Read-Alouds

We recently started having family read-alouds again in our house. By read-aloud, I mean me reading aloud from a chapter book. I have been reading picture books to the kids at least twice a day for forever, but have been on-again, off-again with the chapter books. It usually depends on the stages of the kids. We also do a lot of audio books while in the car, but there is a difference between me reading and a professional reading. I was reminded of their importance and the fun of reading a little and then having to wait to find out what happens next.

It's hard for us to snuggle together in the family room to read because Faythe and Ephram will wander and get into trouble. The kitchen table is tough, too, because I would rather be eating than reading. So, I decided on doing it after the kids were in bed as a bedtime story. I sit in the hallway and the kids sit or lie in their beds.

We just finished a fun book called Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink. It reminded me a lot of the Little House on the Prairie books. It's about a tomboy (Caddie) and her adventures in frontier Wisconsin.

The next one we will read is Bridge to Terabithia byKatherine Patterson. Here's the summary: The life of a ten-year-old boy in rural Virginia expands when he becomes friends with a newcomer who subsequently meets an untimely death trying to reach their hideaway, Terabithia, during a storm. I've never read it, but I've heard a lot about it. Maybe we'll watch the movie when we finish.