Can you believe it? It’s Episode 100!  And amazingly, we just crossed over a pretty huge milestone here at The Read-Aloud Revival: over 4 million downloads of the podcast.You know, I couldn’t have picked a better guest for this week’s 100th episode celebration. In today’s episode, I’m chatting with Jeanne Birdsall, author of the Penderwicks series.The final book in the series, The Penderwicks at Last is available today, so your Penderwicks fans are going to want to get their hands on that right away.In this episode, you’ll hear: what is was like for Jeanne to get her first book publishedhow she always imagined the Penderwicks series as one single storywhich books inspired her writing (I bet you can guess a few!)Find the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/100/. To join us for the "Reading as Refreshment" Retreat on 1/31-2/1, sign up at circlewithsarah.com!

Lola Dutch is a little bit … much. And yet, she’s also like so many of us. I think you’re just going to love her! Today, I’m thrilled to be joined by Lola Dutch creators Kenneth and Sarah Jane Wright.In this episode, you’ll hear:How Lola came to beWhy so many of us seem to identify with herWhat this book means for instilling creative courage in our kidsFind the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/99/. To join us for the "Reading as Refreshment" Retreat on 1/31-2/1, sign up at circlewithsarah.com!

Many of us want to help our children learn a second language, but where do we start? And what if we only speak one language ourselves?Anne Guarnera of Language Learning at Home is joining us today to walk us through it. Although it isn’t her first language, she speaks Spanish in her home and encourages families to learn new languages together.In this episode, you’ll hear:How to get started learning a new languageHow learning a second language helps us with our native languageHow books are a fantastic resource (of course!)Find the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/98/. To join us for the "Reading as Refreshment" Retreat on 1/31-2/1, sign up at circlewithsarah.com!

Last week we talked about reading aloud to kids who can read on their own,  but today we’re taking that a step further and talking about reading aloud with teens. You know the most important thing about reading aloud with teens, right? Surprise! It’s not their literary value or whether your teen knows how to analyze a story. It’s better than that.(Much better).Reading with teens can be pure magic. It’s such a simple way to slow down and enjoy one another’s company. And it’s really important to enjoy our teens’ company!Read more about this and the importance of treating your teen’s reading life more like a book club (and less like a school assignment) in The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids Through Books.In this episode, you’ll hear:what’s so magical about reading aloud with teens?why you can think of what you read with teens as adding concentric circles (in other words, we’re not moving up, we’re moving out)a few book recommendations to read with your teens, even if you haven’t been reading aloud to him or her latelyFind the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/97/. To join us for the "Reading as Refreshment" Retreat on 1/31-2/1, sign up at circlewithsarah.com!

If there is one thing I hope you take away from this episode – it’s this: keep reading to your 8-12 year olds. Kids ages 8-12 are so fun to share books with, and you can have such wonderful conversations with this age group. Plus, you are continuing to make memories and associate reading with warm feelings. That’s a total win!There’s lots more in The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids Through Books about reading with kids ages 8-12 (in fact, that picture for this podcast gives you a hint at some of the other recommendations for this age range in The Read-Aloud Family!), but today…In this episode, you’ll hear:potential pitfalls when reading to 8-12’swhat to do about “the classics”and just a couple of books that I think your 8- to 12-year-olds will loveFind the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/96/. To join us for the "Reading as Refreshment" Retreat on 1/31-2/1, sign up at circlewithsarah.com!

Kids who are 4-7 years old often love stories and can even begin to enjoy chapter books. Reading aloud to kids this age can be such a delight!You’re also able to have great conversations about what you’re reading together.There’s a whole chapter in The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids Through Books about reading with this age group, but today…In this episode, you’ll hear:what you are really going for at this stage (you’ll like the answer!)what to look for in books for this age groupjust a few book recommendations 😉Find the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/95/. To join us for the "Reading as Refreshment" Retreat on 1/31-2/1, sign up at circlewithsarah.com!

Guess what? The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids is now available everywhere!In this episode, I’m thrilled to share a little from the book about reading aloud to your 0-3 years olds. And of course, I’ll make a couple of book suggestions …Of course.In this episode, you’ll hear:the most important thing when it comes to reading aloud to kids age 0-3problems you’ll run into when reading with babies and toddlers (and how to navigate them)my favorite trick for reading aloud when toddlers are melting down — it’s like MAGICFind the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/94/. To join us for the "Reading as Refreshment" Retreat on 1/31-2/1, sign up at circlewithsarah.com!

Today I get to share a chapter from my new book, The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids.This is chapter 6 (one of my favorites!), where I talk about how we can create a book club culture at home, and thereby raise kids who read for the love it. This is how our kids become “real readers.”In this episode, you’ll hear:how and why to create a book club culture in your homewhy we need to read books that don’t “count” toward anything!how to help your kids become real readersFind the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/93/. To join us for the "Reading as Refreshment" Retreat on 1/31-2/1, sign up at circlewithsarah.com!

Sometimes it can be tricky to find books for boys.It’s not so much that they need different books than girls do, but… well……at some point, you may find it’s difficult to match your boys up with books they love.You know what I mean, right?The kind of books they’ll stay up late reading with a flashlight underneath the covers. The kind of books that give them an insatiable thirst for reading. The kind of books that turn them into readers.These books, of course, are not just books for boys. Many appeal to my girls, as well! But if you have a boy in your life who just doesn’t love reading (yet!), then this episode of the Read-Aloud Revival podcast is for you.Find the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/boys/. To join us for the "Reading as Refreshment" Retreat on 1/31-2/1, sign up at circlewithsarah.com!

A Wrinkle in Time is one of my favorite books to share with kids, and it’s featured as one of my top picks for read-alouds in chapter 15 of one of the brand new book, The Read-Aloud Family. The movie’s release later this week offers families a wonderful opportunity to experience the book together and have some meaningful conversations about all kinds of topics. (This is both an article and a podcast. If you’d prefer to read the article, visit https://readaloudrevival.com/wrinkle/.) To join us for the "Reading as Refreshment" Retreat on 1/31-2/1, sign up at circlewithsarah.com!