Read-Aloud Revival ®

Scholastic’s Kids and Family Reading Report is a national survey of children ages 6–17 and their parents that explores attitudes and behaviors around books and reading.In this episode, I’m joined by author, Vice President, and Editor-at-Large at Scholastic, Andrea Davis Pinkney. We talk about what the most recent report means for us as parents–and there’s a lot for us in there!In this episode, you’ll hear:why we need to build home libraries, and how to do that without breaking the bankwhat kids are really hoping they’ll find in the books they readhow to make our kids readers for life (listen until the end for five ‘Reading Resolutions’)Find the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/77/.

What do you do when reading aloud doesn’t work out exactly how you hoped?Maybe your kids are arguing or you’re falling asleep …But you know how valuable it is to read aloud, so what can you do?In this episode, you’ll hear:5 ways to make reading aloud enjoyable for everyone (even you! even if you normally get tired!)how to keep sibling bickering at bay and toddlers busy so that you can read morewhy 10 minutes of reading aloud is enough (it really is. promise.)Find the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/76/.

It can be challenging to keep track of the books our kids read, right?But if we want to grow a family of readers, we kind of need to have a system that actually works! So today I’m sharing about our simple reading journals.how to create a treasured list of books your kids read at any agehow to make sure reading journals don’t impede your kids’ reading, but rather create delight (and help our children connect with books)Find the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/75/.

This might be our shortest-ever episode, but also one of the most important. It’s all about what matters most.Today I’m talking about how we can make a simple choice that will make a *huge* impact on our kids and families.In this episode, you’ll hear:how to figure out what matters most, even when we are DEEP in the trenches of parentinghow to help our kids form strong sibling bondsmaking sure that even when life is hard, we get to the most important thing of allFind the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/74/.

Does your read-aloud time ever devolve into chaos? Do you spend just as much time asking your kids to sit still as you do actually reading?In this episode, I’m talking about how we can modify our expectations just a bit to make read-aloud time more successful.Many kids listen better when they’re doing something with their hands (listen to Dr. Michael Gurian talk about that right here).In this episode, you’ll hear:how to keep your kids at read-aloud time longerwhy it’s absolutely OK for kids to be “busy” during read-aloud timewhat kids of all different ages can do while you read aloudConsider this episode your permission slip for making read-aloud moments easier on you, and happier for your kids.Find the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/73/.

Bad days – we all have them, right? We can’t really avoid that, but we can have a strategy tucked into our pocket- a simple strategy that will help us save a bad day.As a mama of 6 kids – preschool through high school – I sure do. So today, I’m talking how to save those no good, very bad days! 😉In this episode, you’ll hear:a simple strategy that is the ultimate reset buttonthe genre of books that saves the day time and time againwhat Jim Trelease and Andrew Pudewa say is the most important part of your school day (I bet you can guess!)Find the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/72/.

Caroline Starr Rose is back, and she’s joining me today to talk about her historical fiction, plus she’s sharing inspiration for young authors and tips for introducing novels in verse to our kids.In this episode, you’ll hear:the picture book she wrote about the wetlands after Hurricane Katrinawhat research looks like for a historical fiction author4 novels in verse to share with younger childrenthe book Sarah read-aloud… to herself!Kids will be so inspired to hear about Caroline’s research and writing process, so gather ’round!Find the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/71/.

Today I’m addressing a question I get ALL THE TIME – how to find time to read.How do we cultivate a reading life in the midst of parenting, life, and other general busyness? In this episode I’m addressing the best ways I have found to fit more reading into my life.I’m sharing my favorite tips. If you enjoy this episode, you’ll also like Episode 119 with Anne Bogel, Cultivating Your Own Reading Life.In this episode, you’ll hear:why we need to prioritize our own reading and let our kids “catch” us reading oftenwhat you can trade-off for readinghow to find “surprise pockets” for readingwhich time of day I use to get the bulk of my reading inFind the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/70/.

This is one of the most delightful conversations we’ve ever had on the Read-Aloud Revival podcast!I’m talking today with Helen Oxenbury, author and illustrator, about creating picture books – from where she gets her ideas, to the supplies she uses to draw animals (and the cutest darn babies around) and more.In this episode, you’ll hear:which books Helen read to her own 3 childrenwhat it’s been like working with her husband, author and illustrator John Burningham (the creator of the Mr. Gumpy series)how Helen chooses different media to create atmosphere in her beautiful booksGrab the kids for this one – Helen is sharing tips for young illustrators in this absolutely charming discussion.Find the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/69/.

Are you unsure of what to read aloud with teens? Do you ever get a little overwhelmed looking through the YA section at your local bookstore or library? Not to worry. I’m here today with 5 (OK, plus one more!) books to read with your teens.In this episode, you’ll hear:a book that helped me fill up my reading journal with meaningful quotesthe one I’d change the title and cover of, if I couldand two books that are so good on audio, you and your teen might end up driving around the block a time or two!Find the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/68/.