Yesterday was world read aloud day, and I wanted to share some winners at our house!
Yes, you can read any book aloud. And there are so many to choose! But some books really just beg to be read out-loud. Here are some great ones:
The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Rafael López
This one just has a beautiful rhythm, it reads almost like a song. It followes several children who for reasons of their race, culture, size, or other reasons feel alone. But then, the day they start to share about themselves they make connections. My kids were totally enchanted. and the bright and bold illustrations really made the pages fun to explore.
Stacey’s Extraordinary Words by Sacey Abrams, illustrated by Kitt Thomas
I’m usually skeptical of books by celebrities and politicians, but this one was cute. Lots of cool vocabulary and fun words to say. Stacey shares about her love for words and her near win in the spelling bee. That near-win is important “What? she lost!” It’s a great opportunity discuss failure, and how to grow from it.
The Real Dada Mother Goose by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Julia Rothman
This one took the rogue centerstage for us. I picked it up from the library to flip through, and handed it to my 11-year-old and asked him to skim it to see if I’d have any reason to regret reading it to my smallest (one potty-humour joke and that’s all we’ll hear all day). Well, he started reading out loud, gathered a crowd, and ended up reading the whole 54 pages plus 15 more of backmatter, laughing all the way. I am pleased to report that the author of The Stinky Cheese Man has upped his game here, and my kids now know how to speak pig latin, use spoonerisms, and know what a Jabbarwocky is. The author goes though several nursery rhymes each time switching it up like writing it reverse alphabet, or like a news article. It’s great fun with literary devices, and while I’d set the ideal age at 2nd-6th grade, it was enjoyed by the K-6 crew. Oh, and not one potty-humour phrase to repeat.
Rattletrap Car by Phyllis Root illustrated by Jill Barton
This one is an old favorite. It came out in 2001 but is still so perfectly funny. A family heads to the lake in their beater car that keeps breaking down, and they fix it with silly things they brought for their picnic. The brilliance is in the sound effects, “Clickity Clankity bing bang Pop!” The words are just super fun to say.
What read alouds do you recommend? Happy reading!
Kimberly Horch 