This thematic title follows Rudolf Flesch's 1955 eye-opener, Why Johnny CAN'T Read, which he followed 26 years later with Why Johnny STILL CAN'T Read. This book was written 14 years after that by Mary F. Pecci, M.A. to share her discovery that Johnny Ain't NEVER Gonna Read because there are built-in TRAPS in every one of our present reading methods.
It's important to note that some children learn to read with any reading method. They just need a few hints and they practically teach themselves. It's those student who "need to be taught" who get caught in the TRAPS.
The three major TRAPS outlined in the book are:
- Difficulty making the transistion from sounding out "decodable" text letter-by-letter
- Difficulty retaining or applying the endless variant sounds taught for many letters and letter-combinations.
- Difficulty discerning SIGHT words from SOUND words.