Against the backdrop of popular interest in the literacy practices in the private lives of families, the United States National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL) generated and distributed family literacy advice in many textual forms, and through many different distribution methods. These texts found their way into local community organizations in particular in the form of “fact sheets” and booklets to be distributed to parents attending parenting education classes, family literacy programs, libraries, and even their doctor’s offices. One of the consequences of the concentration of media outlets in the middle of the 1990s was that even though more advice was circulated, the content of that advice was quite uniform, and was in fact “recycled” through the close inter-textual links between the NCFL, the US Department of Education, Canadian national, provincial and local literacy groups, and the childcare and family support movements. Literacy organizations producing advice pamphlets and promotional materials for families tended to integrate advice from these different sources, with the consequence that “tip sheets” could extend to several pages. As described in Chapter One, ABC Canada, which is sponsored by Honda, developed family literacy advice that was re-issued over several years for Family Literacy Day. This advice included twenty-six pieces of advice, one for every letter of the alphabet, that reiterated and extended the most common pieces of advice, from “Ask your child questions about the story you’re reading to ensure comprehension,” “Book family time to read with your child every day,” “Create a special reading place in your home,” “Donate funds to the literacy cause!” to “Volunteer your time to family literacy groups,” “Zap off the TV — pick up a book instead!” (ABC Canada, 2002). In spite of the diversity of family life across North America, many of these tips are the same as those published by the United States Department of Education offering titled “One hundred tips for parents” (Parent Information and Resource Centre, 2002).

Similarly, the YMCA (2004) published a full booklet for parents called “Raising Kids Who Read” that described in detail forty “developmental assets” including support, empowerment, setting boundaries and expectations, constructive use of time, positive social values, positive identities, social competencies, and a commitment to learning that were all deemed necessary traits in both parents and children if children were to become readers. This is heavy reading, with serious expectations and implications for failure.