My current day job involves reading aloud to kids. Every few months, I like to update this post to reflect where we’ve been spending our reading time. What we read is not purely my choice but is often responsive to what they’re learning/where they’ve been traveling/what we’ve been discussing. Please make note of the caveats below. Happy reading!
How I Choose Books
When the time comes to start a new book with the Podlings, my decision process goes something like this:
1) Have I read it and enjoyed it? I can’t over-stress the importance of this step. I don’t care how lauded or “important” or “valuable” the book is. If you don’t care for it, the kids you’re reading to won’t care either.
2) Will they understand it and like it? I balance toward the older ones in the group. The littles get what they get — which is generally more than I expect.
3) What does the author do well? Humor, drama, storytelling, dialogue, characterization, suspense, research, twists? I require at least one standout category per book but don’t expect perfection in all areas for every read.
4) Does the book match the season? I’m all about reading the right book at the right time, which is why–as you’ll see below–we sometimes take a break in the middle of a series to read something that matches the season.
How You Should Choose Books
1) Take the advice of the readers in your life (under advisement). Definitely accept recommendations from your friends who read, but don’t take them blindly. Not every book is for every person.
2) Read the book first yourself. Don’t skip this step. No matter how highly the book has come recommended or how much your friends or their kids may have liked it, that doesn’t mean a) you will like it (which is so important, since your enthusiasm can make or break the enterprise), or b) you will find it appropriate for your bunch. So be responsible about this and only start books with them that you know you’ll have the wherewithal to complete. Stopping halfway through a book and not finishing it breaks a child’s trust.
3) Decide how you’re going to handle questionable elements. I’m not the type to throw the baby out with the bath water, but if I’m going to read children a book with a little language in it (or another brief or mildly questionable element), I definitely take some steps. First, I tell them about it ahead of time (“Jimmy’s grandpa swears a few times.”), and I also tell them how we’re going to handle it (“When that happens, I’m just going to say ‘Grandpa swore.'”) That way they don’t have a false view of the book (or of life, for that matter), but we’re also not normalizing the words themselves. Again, you may decide to take a different approach to this. Bear your approach in mind as you make decisions.
4) Don’t worry too much about whether the book is considered “important” or “educational” or “valuable.” Those categories are so subjective. Just pick a good read and get cracking. Reading aloud to kids has great value in itself.
Books I’ve Read Aloud to the Podlings
- The Teacher’s Funeral: A Comedy in Three Parts, Richard Peck
- Derwood, Inc., Jeri Massi
- A Dangerous Game, Jeri Massi
- The Bronze Bow, Elizabeth George Speare
- The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis
- Prince Caspian, C.S. Lewis
- The Horse and His Boy, C.S. Lewis
- The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Barbara Robinson
- A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens (unabridged)
- The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, C.S. Lewis
- The Silver Chair, C.S. Lewis
- The Last Battle, C.S. Lewis
- A Light in the Attic, Shel Silverstein
- Summer of the Monkeys, Wilson Rawls
- Summer of Light, Dennis M. Van Wey
- A Wrinkle in Time, Madeline L’Engle
- The Teacher’s Funeral: A Comedy in Three Parts, Richard Peck (again by request)
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum
- Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
- The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Barbara Robinson (again)
- A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens (abridged this time; I learned my lesson)
- The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien
- The Fellowship of the Ring, J.R.R. Tolkien
- The Two Towers, J.R.R. Tolkien
- The Return of the King, J.R.R. Tolkien
- C.S. Lewis: Creator of Narnia, Sam Wellman
- Classic Myths to Read Aloud: The Great Stories of Greek and Roman Mythology, William F. Russell
- Long Walk to Water, Linda Sue Park
- Long Way from Chicago, Richard Peck
- The Magician’s Nephew, C.S. Lewis
- The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, Kate DiCamillo
- The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Elizabeth George Speare
- A Single Shard, Linda Sue Park
- A Year Down Yonder, Richard Peck
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
- The Hiding Place, Corrie ten Boom
- Flora & Ulysses, Kate DiCamillo
- Daddy Long-Legs, Jean Webster
- Winnie-the-Pooh, A.A. Milne
- Peace Child, Don Richardson (Note: Get the updated anniversary edition. Trust me.)
- Legends in Sports: Babe Ruth, Matt Christopher
- The Velveteen Rabbit and Other Tales, Margery Williams
- The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith, Timothy Keller
- The Sword in the Stone (The Once and Future King, Book 1), T.H. White
- The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster
- The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Barbara Robinson (yes, again)
- A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens (abridged)
- The Sugar Creek Gang #1: The Swamp Robber, Paul Hutchens
- True Stories of the Second World War, Paul Dowswell
- The Force Awakens: A Junior Novel, Michael Kogge
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer: In the Midst of Wickedness, Janet & Geoff Benge
- The Princess Bride, William Goldman
- Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage, Alfred Lansing
- The Kite Fighters, Linda Sue Park
- Bound for Oregon, Jean Van Leeuwen
- Benjamin Banneker: Astronomer and Mathematician, Laura Baskes Litwin
- The Forbidden Schoolhouse: The True and Dramatic Story of Prudence Crandall and Her Students, Suzanne Jurmain
- Heroes in Black History: True Stories from the Lives of Christian Heroes, Dave & Neta Jackson
- Strawberry Girl, Lois Lenski
- The War that Saved My Life, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
- Life with Father, Clarence Day
- Sackett, Louis L’Amour
- The Watsons Go to Birmingham–1963, Christopher Paul Curtis
Possibilities Still on Our Horizon:
- Red Scarf Girl, Jiang Ji-li
- Hatchet, Gary Paulsen
- The Giver, Lois Lowry
- The Great Wall of Lucy Wu, Wendy Wan-Long Shang
- Anne of Green Gables, L.M. Montgomery
Have some great read-aloud suggestions of your own? I’d love to hear them. Share in the comments below!
In other news, I’m happy to announce that in honor of Pain Awareness Month, I’m offering a free 5-day e-mail course designed to encourage both those who suffer chronic pain and those who support them. It is written from a Christian perspective and will run September 17-21, 2018.
Lessons are short, practical, edifying, and designed for discussion and application. Be sure to sign up and refer a friend to take the course with you.
Happy Monday, everyone! May your spirits be high, your pain levels low, and your coffee just the right temperature for sipping.
Ruth Buchanan 
Looks like CS Lewis is a great favorite! I’m listening to the Librivox of George MacDonald’s The Princess and the Goblin, and that reminds me a little of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I’m about 2/3’s the way through it. Might be worth checking out! Your list is inspiring!
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Hey, Emily – thanks for stopping by.
Yes, Lewis is a huge favorite here!
I read a few George MacDonald books a few years ago (including The Princess and the Goblin and The Princess and Curdie) and you’re right – they would probably make good read alouds.
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