Positive education is a relatively new, student centred approach which takes an optimistic view of learning, seeks to build on students' individual and collective strengths and encourages students to take responsibility for collaboratively interacting with peers for the benefit of themselves and others. This article begins by explaining some of the roots, research, principles and applications of positive education. Seven positive education principles are: connections with others, responsibility, gratitude, positivity, strengths, kindness and meaning. Next, the article considers how positive education can inform two approaches to the teaching of reading: dialogic reading and extensive reading. Dialogic reading involves students interacting with teachers and peers about what they read. This interaction can include topics related to emotions and values. Extensive reading involves students in reading large quantities of text at and around students' current reading levels. Sometimes, students may do activities to share with others about what they read. The last part of the article provides ideas and examples of how dialogic reading and extensive reading might benefit from insights from positive education.