Ahhh! A day after my own heart. As a child I loved to listen to my mother read from a favorite children’s book of poetry. Later I recall her reading Tom Sawyer to us. She read like she loved what she was reading.
The first year I taught school I fell in love with reading aloud to my students. I subscribed to the Weekly Reader Book Club and read the books to my second grade class. Another year I bought a set of paperback books for a fifth grade class, and I read through a few children’s novels with them.
A couple of years later as a stay-at-home-mom I began reading library books to my daughter. When my daughter was older I returned to school to become a children’s librarian. Now that I am retired, I miss reading to children terribly.
One of the most valuable ways you can enrich your children’s lives is to read to them regularly. Not only does this activity increase a child’s attention span, vocabulary, and intelligence, it also deepens family bonds which in turn improves a child’s sense of security and self-confidence.
You can’t be a timid reader if you are going to read effectively to children. It is important that you get into the story with all the expression you have in you. If you are reading about a child who is excited, your voice needs to carry the excitement as well. If the child is sad, you need to slow down and speak s o f t l y.
One of my favorite children’s authors is Mem Fox. She is a great coach on how to read to children. She has much to say about it on her web page: http://www.memfox.com/ She also models the technique as she reads several of her wonderful books on her page. Be sure to check it out.
Here are several authors who have written many great read-aloud books. There is no way I can create an exhaustive list. This is only intended to get you started looking at what is available in your public library. Read something to your child today and every day.
- Mem Fox
- Tomie DePaola
- Dr. Seuss
- William Steig
- Doreen Cronin
- Jacqueline Woodson
- Jane Yolen
- Chris Van Allsburg
- Leo Leoni
- Eric Carle
- Patricia C. McKissack
- Cynthia Rylant
- Peggy Parish
- Barbara Park
- Mary Pope Osborne
- Gary Paulson
- Jeff Kinney
- Ezra Jack Keats
- Eve Bunting
- Laura Numeroff
- Robert Munsch
- Carole Boston Weatherford
Links about World Read-Aloud Day:
- http://www.litworld.org/
- http://www.reading.org/General/Publications/blog/BlogSinglePost/11-02-28/World_Read_Aloud_Day_set_for_March_9.aspx
- http://www.iowacenterforthebook.org/world-read-aloud-day
- http://thejoyofchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/2011/02/march-9-world-read-aloud-day.html
- http://www.libraryjunction.net/blogs/item/world-read-aloud-day-march-9-2011
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