On August 15, 2024, Decoda was visited by Joan Acosta, who is the pioneer of Canada’s longest running newspaper for learners The Westcoast Reader (the WCR).

Over the years, The Westcoast Reader has garnered interest from a wide range of readers such as:

• English language and literacy learners
• Elementary and secondary school students
• New Canadians
• Multicultural senior groups
• Prison inmates in literacy programs
• People living with disabilities
• Patients with stroke and brain injuries

As the WCR’s writer, editor and publisher of 27 years, Joan shared and donated to the Decoda Literacy Library the physical and digital copies of her updated 16 e-books for a series known as Best of The Reader. The series contains the best stories from The Westcoast Reader from 1982-2009.

For permanent retention, Joan also donated her Best of The Reader website to Decoda. Therefore, all of Joan Acosta’s updated Best of The Reader works can be found on our new webpage Best of The Reader – The Westcoast Reader.

Most works contain reading levels from 1-3 ranging from beginner to intermediate. These works also contain reading exercises and at least 8 stories. Stories are generally about Canadian everyday life, health and culture. In addition, some works do not contain a reading level but are unique as they contain cooking recipes, word games and puzzles. These works improve language acquisition, understanding of text and make learning more fun for the reader. The Best of The Reader is valuable and useful as a learning tool to improve your student’s reading comprehension, English skills and vocabulary. It is especially useful for those new to Canada or adult learners. Each work is available in both print and digital. You can either borrow the physical copy from the library or download your online copy today free of charge.

“It is my hope that learners, teachers, and tutors can enjoy this resource that recognizes the long history of this innovative publication.”  – Joan Acosta

The Decoda Literacy Library would also like to invite any author who would like to share or have their updated work in Decoda Literacy Library collection to get in touch. In-person meetings can be set up by emailing Library Technician Alexander Jang at library@decoda.ca.