You may be wondering why this would be a day to celebrate. There are two reasons that immediately come to mind! Reading aloud has multiple benefits to the future of a child and also develops long lasting capabilities into adulthood. It should be celebrated every single day.
Some benefits of reading aloud include:
1. Improvements in school performance
2. Creates a stronger parent-child bond
3. Enhances their literary skills
4. Advances their reading skills
5. Widens the imagination
6. Gives them better discipline and concentration
So here at Books Children Read we’ve decided to give you a list of great Read-Aloud books for younger kids, middle age, both classics and modern, that you can add to your daily read-aloud routine. Some are poignant, others funny, but all are completely enjoyable.
- Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White is a classic chapter-book and a book that I’ve certainly carried into my adulthood as a treasure. This Newbery Honor Book is a tender novel of friendship between Wilbur the Pig and Charlotte the Spider, and it’s full of, love, life, and death that will continue to be enjoyed by generations to come.
- Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein is a hilarious book that strikes a note with every child and adult who has so much to say and so little time to say it! The chicken can’t help herself! Whether the tale is Hansel and Gretel or Little Red Riding Hood or even Chicken Little, she jumps into the story to save its hapless characters.
- The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak is an irresistibly silly book that kids will beg to hear again and again. Here’s how it works. Everything written on the page has to be said by the person reading it aloud, even if the words are the verses of a ridiculous song about eating ants for breakfast or a completely nonsensical word that makes no sense at all!
- Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst is a book I enjoyed reading out loud to my kids almost 45 years ago. I’m not certain whether that makes it a classic or just a darned good book that, with little advertising, has been around a very long time. Alexander had a bad day from the moment he got up in the morning with gum stuck in his hair. Things went downhill from there and ended with lima beans for supper and kissing on TV. If you haven’t read this book to your kids, read it for your own enjoyment if nothing else!
- The Pigeon Will Ride The Roller Coaster By Mo Willems is book six in the Pigeon series and doesn’t disappoint. Mo Willems is probably one of the most popular children’s book authors/illustrators today. He began his career writing and animating for Sesame Street long ago, and has won a multitude of awards since. This latest book has emotional ups and downs and the illustrations are simple but hilarious. Certainly a must for my bookshelf.
- I’m A Hare So There by Julie Rowan-Zoch is actually one of the funniest books around if you appreciate subtle humor. When Hare is mistaken for a rabbit he tries to put the Chipmunk in his place, however, the Chipmunk is actually a squirrel and so the proverbial battle begins to identify animals properly. This is a debut book for this author/illustrator and it’s a winner all the way around. I have several friends who wish they’d written it themselves.
Reading to kids is one of the best things you can do together. It’s free, it brings back the personal touch in an electronic world, creates good learning skills, and promotes family time together! Celebrate togetherness, celebrate creativeness, and celebrate National Read-Aloud Day with the ones you love!