Reading out loud

[Erudite]

Each summer I pick a new book to read out loud to my kids after lunch, during the heat of the day. Last summer we read Watership Down. This summer, we started Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll. I hope to finish it by halfway through the summer, because I'd like to read The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander to them as well.

Do you all have books you like to read with your kids?

[Dia Minha]

I took a class at Women's Conference about this very thing. There is an awesome book called, "The Read-Aloud Handbook" by Jim Trelease. It is full of amazing facts on what reading out-loud to your children accomplishes. There is also a great list of good read-aloud books in the back as well as how to find great read-alouds.

I am reading "The Goose Girl" to my kids right now. It is one of the best books I have read in a long time. It is written by Shannon Hale, whom I believe is LDS. She has based the book on the Grim's brothers fairy tale, "The Goose Girl".

Some others we have done and loved are:

Where the Red Ferns Grow
Summer of the Monkeys
Bridge to Teribithia
The Best Christmas Pagent Ever (many people don't know there is also The Best School Year Ever and The Best Halloween Ever, or something along those lines. We enjoyed them all.
Newbury Award winners are also a good place to start.

Sorry, it looks like my time is up. My 2 year old is up and wanting her mommy.

Good luck and good reading.

[Dia Minha]

Don't forget the power of picture books. Most picture books are actually written with the idea that an adult will be reading them to a child. Because of this they make the best read-aloud books. We have one right now called, "A Day With No Crayons" by Rusch, Elizabeth. Even my 10 and 8 year old love this book.

Salt Lake County Library System puts out reccommended book lists as well. Here is a link to access their lists: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] The nice thing about this list is it is categorized by grade and age. You can also access interest lists. They always have books highlighted on their home page here: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

[runamyrun]

Dia, thanks for posting that link. I am always on the lookout for good books for my son. And now I can also make a reading list for me!

[Dia Minha]

One family trip we read "The Indian in the Cupboard" series. Not many people know there is a series. I can't remember how many we read 3 or 4. We ended up not continueing, because of course each book got a little darker and a little bloodier. That was a couple of years ago. My two oldest might be able to handle the last 2 now. I think there are 6.

My kids have also like "Stewart Little" and the "Trumpeter Swan". They are written by the same author as Charlotte's Web, I think. I'm not good with remembering authors. In fact, I'm surprised I have remembere this many titles.

[5ft Diva]

So, Dia, I was at our local library checking out books w/ my kids and I'm so disappointed w/ the selection there. The librarian even told me that they just put out 2000 new books in the children's section. I'm guessing most of them were checked out because I just noticed a bunch of old books still. I was very disappointed. Anyway, I know you have a SLC library card and I was wanting you to tell me again how much it costs. I'm trying to justify getting one. I felt so frustrated w/ the selection of books the other day. I tried looking up books that would help me teach my kids morals and I felt like I was looking for a needle in a haystack. So frustrating to me.

[Dia Minha]

Diva, it is $40 for six months or $80 for a year. You only get 30 books on a card though so if your serious about it, but only want to go in once every three weeks you can get additional cards for $10 each for six months. We go every week, when we go to dance and now grandma's house so we do fine with just 30.

[5ft Diva]

Thanks, Dia, for telling me this again. I'm thinking because of gas it may be pricy, but well worth it. My kids would love looking forward to a day to the big library anyway. I went there once and I loved it. I could've just stayed there all day. I can't believe how huge it is.

[Big_Sissy]

It really is nice, and yes HUGE!

[Dia Minha]

Diva, I think you might be talking about the Salt Lake City Library. The Salt Lake City Library is different than the Salt Lake County Library System. If I remember right someone has gotten a card from the city library and it costs more. If you get a county library card, you have access to all the books at any Salt Lake County Library system and can put them on hold, online, and have them shipped to any library, such as Magna, West Valley, or West Jordan. Here is a link to a list of the Salt Lake County Libraries: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

[5ft Diva]

Oh, good to know. I knew there was a difference, I just didn't know what it was. Thanks for the explanation and the link.