My Mummy Couldn't Read

“My Mummy Couldn't Read ” was nominated for a Saskatchewan Book Award for “Book of the Year” in 2008. “My Mummy Couldn’t Read” is resource for all ages. It can help elementary students learn to ask for help if they are struggling with learning. Children can read the book to their parents who might struggle with literacy. These parents can realize that there are places that they can go to receive help and understand that they are not alone when it comes to struggling with reading and it’s never too late to learn. This is Carey Rigby-Wilcox’s life story woven into a children’s story. Carey graduated from high school with a very low level of reading. Her story is told from her son’s perspective. Having her son taught her that learning to read has an effect on everyone around you. She started to receive help from a literacy tutor. Together she and her tutor work on reading every Sunday. Learning to read has not only changed Carey’s life for the better, but has also created a wonderful life for her children. “My Mummy Couldn’t Read” may be geared towards children, but the book's impact is profound. Through her own words and illustrations, Carey Rigby-Wilcox weaves an autobiographical story of her own emotional journey towards literacy. I highly recommend this book for both kids and adults - the message is touching, the images are lovely, and the author's storytelling abilities gracefully pulled me into her world, making me crave more from this talented woman!"
- Wes Funk, author of Dead Rock Stars and Cherry Blossoms, host of the TV program Lit Happens

“My Mummy Couldn't Read ” was nominated for a Saskatchewan Book Awards for “Book of the Year” (2008). “My Mummy Couldn’t Read” is resource for all ages. It can help elementary students learn to ask for help if they are struggling with learning. Children can read the book to their parents who might struggle with literacy. These parents can realize that there are places that they can go to receive help and understand that they are not alone when it comes to struggling with reading and it’s never too late to learn. Carey understood at an early age that she had reading difficulties. Even though she loved books, she only liked them because of their beautiful illustrations. Carey felt very different as a child growing up because she just didn’t understand why everyone else could read except her. Carey’s biggest fear in life was being found out that she could not read. In school Carey thought up strategies to get out of reading out loud. The older she became the better her strategies became. Unfortunately all of this took away from her truly learning to read. She received her grade 12 Diploma, but was unable to read very well. After high school she had a series of low paying jobs and accepted the she would have to be content with a sad future. When Carey became pregnant, she received a box of books as a gift for her unborn baby, and she realized that she couldn’t read the books. She understood that she needed to do something for her baby and her child’s future. So she found a literacy tutor who has dedicated her time every Sunday to teach Carey to read. This one-on-one time with her tutor has enabled Carey to experience a life filled with opportunity and has taken her life in several new directions. Every challenge and obstacle she has gone through, she has also overcome. Her journey has guided her towards her deepest passions-- books and art. Combining them, she has become a self-published author and illustrator. Thinking that at first she just needed to learn for her son’s future, in the end it not only help his future, but Carey’s future as well. Carey wants to share her story to help others who have never had reading or writing problems better understand what it is like for those that do. This little book has taken her across Canada sharing the importance of learning to read. It requires time and hard work, but one should never give up because the end results of literacy are amazing!!! “My Mummy Couldn’t Read” may be geared towards children, but the book's impact is profound. Through her own words and illustrations, Carey Rigby-Wilcox weaves an autobiographical story of her own emotional journey towards literacy. I highly recommend this book for both kids and adults - the message is touching, the images are lovely, and the author's storytelling abilities gracefully pulled me into her world, making me crave more from this talented woman!"
- Wes Funk, author of Dead Rock Stars and Cherry Blossoms, host of the TV program Lit Happens

Carey Rigby-Wilcox is a committed literacy learner, activist, volunteer, business owner, illustrator, and author who is deeply dedicated to promoting literacy at the local, provincial, and national levels. Carey is an adult learner from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Most of her life she felt ashamed because of her low reading level. She did everything to keep it a secret. Shame was her biggest barrier, but along with it came loneliness. This caused her to keep herself quite isolated. Fear of someone finding out about her low literacy level frightened her. She always felt that if anyone knew her secret, it would turn out to be a disaster and create an unbearable amount of embarrassment for her. So she continued to keep herself well hidden. Year after year she worked on her reading with her volunteer tutor. The better her reading ability became, the better she felt. Unfortunately the shame was still within her, so she continued holding on to her big secret even though her reading ability was improving. Then she came to meet other adult learners across Canada. Attending literacy conferences and making connections with adult learners helped her feel less alone in the world. It was so encouraging to know others just like her. She came to understand that a startling number of Canadian adults have literacy issues, and as sad as that is, there was comfort in it for Carey because the more adult learners she met and heard about, the more normal she felt. It helped her feel like she had a right to be in the world. As she observed other adult learners’ abilities and not their inabilities, she was able to do the same for herself. Looking past people’s ability at reading and writing, and seeing the core of who they really are was inspiring and supportive. Carey has found so many amazing and highly gifted individuals throughout her literacy journey. It all comes down to this: there is a common thread of similarity between every adult learner, which ties them and links them together. That connection is the key that allowed her to let go of the personal pain and struggle. Knowing that other adult learners were striving along with her to better their literacy skills helped her break free from the shame. Carey realized she was not alone, and intends to help stop the shame for others. Carey’s mission in life is simple: she intend to shed light on adult literacy though telling her story so others may come out of the darkness and enter in to the light of freedom. She travels across Canada sharing the importance of learning to read, and how exciting it is to be an illustrator. Carey has given numerous keynote presentations, speeches, and workshops on literacy issues to local organizations, as well as to provincial and federal governments. Her passion to be an advocate for literacy has even taken her to Parliament. Carey is the recipient of the Saskatchewan Council of the Federation of Literacy Award (2006), the Canada Post Literacy Award for Achievement in Learning (2001), and the Saskatchewan Literacy Award of Merit (1999). She was also nominated for a YWCA Women of Distinction Award. Her highest achievement to date is her self-published book My Mummy Couldn't Read. Written and illustrated by Carey, it describes her personal challenges with literacy. This was her second book in her See a Book Take a Look Series and it was short-listed for the 2008 Saskatchewan Book Awards Book of the Year.