidence and had an enthusiasm for reading. Every night he would bring home books and read them to us for approximately 30 minutes a night. Ann kept in close contact with us and continuously updated us on his progress. X has made remarkable progress since that time. He is now in the normal range for his age group in reading and is one of the top spellers in his class!

My son has reading help this year, and I am writing to tell you that my son has learned so much in this program. He's very excited about going to reading everyday. It has been so good for him. He is very proud when he gets home, and he sits down with me and reads me some books. He has never had an interest in reading before. I can't say enough about his teacher. She is great! Every once in awhile she lets me know how he is doing or lets me know what to do with him to help him. She has been wonderful!

X was a year behind in reading skills. X's embarrassment and frustration due to poor reading skills lead to bad behavior and complete shutdown in the classroom. It was heartbreaking to see the child we faithfully read to every night refuse to read. In the last year under Mrs. Hollingworth's wing X has strengthened his rapid naming skills and word recognition. His reading comprehension is excellent. Hard work and communication helped X recently test on grade level in reading. We are thrilled as parents because we find our son sneaking off into a corner to read! The dedication, creativeness and persistence, as well as consistency of such an incredible teacher have made the difference in the life of a second grade boy. Just recently X responded to a classmate,
"Who would say 'no' to reading? It's one of the best things in life!"

In your quiet way, you have accomplished more than any faculty member I have met in my thirty-seven years in education. You have published, kept your skills current, and above all, maintained your love of children. It's a pleasure to have had you for a colleague.

As I reflect on my past 20 years of doing small group reading instruction I get an immediate picture in my mind of excited early readers responding in genuine ways to Ann Hollingworth's wonderful Handprint books. Each book tells a simple, yet compelling story which beginning readers connect to their own lives and what they know about. Each book is carefully crafted and leveled to meet the exact needs of a wide range of readers. Selecting an engaging, meaningful book for one of my reading lessons is made so much easier and worthwhile when having a closet full of Hollingworth's delightful books.

Thank you for giving X a great 2nd grade experience. She enjoyed your class and learned to love school again. And she LOVES to read!!

As a reading specialist, I use Handprints books for my early readers and I recommend them to classroom teachers. Children love the engaging stories and characters. Teachers love the way the books scaffold young readers with a combination of natural language structure, high frequency words, and solvable words. The price is also much more reasonable than many leveled books. Love them!

I wanted to let you know that the parents of the student that you are tutoring in reading are very happy with his progress. They think you are a "miracle worker"!!

Thank you so much for making X's year in second grade so special and fun! You've really helped him to enjoy reading more.