Read-Aloud Revival ®

Poetry is beautiful, captivating and (for a lot of us) a little intimidating, right? Our goal with this episode is to show you how simple and delightful sharing poetry with your kids can be.My guest today says we can’t force poetry, but we can share it naturally… and that just might be the key to helping our kids develop a lifelong love. If you want to help your kids fall in love with beautiful language, there’s no better (or simpler) way to start than with a poem.In this episode, you’ll hear:why and how to incorporate poetry into your routinewhat to do if you feel intimidatedhow to develop a true affection for poetry (it’s more fun than you think!)Find the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/140/.

Is there a better way to nurture empathy and compassion than through books? That’s the question we address in this episode with special guest, Courtney Westlake. Courtney’s daughter, Brenna, was born with a skin condition that makes her appear “different” to many people. On today’s show, Courtney shares not just her family’s experience, but also how we can teach our kids kindness and understanding when it comes to differences.In this episode, you’ll hear: how to help kids grow in empathyhow books help us walk in another person’s shoesour favorite books for teaching about differences and disabilitiesFind the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/139/.

Your local library or bookshop (if you’re lucky, both!) is likely filled with children’s books. Many are simply marvelous—the kind of books you don’t mind reading aloud over and over, and that you’re delighted to hand to your kids.Others? Not so much.So how do we decide which books to read with our kids? How do we connect our kids with books they’ll love… especially when we haven’t read most of them?That’s what today’s episode is all about.In this episode, you’ll hear:What is a good book, anyway?How to choose books without a booklist using the 3-Question TestHow to know when to ditch a bookFind the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/138/.

Graphic novels … they sometimes make us a little nervous, right? As parents, we worry if they have any value.In this episode of the Read-Aloud Revival podcast, I’m joined by the RAR Team, and we’re talking all things graphic novels. Do they count as real reading? Will they make our kids lazy readers? And what about questionable content?In this episode, you’ll hear: what’s happening in your child’s brain when they read a graphic novel (aka what on earth is “multi-modal” reading?)why some kids can’t get enough of themour favorite graphic novels to read in our own homesFind the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/137/.

I would be willing to bet that if you’re reading this, you’re hoping to raise kids who love reading. Think back for a second. Were the books you were assigned in school the same books you stayed up reading under the covers, late at night with a flashlight? When you were done writing the book report or the essay, did you eagerly start the book over, only to dive back into the utter delight of losing yourself in the story?Would you say those books became one of your childhood’s sweetest delights? Or were you just relieved to have “done” the book?See, all kids love stories when they are younger. Loving stories isn’t the problem. The problem arises when reading becomes something we do for school—for a grade or an assignment. The problem arises when our kids start to see reading as something on their list of to-do’s, rather than as one of life’s sweetest delights. Today, we’re turning that on its head. See, we have the opportunity to engage our kids with books differently– in a way that helps them love a book more after they’ve read it (rather than relieved that they’re done with the book). It’s simple and doable, and on this episode of the Read-Aloud Revival, I’m breaking it down. Want to help your kids love reading? Don’t miss this one.In this episode, you’ll hear: 4 simple steps you can take to change the way your kids interact with books… for the betterwhy this will be a game-changer for your child’s reading lifeFind the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/136/.

In this very special episode of the Read-Aloud Revival, we’re sharing an Author Access with the wonderful Sally Lloyd Jones.This was an event celebrating her book Goldfish on Vacation, which we read together as a community in RAR Premium. Sally even reads aloud to us in this one (twice!)In this episode, you’ll hear: beautiful tips for young writerswhich was the most challenging Bible story for her to writesomething that means even more to her as a writer than medals and awardsFind the rest of the show notes at Find the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/134/.

Today we’re heading to the coast of Maine… at least in our imagination. I’m chatting with Amanda Dykes, author of the adult fiction novel, Whose Waves These Are, in a summer episode that celebrates seaside tales. In this episode, you’ll hear: how the books we read as children can impact us for lifethe unique way that books transport ushow books can serve as “functional souvenirs” (the best kind!)I also answer a listener question about organizing personal vs family books, and how I decide if a book should become part of our permanent collection. (The book I mention in this part is Outside Your Window by Nicola Davies and Mark Hearld.)Find the rest of the show notes at readaloudrevival.com/133/.

If you’ve got teens (or kids who will be teens before you know it), this episode is for you. We’re talking about books for teens, and why the YA/teen section of your library or bookstore is not a reading level.In this episode, you’ll hear: what YA is and what it isn’ta few issues with YA/teen bookswhether it’s essential for teens to read YA on the way to adulthoodOf course, I’m also going to recommend some books… because that’s what we do best around here!Find the rest of the show notes at readaloudrevival.com/132/

3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . Blast off! 🚀🌒If you’re looking for picture books about the moon landing, you’re in the right place!July 20, 2019, marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar mission, and we’ve got the list of books to celebrate it! These books are for all ages and will help your family learn and celebrate together.In this episode, you’ll hear: how (and why) to share picture books with your older kidsa little about why back matter … matters! a few of my favorite moon-themed booksI also answer a listener question about helping your library get connected with the Read-Aloud Revival. (hint: we have a kit for that!)Find the rest of the show notes at readaloudrevival.com/131/

In our culture today, is reading aloud an ‘obstinate act of love?’ Meghan Cox Gurdon, this week’s guest and author of The Enchanted Hour, believes so.Meghan is the Wall Street Journal’s children’s book reviewer and says her five kids were a built-in focus group.In this episode, you’ll hear:the power of reading books again and againthe value of conversations around booksis reading aloud real reading?I also answer a listener question about how to continue reading aloud throughout the summer when schedules are wonky, and share some of my favorite audio books for preschool-age children.Find the rest of the show notes at readaloudrevival.com/130/