(For more on the benefits of reading aloud to your children, and to get some read-aloud ideas, go here, here, and here. And check out The Read Aloud Handbook, which I've gushed about before.)
Reading aloud is one of the best parts of our school day. The Boy reads to me, and I read to him. It's good for both of us--time to sit back, cuddle up, and read together.
We've been using Sonlight A for part of our curriculum this year, and I'll be honest--some of the read-alouds (the chapter books that I read to him) have gone right over the poor boy's head. So we've skipped a few. He did enjoy My Father's Dragon, The Boxcar Children, and The Story of Dr. Doolittle. Our latest attempt has been The Wizard of Oz.
And let me tell ya...this one was a hit with him. He follows the story well, and he likes the wacky characters. (Way wackier than the movie. Just sayin'.) So if you've been having trouble getting lower-grade kids into read-alouds, give this one a try.
Our next read-aloud, after we finish Oz, is one that I'm super excited about. I'll post about that one once we get going with it.
Do you guys have any good suggestions for kindergarten or first-grade read-alouds? I'm always looking for more to add to my list, and I'm sure our readers are, too.
Hi! Glad to see you are enjoying the classics!
ReplyDeleteIf you want chapter books - you will certainly enjoy The Enchanted Wood trilogy (followed by Magic Faraway Tree and Folk of Faraway Tree) by Enid Blyton, try it out - it is a fabulous read-aloud.
After you finish The Enchanted Book Trilogy - you will be hungry for more of Blyton's fabulous read-aloud treats, so don't fret - just move on to Blyton's The Wishing Chair trilogy.
Also, don't miss the Jenny and the Cat Club series - it is magical. My kids got hooked on all the above books and they enjoyed them at that age.
A book that I also highly recommend, but not a chapter book (!) is James Herriot's Treasury for Children. Fabulous for vocabulary building.
Boys will go crazy for "Wolf Story", it is a book that was recently reissued by the New York Review Children's Collection.
Please don't skip ove Astrid Lindgren's books - start with the Emil (Emil and the Great Escape , Emil's Clever Pig , Emil and the Sneaky Rat , ...) books first! Then follow it up with The Children of Noisy Village and her side-splitting classic The Adventures of Pippi Longstocking .
Read Aloud Dad
This is so exactly perfect for what's been on my mind lately. I'm going to look into your recommendations (which Wizard of Oz was the one book I was thinking about starting next) and I'm also loving Read Aloud Dad's suggestions too! I'm glad you added a picture, so I can pin this post.
ReplyDeleteWHOOPS! That was supposed to be a comment from me, and not Ben!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recommendations, Read Aloud Dad!
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