Background: South Africans are widely perceived as not being a reading nation. For many South African children, their first encounter with books and stories occurs when they formally enter the schooling system. This raises the question of how teachers understand their role as reading role models. Objectives: This article aims to investigate how pre-service teachers who are registered at an open distance learning institution evaluate their reading habits. Method: The study employed phenomenography as a research design. All students registered for the Children's Literature module in 2023 were invited to participate in the study. The submissions of a formal forum discussion assessment of students who agreed to participate in the study were analysed and arranged in themes and codes using Atlas.ti. Results: The article shows that most students perceive themselves as readers, though for varied reasons. The findings suggest the rejection of a monolithic definition of a reader identity. Instead, the notion of categories of readers provides more valuable information for understanding reading behaviour and reader identities. Conclusion: This study confirmed that pre-service teachers are aware of the benefits of reading, though their actions to improve their reading ability, are inadequate. Contribution: Since pre-service teacher training is arguably an important opportunity for addressing the literacy crisis, the findings of this study emphasise the important role of teachers as reading role models.