March 4 is World Read-Aloud Day
I’ll be celebrating with several special events in the San Diego area this month.
March 7, 2pm
Storytime at The New Children’s Museum to celebrate Reading Week. Join me for a read-aloud of Fox and Crow Are Not Friends!
March 13, all day
Greater San Diego Reading Association Author’s Fair, Kimball Elementary School, National City
March 14, 4pm
Learn2Earn Readathon Event at Carmel Valley Library
March 19, 5:30pm
Toler Literacy Night • featured speaker
***
Join me in Mankato, Minnesota this June for the
Deep Valley Homecoming
June 26-30, 2015
I will be a featured speaker at this very special Betsy-Tacy event. Hope to see you there!
When was the last time someone read aloud to you? Odds are you remember it. Reading together creates a shared experience with lasting impact – a warmer heart, a fuller mind, a better vocabulary. It offers benefits we never outgrow, so it’s a practice we should all continue, long into adulthood!
Today in celebration of World Read-Aloud Day I’ve handpicked several titles from the First Book Marketplace that I know from experience make great read-alouds.
For Babies
“More More More,” Said the Baby by Vera B. Williams
This multiethnic celebration of love and family is one of my favorite books to give new babies! As three babies cavort and play with a parent or grandparent, each one begs for the fun to continue, saying, “More More More!” Children listening to this book will quickly add its refrain to their repertoires and make this title a frequent request.
For Toddlers and Preschool
A House in the Woods by Inga Moore
This picture book gem is relatively new, but it looks and reads like a classic. When a moose, bear, and pig decide to move in together, they hire a team of talented beavers to design and build their house. Kids love following each step of its assembly, and readers of all ages love noting the intricate and funny details in the book’s illustrations. Heartwarming and utterly wonderful!
For Kindergarten – 1st Grade
I Stink! By Kate and James McMullan
Rambunctious readers will find a kindred spirit in the lively trash truck that narrates this wry and clever book. With a voice that oozes personality he regales readers with accounts of all the items he eats as he makes his rounds. Kids delight in his gross list of consumables and love imitating the truck’s sound effects. The book also makes a great entry point to conversations about waste management, recycling, and composting.
2nd Grade – 3rd Grade
National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry: 200 Poems with Photographs That Squeak, Soar, and Roar! edited by J. Patrick Lewis
This hefty hardcover is truly a book for all ages, and a gift no reader will outgrow. A terrific collection of poems paired with stunning photographs, it’s a visual and auditory feast that’s perfect for any animal lover and the ultimate resource for teachers. This is a book you’ll reach for all year long!
For 4th – 5th Grade
Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage
Want to captivate and entertain a room full of kids? This Newbery Honor-winner will absolutely do the trick! A small-town Southern murder mystery, it’s both riotously funny and wonderfully suspenseful. Memorable characters, distinct voices, and rich metaphors make it an utter delight from start to finish.
For Middle School
Buried Alive! How 33 Miners Survived 69 Days Deep Under the Chilean Desert by Elaine Scott
Good nonfiction is both illuminating and captivating, and this book is both. A well-researched account of the collapse that almost buried 33 Chilean miners, it explains both the science that saved them and the psychology that kept them alive during a harrowing, lengthy ordeal. Moving and inspiring, it’s a must-read for middle schoolers and a great book for adults and kids to read together!
What books have you enjoyed reading aloud with your family or students? Please add a comment and share your favorites!
The post World Read-Aloud Day: Six Great Books to Read Aloud appeared first on First Book Blog.
What are you reading aloud today, and to whom?
This morning I had the fun of visiting a 2nd-grade class in West Salem, Wisconsin (via Skype), to read Fox and Crow Are Not Friends and answer lots of great questions. In a little while, I’ll be zipping down to Gainesville, Texas (virtually, of course), to share Inch and Roly with a pre-K/kindergarten class.
After that? I have an Elephant and Piggie date with Huck, and Rilla’s been asking for Brambly Hedge again. I’ve been wondering if Freddy the Pig would be up Wonderboy’s alley…
Ready for the next Skype visit
Special thanks to author Kate Messner for her efforts in connecting authors and classrooms.
P.S. Have you rustled up a copy of Ballet Shoes for our Noel Streatfeild read-along? We’ll start gabbing about it later this week. (But you can join in anytime, if it takes you longer than that to find a copy. That’s the beauty of a blog discussion. No expiration date!)
