ABOUT RITA LOTT BOOKS
Research-based books that help kids learn to read, love to read, and read a lot!
Katherine
Rita Lott
Hello! I’m Katherine Nelson, the literacy specialist behind Rita Lott Books.
With Master’s degrees in TESOL and Literacy, I’ve dedicated my career to helping students of all backgrounds develop reading and language skills. My experience as a teacher, curriculum developer, and consultant has given me the tools to create effective, engaging resources for early readers.
​
I write under the pen name Rita Lott—a playful nod to my mission of helping kids read a lot! As Rita, I develop decodable books based on the Science of Reading and second language acquisition research. These books are designed to build foundational literacy skills while keeping kids engaged with humor, surprises, and high-interest topics.
​
Welcome! I'm so glad you're here.
Katherine
READING MEETS RESEARCH
Learning to read should be as fun as it is effective.
​
Our approach is rooted in the Big Five of Literacy—phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension—widely recognized as the building blocks for reading success. Rita Lott Books provide decodable text, content-rich text sets, and opportunities to build background knowledge, oral language, and confidence.
​
For English learners, our books draw on insights from second language acquisition research. With embedded vocabulary, natural language, and genre-specific text features, they offer the comprehensible input and scaffolding that support multilingual students who are learning to read.
​
Drawing on her experience in EdTech and the classroom, Rita Lott incorporates gamified elements, high-interest topics, and proven storytelling techniques to make learning to read irresistible.
​
Because when it’s fun and easy for kids to learn to read, they like to read.
And when they like to read, they read a lot!
DESIGNED WITH PURPOSE
Rita Lott Books are grounded in the science of reading and language acquisition, designed to build skills, knowledge, and a love of reading.
DECODABLE
Helping beginning readers apply phonics skills with confidence.
KNOWLEDGE-BUILDING
Combining foundational literacy with knowledge-building topics to support background knowledge and reading comprehension.
ENGAGING
Using humor, surprises, and high-interest topics to motivate kids to read a lot.
ACCESSIBLE
Using natural language, embedded vocabulary, and scaffolding for multilingual learners.
JOIN US!
Let's work together to introduce kids to the love of reading.