Parents don't stop speaking to toddlers when they begin to talk, so why do some stop reading aloud when their children reach an independent literacy level? Read alouds stretch children with more complicated vocabulary, ideas, plots and characters than they can take on in solo reading. And it's more fun to share books with greater sophistication and meaning. Here are read aloud hints for all ages and some of my family's favorites.
Sometime between the ages of five to seven, children can sit long enough to hear chapter books read aloud and relish a continuous story. I've talked to several parents of kindergartners who brag that they're reading the Potter books. Aside from the fact that this series becomes quite dark as it progresses, the books are better appreciated by older children. Thin novels with a sprinkling of pictures make better beginnings.
One of our first favorites was Shel Silverstein's Lafcadio, the Lion who Shot Back (HarperCollins, $15.99; ages 5-8). Shel Silverstein, best know as a beloved children's poet, appears as "Uncle Shelby, the narrator who tells of his chance meeting with Lafcadio. Lafcadio a curious young lion who becomes the greatest sharpshooter in the world when lured from his African home by the promise of marshmallows. The story is filled with puns and silly dramatic repetitions that make reading fun and laughter surge.
I'll never forget sharing our first sad book, John Reynolds Gardiner's 1980 Stone Fox (HarperCollins, $5.50; ages 7-9). The story's hero is Willie who worries that his grandfather will lose the farm to pay back taxes. In a fairly predictable set-up, Willie enters a sled dog race with a cash prize equal to the exact amount needed. The cliches matter little. First of all, expectation is not a bad thing for children this age and the strong relationships and unique character of Stone Fox make the book work for parent readers. At the core of this book is the tenderness of a young boy and his faithful dog who race the silent, mysterious, almost-mythic Indian, Stone Fox. There is a surprise in the sad ending and only then is Stone Fox's true character is revealed. Don't read the ending without a box of tissues by your side!
Roald Dahl's more complex books are a perfect match for eight to ten year old listeners. His peculiar characters and unusual dialogues inspire dramatic reading aloud. Evil tones creep into your voice when you read the words of the vicious witches in Roald Dahl's Witches , (Puffin, $5.99; ages 9 and up). The hero of Dahl's equally funny BFG (Puffin, $5.99) is a ridiculous, pathetic and hilarious dream-stealing giant. When you deliver his mispronunciations, misinterpretations in a booming voice, giggles are certain to erupt.
It's great to discover a pleasing read-aloud series. For years we looked forward to the release of books in Brian Jacques' Redwall series. Triss (Philomel, $23.99; ages 8-12) is the fifteenth in the series of long novels which relate adventures of small forest mice and moles who battle evil foxes, stoats and the like. Descriptions of food are spectacular and the vernacular, especially the fun to read mole speech, will be especially appreciated by parents who seek a dramatic read. Most of the chapters are short cliff-hangers, always a blessing for tired read-aloud parents.
Many parents eager to share their remembered favorites, or a classic they once loved, may press these on their offspring when children are too young. The book I remembered best from my childhood was A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh . I shared it at when my children were sixish, and it met with yawns and polite, but uninvolved listening. When my daughter was in fifth grade, I pulled out Winnie-the-Pooh and quickly realized my mistake in introducing it too early. At ten, my daughter was old enough to have a tenderness for the beloved characters. She appreciated the author's witty and poetic style, and we had amazing conversations that never could have been possible when she was young.
If you're lucky, reading aloud may last into middle school years. On a long drive to Florida, my daughter and I listened to an audio tape of Bette Greene's The Summer of My German Soldier (Puffin, $5.99; ages 11 and up; narrated on tape by Dale Dickey, Recorded Books, unabridged, $49.00). The reading is spectacular and brings alive the young Jewish heroine from Arkansas who is hated by her parents and finds love as she cares for an escaped German soldier. When we reached home before the tape's conclusion, we sat in our driveway, listening and crying as it ended.
And let's not forget the recently released tape of Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix (Listening Library, $45.00, unabridged, 17 cassettes, 26 1/2 hours). The tape is narrated by Grammy-award winning dramatist, Jim Dale, who has read the previous four Potter adventures. Dale spent twenty-nine days working tirelessly for 145 hours to produce an amazing tape to lead listeners through all the latest twists and turns. He has created 134 voices, some familiar, some new, all excellent representations of the characters we've come to love!
Memories of read aloud books endure long after the details fade. Stories you read aloud often lead to family stories you'll always remember. And parents who read aloud give their children an incredible gift --the gift of knowing that books are a source of comfort and pleasure. That is a gift that can never be taken away and will grow stronger over time. Below are more suggestions for read aloud adventures