Sarah (00:08):

You’re listening to the Read-Aloud Revival podcast. I’m your host, Sarah Mackenzie, homeschooling mama of six and author of the Read-Aloud Family and Teaching from Rest.

(00:18):

As parents, we’re overwhelmed with a lot to do. It feels like every child needs something different. The good news is you are the best person to help your kids learn and grow and home is the best place to fall in love with books.

(00:33):

This podcast has been downloaded 7 million times in over 160 countries. So if you want to nurture warm relationships while also raising kids who love to read, you’re in good company. We’ll help your kids fall in love with books and we’ll help you fall in love with homeschooling. Let’s get started.

(01:00):

Lately we’ve been talking about sharing a story a day with our kids. And we can’t read a novel a day of course, so we’re talking about reading picture books. And we don’t mean just reading to little kids. In fact, if you’ve been around here very long at all, you know that at the Read-Aloud Revival, we are huge believers in reading picture books with older kids.

(01:21):

One not super well known fact is that language sophistication, syntax, diction, the complexity of sentence structure, it actually goes down when you move from picture books to novels. And the reason for this is very simple. Publishers expect that adults are reading picture books out loud to kids. So there’s no such thing as a reading level for a picture book. But once we get into novels, the authors and publishers take care to use words that will be easily read and understood by developing readers who are reading the books on their own.

(01:55):

That’s where reading levels and Lexile measures and the whole nine yards come in. But if you were to compare a well-written picture book and compare it with a novel for kids, you’d find that very often the picture book has better vocabulary, more sophisticated language patterns, a complete and whole narrative arc. This is why we’re always saying that there is nothing a novel can give your kids that a picture book can’t. Honestly, a picture book might just be able to do it better with an art gallery to match.

(02:25):

In today’s episode, we’re talking about reading picture books with older kids and teens. To join me I’ve invited back the RAR team, including Kortney Garrison, our community director. She’s a homeschooling mama of three kids age eight to 14. Welcome back, Kortney.

Kortney (02:42):

Thank you for having me.

Sarah (02:43):

And also Kara Anderson. She’s our podcast manager and she’s a homeschooling mom of two, ages 14 and 17. Hey Kara.

Kara (02:52):

Hey there.

Sarah (02:53):

And I’m Sarah Mackenzie and I’m also a homeschooling mom. I’ve got six kids ranging in age from eight to 19. So what I hope you’re all hearing as we say our kids’ ages is that we all have slightly older kids now. None of us really has toddlers and preschoolers, and yet we’re still reading picture books a lot.

Kortney (03:12):

A lot. Actually we’ve done a whole episode on why we can still read picture books with older kids. That’s episode 83 so it’s a good one to go back to, to return and listen again. In one of my favorite parts of that episode, we talked about how the author Caroline Starr Rose uses picture books for her own research, because a picture book is going to have the same information that an encyclopedia entry is going to have, but it’s going to be written in beautiful language, paired with artwork.

(03:45):

And when you pair thoughtful language with beautiful art, I feel like a third thing happens. It works on you and can activate your own creativity. And that’s what you need when you’re beginning a research project. And Sarah, like you already mentioned, there’s the added benefit of getting to so many topics and stories because when you’re finishing a whole book a day, you’re going to cover a lot of ground.

Kara (04:07):

Yeah. And it’s helpful for me to remember that our kids don’t necessarily have those same preconceived notions that we do about who picture books are intended for, that old preconceived notion that you’re supposed to grow out of picture books. If we’re normal about reading them, our kids will see them as normal. And they’ll see them just like reading a magazine article or a newspaper article.

Sarah (04:31):

Exactly. I think the funny part about that is that the reading level in a picture book is quite often actually more elevated than a newspaper article is, but none of us feels juvenile or immature for reading the newspaper I’d bet.

Kortney (04:45):

But there can be some resistance from our kids, especially from older kids, when we invite them to read a picture book. So maybe we can talk about some strategies for inviting teens in?

Sarah (04:56):

Yes. I mean, I think if you sit your older kids or teens down like it’s circle time and start reading, that’s probably not going to go so great, right? One strategy I’ve used in my house because I have older kids and younger kids is to assign the older kids certain times of day when they read picture books to the younger ones, even if it’s a picture book that I more want the older child to read than the younger one. That’s a sneaky way in. Or sometimes I’ll read to my younger kids when I just know my older ones are around and food helps, especially if you have hungry boys. A teenage boy is always around looking for food. So if you can combine that with reading to your younger kids, the older kids will a lot of times just hear what you’re reading.

Kortney (05:38):

Yeah. I think food is always going to help. If you have a bowl of popcorn or iced tea and lemonade, popsicles, a snack tray with veggies and cheese and crackers for those long afternoons. Even if you get the feeling that the teens are only there for the food, there’s the goodness of the story. And we’ve talked about reading at mealtime. Everybody is gathered in one place, somewhat occupied. That’s the perfect time for sharing a picture book.

Kara (06:03):

Yeah. And it creates those warm memories that we always want to talk about when you pair a snack with a good book.

(06:09):

I also think that choosing which books you read makes a huge difference. We’re going to include some books in the show notes that are great for reading just to older kids. For example… Oh, I remember first reading this book in our old house. There’s a beautiful picture book by Jacqueline Woodson called Show Way. And it’s about a heavy topic. It’s about slavery and it’s about the quilts that were used to communicate safe passage through the underground railroad.

(06:39):

It’s beautiful, but it is definitely geared toward older readers. And so choosing a book like that that is obviously not a babyish book can be a great way to signal to your older kids and teens that just because a book has illustrations, that doesn’t mean that they’re beyond that.

Kortney (07:00):

I think storybooks can be another way of opening the door to the pleasures of picture books. I’m thinking here about collections of stories that have plenty of illustrations. So they’re not the same thing as a picture book, but they’re close. A few examples might be a new book called Stories of the Saints. It’s written by Carey Wallace and illustrated by Nick Thornborrow.

Sarah (07:19):

I don’t know this one. I haven’t heard of it.

Kortney (07:21):

It came out last year. It’s a keeper for sure. The stories are riveting. They’re even a bit gory sometimes as only saint stories can be.

Sarah (07:30):

Oh, and they can be.

Kortney (07:33):

But the illustrations are stunning. My kids pour over the illustrations long after we finish reading the story. Another one is Shakespeare Storybook by Patrick Ryan. This book is out of print, but it’s worth tracking down if you can. We have a library copy. It’s a collection of English folktales that Shakespeare used as source material for his plays. So I love thinking about little boy Will hearing these tales, pocketing them away. The stories are funny. Another one is Dictionary for a Better World: Poems, Quotes, and Anecdotes by Irene Latham and Charles Waters.

Sarah (08:09):

Ah! [crosstalk 00:08:10].

Kortney (08:10):

It is a powerhouse of a book. Yeah. This book is… It’s big. Each spread includes a poem, a quote from a famous person, and a personal story from Irene or Charles. So there are a lot of entry points, lots of ways to get people talking about every page. Not all of them will land. Not every poem is going to be a favorite.

(08:34):

Charlotte Mason talks about the idea of masterly inactivity. [inaudible 00:08:38] calls it being impervious. Our teens don’t have to love everything that we love.

Sarah (08:44):

Oh man, this is a hard lesson to learn.

Kortney (08:47):

I mean, I think we have lots of opportunities to keep learning it. For me the half of the lesson that I need to learn is that I don’t need to respond to everything that my teens say. We’re not looking for conformity. We want connection. And that can happen even as they are developing their own tastes.

Sarah (09:04):

Yeah. That’s really good.

Kortney (09:15):

So one more suggestion of storybooks is the Poetry for Young People series. Do you guys know those books?

Sarah (09:22):

Oh yes, I do. I love these books.

Kortney (09:23):

I especially love the Emily Dickinson book and the Shakespeare editions. The art and the poetry pairing here is really, really rich. And you might be tempted to blow through the whole book in one reading, but I think there’s value in just reading one poem, just letting the poems and the illustrations sink in. As we were getting ready to record we were testing our microphones and Kara and I said, “Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3,” but Sarah started quoting an Emily Dickinson poem. “Hope is the thing with feathers.” That’s all I can do off the cuff, but she went on for a couple of lines. So I think she might have a connection to Emily Dickinson.

Sarah (10:08):

“That perches in the soul – / And sings the tune without the words – / And never stops – at all – / And sweetest – in the Gale – is heard – / And sore must be the storm – / That could have abash the little Bird / That kept so many warm – / I’ve heard it in the chillest land – / And on the strangest Sea / Yet – never – in Extremity, / It asked a crumb – of me.”

Kara (10:27):

That’s so good!

Kortney (10:31):

I want you to homeschool me, Sarah. I’ll be your oldest student.

Sarah (10:38):

I will say it was one of those proud homeschooling mama moments when we were in an independent bookstore a few weeks back. Clara, my nine year old, picks up a card that had illustrations of famous poets on it. And so she said, “Well, which one’s which?” And so I pointed to them all and was naming them. I said, “This one’s Emily Dickinson.” And she clasps her hands to her chest and said, “Hope is the thing with feathers!” And the way the woman behind the counter was beaming at me. And I was like, “Yeah, I did that.”

Kortney (11:06):

I think we might need to do a show about memorization.

Kara (11:09):

Maybe we do. Well, speaking of older students, I just thought the Oldest Student, that’s another excellent picture book for older kids.

Sarah (11:17):

Oh, it is by… Rita Lorraine Hubbard wrote it. Oge Mora illustrated it. And it tells this story of… How old was she when she learned how to read? In her nineties or something.

Kara (11:29):

Yeah. Yeah. Maybe even older than that.

Sarah (11:31):

No, at 100-

Kara (11:32):

106, is that right?

Sarah (11:34):

116 she learns to read.

Kara (11:37):

16? [crosstalk 00:11:39]

Kortney (11:39):

That’s amazing.

Kara (11:39):

So that she could read her Bible.

Sarah (11:42):

Yes! So that she could read her Bible. That’s an excellent… Oh, that’s such a good recommendation. That’s a great picture book you could read with all of your kids. But your teens will find it… I mean we’re sitting here guffawing over it. So clearly your older kids and teens will find something to love there too.

Kara (11:58):

Especially if you have any child who has had a little bit of a harder time reading or learning to read.

Sarah (12:05):

Yes. Another book that your recommendations, Kort, reminded me of are the Ethel Pochocki saint stories. Once Upon a Time Saints, More Once Upon a Time Saints, Around the Year Once Upon a Time Saints. They’re kind of a marriage between Saint Stories and fairytales. By the way, we’ll put all these books into the show notes because we’ve got a rather robust book list for you all today. Do you like how I said, “We will put all the books in the show notes?” [inaudible 00:12:34] Kara, because Kara will put them all in the show notes. So Kortney, let’s keep rambling off some more titles.

(12:43):

But one other thing I was just thinking as you were talking about this, Kort, is that so many of the authors that we’ve interviewed at Read-Aloud Revival when we asked them, “What are the stories that formed you?” It always astounds me how often we hear about fairytales, this deep and abiding love of fairytales, which are really just short stories. If you’ve ever read a Grimm version of an actual fairytale, you know these stories aren’t meant for little kids. They’re kind of intense. And so anyway, that just reminded me that the short story form is something that speaks to all of us for a reason and it has for a very, very long time.

Kortney (13:19):

Yeah. I love your description. I’d never made the connection between the Ethel Pochocki books and fairytales. I think that’s great.

Kara (13:26):

Hmm. I just was looking at that Einstein quote, “If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairytales.”

Sarah (13:37):

So good.

Kara (13:38):

Yeah. There are a couple of unsolved mysteries from history by Jane Yolen and these books are so good. The Mary Celeste, a story of a crew and family that just vanished at sea. And there’s lots of room to talk about theories and the evidence that was left behind and to try to form ideas with your older kids and teens. I think they would love that kind of conversation and feel really grown up to have those kinds of conversations. And then Roanoke: the Lost Colony, very similar. If you’re familiar with the story of Roanoke at all, that a whole colony disappeared. And again, just so much room for intelligent conversation and batting theories back and forth.

(14:27):

And Kortney, like you said earlier, we’re not looking for conformity, we’re looking for connection. So if we’re having big conversations about things and putting our kids on that same level to have that conversation, I think that is just excellent.

Kortney (14:41):

And those two are both by Jane Yolen?

Kara (14:44):

Yes.

Kortney (14:44):

And they’re picture books?

Kara (14:46):

And I believe Heidi Stemple-Yolen, her daughter.

Sarah (14:49):

Yes. And they are picture books. Yes.

Kortney (14:51):

Okay. I think I need to get them. I haven’t read either of those books and the way that you’re describing them, I just think I’ve got a couple of kids who would be super interested in the mystery part of it. And I have a kid who would be super interested in the arguing part of it.

Sarah (15:06):

And all of a sudden we can all think of that child of our own. Picture book biographies are another really great read aloud for older kids and teens. You could even assign them if you wanted to do some research on… A lot of times when my high schoolers are doing research papers for our homeschool co-op on a time in history, I will go and find them picture book biographies.

(15:28):

There’s a essay written by Catherine Rundell called Why You Should Read Children’s Books, Even Though You Are So Old And Wise. And in that essay she says, “Children’s fiction necessitates distillation. At its best it renders in their purest, most archetypal forms hope, hunger, joy, and fear.” And this makes sense, right? Because if you have to condense a story down into fewer words, there is distillation happening there. And so what we’re doing when we give our older kids and teens a picture book biography is this very distilled package of history written in a beautiful, poetic way at lot of times.

(16:06):

And then the back matter in most of those picture book biographies is just jam packed with references they can dig up, interesting tidbits or rabbit trails they can follow, facts and photos and maps or timelines. So there’s so much richness there.

Kortney (16:21):

We did IEW writing this past school year and we used picture book biographies as all of our research and they paired so well together. So it was very good.

(16:34):

So let’s go back to the idea of covering a lot of ground. When we read a whole book a day, each day, we have an opportunity to have conversations with our kids about ideas, about the art that we’re encountering in these stories. It reminds me of that William Butler Yeats quote, “Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.” And all each of these books that we’re offering is making that iron hot and that’s what we’re after.

Kara (17:05):

Oh yeah. And we will talk about such a wider variety of topics and people in history and social issues and moral issues and science concepts and artistic devices and all the rest, just because we’re reading a picture book a day, rather than deciding that only longer form text is preferable.

Kortney (17:26):

An easy way into those conversations about picture books with older kids and teens is to ask an I wonder question about the book, about the way that the book is designed, about the writing style, about the story itself. For example, “I wonder why Nick Farnborough chose this limited palette with splashes of gold for the Saint Stories illustrations,” or after reading it Leave It to Abigail! by Barbara Rosenstock, saying something like, “I wonder what Abigail Adams herself would like to be known for.” You don’t have to plan these ahead of time and you don’t need a lesson plan. Just read the book and let yourself naturally wonder and share that wondering aloud. It can be a really powerful way to start that conversation.

Sarah (18:26):

I love that. No one’s on the hook with a I wonder question because you as the parent can say I wonder about anything and then your child doesn’t feel quizzed or put on the spot or they don’t wonder if you’re looking for a particular response or answer. Because I remember that as a kid, when a teacher asks you something and I would think to myself, “What does the teacher want me to say?” Instead of actually doing the thinking. I wasn’t interested in the thinking, I just wanted to make my teacher happy. So when we wonder, we invite our kids to actually think instead of trying to just please us…

(18:57):

It reminds me that one of my kids did not respond well to the Charlotte Mason practice of narration at all really. And I think it’s because when I would say, “Hey, tell me…” So for listeners who aren’t familiar, the Charlotte Mason narration method is basically when you’ve either read to your student or a student has read something and then afterwards you say, “Tell me everything you remember about this story,” or, “Tell me what you remember about the story.”

(19:20):

And something about that question just made her freeze up, like she was trying to gauge, “What does my mom want me to say? What’s the right answer?” I don’t even know if she heard the story that I had read to her because she was so preoccupied with worrying about whether she’d remember the important bits. So instead of, “Tell me everything you remember,” I could say, “I wonder,” and make a statement. Instead of asking, “What do you wonder about this story?” Just me wondering, “I wonder what Abigail Adams herself would like to be known for? This is what she’s known for, but I wonder what she was most proud of?”

(19:54):

And that’s something I really wonder. So then we’re just modeling what it looks like to read and think about what we’re reading and then we’re teaching our kids, “This is what it looks like to be a real reader, is to read and then wonder.” That’s what readers do.

Kara (20:09):

I think a lot of us as adults have a certain level of performance anxiety if we’re asked a direct question and feel like there’s only one appropriate answer. So of course kids are going to experience that too. And when we’re using those I wonder statements, again, it shows a respect for your kids’ thoughts that, again, puts you on the same level, which I think older kids really appreciate.

(20:37):

We got a book list to go with this episode. The books on this book list are particularly good picture books to be read with older kids and teens. So if you don’t have younger kids at home that you’re reading to and you think, “Okay, what books can I do the story a day with?” Then check out these show notes. Our book list is going to be a big help there. They’re at readaloudrevival.com/180.

(21:01):

Do you each want to share a picture book before we go?

Sarah (21:05):

Yes we do. I’ve got one-

Kortney (21:06):

Of course we do.

Sarah (21:06):

That I’m very anxious to share.

Kara (21:09):

Okay. And I want to share this one because when I read it in the spring with my… I read it to myself first and then I read it with my kids and I thought, “Wow, is this ever an example of a picture book that really is probably intended for teens or most appropriate for teens.” It’s called Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer. And it’s by Carole Boston Weatherford who was here in June and did a fantastic wow event.

(21:39):

Fannie Lou Hamer was a champion of civil rights and truly overcame so much, but this is not a book that I would have read aloud with my kids even probably last year. They’re 14 and 17 now. There is some violence and there is language. So I absolutely suggest a parent preview this one. There’s just two words on the same page, but it’s just good to know what you’re getting into and then you can make the decision whether that’s right for your family. But hearkening back to the last episode, it has fantastic back matter. And it’s a great way to look closely and learn about that period of history.

(22:19):

Speaking of which, just to note that we have another great episode, episode 164, about our favorite way to read through history. And that has a book list with tons of excellent recommendations for older kids.

Sarah (22:33):

Tons she says as she remembers what it took to make that book list for you.

Kara (22:39):

I loved it. They’re great books.

Kortney (22:42):

We recently read Chanticleer and the Fox by Geoffrey Chaucer, illustrated by Barbara Cooney.

Sarah (22:48):

Ahh!

Kortney (22:49):

This is an illustrated version of one of the Canterbury Tales. It won the Caldecott way back in 1959, but somehow it doesn’t feel dated at all. It’s got vibrant colors, memorable characters. This book paired with iced tea and the special edition of the Read-Aloud Revival podcast all about Barbara Cooney, this would be an excellent way to spend the afternoon with your teen.

Sarah (23:14):

You know I love that recommendation because I just can’t get myself enough of Barbara Cooney. And interestingly enough, when she got the idea to illustrate that book she was reading the Canterbury Tales and on her daily walk she would pass this farm full of chickens. And she said that on one day she was walking home and she just looked into the barn and the sun was setting and the light was slanting over the chickens and made them all look gold, that made something happen in her mind where she was like, “I have to paint those chickens.” And that became Chanticleer and the Fox.

Kortney (23:49):

Oh my [inaudible 00:23:50]. I can’t wait to tell my kids that story because we have a walk that we do and there are neighborhood chickens that we go and visit. We call them our chickens. They’re not our chickens. But so we’re out on walks often looking at chickens as well. So I can’t wait to tell them.

Sarah (24:03):

Oh yes. Okay. So I want to mention the picture books by David Macauley. So a lot of you are probably familiar with these. Castle, Pyramid, Cathedral. There’s a big fat one called The Way Things Work or The New Way Things Work. So we’ve had David Macauley at RAR Premium before and I think he’s just got to be one of today’s most talented pen and ink illustrators.

(24:26):

It’s amazing what he can do with one pen on a page. He’s actually an architect by trade, which makes a lot of sense when you’re looking at Cathedral or Pyramid or something. I think these books tend to be a really good fit for kids who are drawn toward non-fiction, which we hear about a lot from Read-Aloud Revival listeners. Some kids are like… “What do I give my kid that just wants nonfiction?” Give them a David Macauley book because they’re so well done. And I will put several of his books in the show notes. You’re welcome, Kara. I think I’d probably start with Castle if I was brand new to David Macauley. That one’s my one of my own favorites… Or Pyramid. And I just remember my kid’s imaginations getting really captured. There’s lots of how to and technical knowledge and also just incredibly breathtaking art.

(25:14):

Okay. Let’s go hear from the kids about what they’ve been reading lately.

Kortney (25:25):

Now it’s time to hear from the kids. They’ll tell us about the books they’ve been loving lately.

Parker (25:41):

Hi. My name is Parker. I’m 4 and I’m almost about to turn 5. My favorite book is Christmas in the Big Woods.

Speaker 22 (25:57):

And why do you like Christmas in the Big Woods?

Parker (26:00):

Because when it was Christmas a girl got a doll.

Speaker 22 (26:05):

Yes. Laura got her favorite doll. What was her name?

Parker (26:08):

Doll Charlotte.

Speaker 22 (26:10):

And did you have another favorite book?

Parker (26:11):

Yeah, I had Baby [inaudible 00:26:17] Orchestra. I loved about this that she was singing, but then she lost her voice.

Speaker 22 (26:25):

And do you remember where you live?

Parker (26:28):

Yeah.

Speaker 22 (26:29):

Where?

Speaker 23 (26:29):

Say it.

Speaker 22 (26:30):

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, right?

Parker (26:32):

Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Noelle (26:34):

Hi, my name is Noelle and I’m from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I’m 12 years old. My favorite book is Star of Persia because it’s a historical fiction version of my favorite book of the Bible, which is Esther.

Jacqueline (26:49):

Hi, my name is Jacqueline and I’m nine years old and I’m from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. My favorite book is I’m Just No Good at Rhyming, because it’s funny and there’s a bunch of funny poems. And one of my favorites is The Island Where Everyone’s Toby and literally everybody’s name is Toby. And my other favorite one is the 25 word essay, which is about an avocado and a sock.

James (27:20):

My name is James. I’m seven years old. I live in Indiana and the book I like reading a lot is Mac B., Kid Spy The Sound of Danger by Mac Barnett. And this book is about a spy called Mac B who works for the queen of England. And I like how every Mac B book ends with, “Okay.” And my favorite part is when the queen of England said, “This mission involves tremendous violence,” and then Mac B gasps and then the queen of England asked why he gasped. And then Mac B said, “Because you just said that this mission involves tremendous violence.” And then the queen of England said, “No, I said it involves tremendous violins.” Goodbye.

Levi (28:20):

Hello. My name is Levi. I live in [inaudible 00:28:24], Tennessee, and I’m six years old. My favorite book is Peanuts: the Gang’s All Here! and it makes me laugh in my heart. It makes me laugh all over. So yep.

(28:41):

My name is Levi and I’m seven. I live in Minnesota, St. Cloud. My favorite book is the Sugar Creek Gang. I like that when they go on adventures they caught two criminals and it’s not a Bible series, but it’s-

Speaker 24 (29:05):

Christian.

Levi (29:06):

Christian series. It’s one of my favorite audios to listen to.

Hosanna (29:12):

Hi, my name is Hosanna and I’m five and I live in St. Cloud, Minnesota. My favorite book is Duck Soup. I like it because their friends think they fell in because the carrots look like it’s feet and other things looked like it’s a body. So they thought it fell in so they drained it. And she was just out in the garden gardening her cabbage or something. And then when she came in the door, she’s like, “What did you do to my soup?” And then she had to make another one.

Sophia (29:59):

Hi. My name is Sophia and I’m eight years old and I live in Tallahassee, Florida. And my favorite book is [inaudible 00:30:14] because this one’s different and adventures and stuff and it’s a long book. I like long books and it’s happy. And yeah. Bye!

Phoebe (30:25):

Hi, my name is Phoebe. I’m 6 years old and I’m from Michigan. My favorite book is The Penderwicks and what I like about it is that it’s so fun to listen to!

Gideon (30:43):

Hi, my name is Gideon. I am nine years old. I live in New Jersey. My favorite read-aloud is the Wingfeather Saga series because I love the characters and what they do.

Speaker 25 (31:05):

Hello, my name is [inaudible 00:31:08] and I am seven years old and I live in New Jersey. My favorite book is The Inventor [crosstalk 00:31:14] because they get in trouble a lot and they fought in their neighbors’ yard.

Jarvis (31:20):

Hello, my name is Jarvis and I live in New Jersey and I’m 5. I like Farmer John’s Tractor since they save everybody.

Speaker 25 (31:34):

You like Farmer John’s Tractor because he saved everybody? Okay. What’s your name?

Lazarus (31:47):

My name is Lazarus.

Speaker 25 (31:47):

Your name is Lazarus. And how old are you?

Lazarus (31:49):

4.

Speaker 25 (31:51):

4. And where do you live?

Lazarus (31:52):

In New Jersey.

Speaker 25 (31:57):

And what’s your favorite read-aloud book?

Lazarus (32:03):

Big Frank’s Fire Truck.

Speaker 25 (32:04):

Big Frank’s Fire Truck. And why is that your favorite book?

Lazarus (32:06):

Because I read it.

Speaker 25 (32:09):

Because you read it and you like firemen?

Lazarus (32:11):

Yeah.

Noah (32:15):

My name is Noah. I am six years old. I live in the state of Tennessee. My favorite book is The Green Ember by S.D. Smith. I like when Picket does the pledge to [inaudible 00:32:27].

Speaker 17 (32:29):

Say hi.

Speaker 18 (32:29):

Hi! My name is [inaudible 00:32:33]. I’m 8. My favorite book is Know It Alls by-

Speaker 17 (32:29):

John Peterson.

Speaker 18 (32:40):

John Peterson.

Nell (32:40):

And I’m 8 years old.

Speaker 18 (32:40):

And I’m 8 years old.

Speaker 17 (32:40):

Okay Nell, your turn.

Nell (32:47):

Hi, my name is Nell. I am 6 years old.

Speaker 17 (32:52):

We live in Washington.

Nell (32:53):

We live in Washington and…

Speaker 17 (32:53):

My favorite book.

Nell (32:56):

My favorite book is Jack and Annie by Mary Pope Osborne.

Steven (33:02):

Hi, my name is Steven. I’m 4 years old. We live in Washington.

Speaker 17 (33:12):

And what’s your favorite book?

Steven (33:12):

Go Dog Go!

Speaker 17 (33:13):

Hey, bubba. Say my name is Wyatt.

Wyatt (33:16):

My name Wyatt.

Speaker 17 (33:16):

And what’s your favorite book?

Wyatt (33:20):

My book. [inaudible 00:33:25].

Speaker 17 (33:28):

Mercer Mayer, I Was So Mad. And how old are you?

Wyatt (33:31):

2.

Sarah (33:42):

Thank you, thank you kids. The book list we’ve mentioned today, picture books that are excellent for older kids and teens, is in the show notes, readaloudrevival.com/180. You can grab the book list there and you can also grab a quick tracker to take a seven day book a day or a 30 day book a day challenge with your kids. Read a book a day and see what happens. A short story or a picture book, it all counts.

(34:07):

Next time on the podcast, Kortney and Kara and I are getting practical and answering some logistical questions: when to read aloud, how to do it, to use audio books or not, what to do when we encounter resistance, whether to plan ahead or just read at whim. We’re talking about it all in two weeks here on the Read-Aloud Revival podcast. In the meantime, you know what to do. Go make meaningful and lasting connections with your kids through books.

(34:39):

So many of us feel overwhelmed in our homeschool. There’s a lot to do and it feels like every child needs something a little different. The good news is you are the best person on the planet to help your kids learn and grow. And home is the best place to fall in love with books.

(35:06):

I’m Sarah Mackenzie. I’m a homeschooling mother of six, the author of Teaching from Rest and the Read-Aloud Family. And I’m the host here on the Read-Aloud Revival podcast. This podcast has been downloaded over 8 million times. And you know, I think it’s because so many of us want the same things. We want our kids to be readers, to love reading. We want our homes to be warm and happy havens of learning and connection. We know that raising our kids is the most important work of our lives.

(35:43):

That’s kind of overwhelming, right? You are not alone. In Read-Aloud Revival Premium we offer family book clubs, a vibrant community, and circle with Sarah. Coaching for you, the homeschooling mom, so you can teach from rest, homeschool with confidence, and raise kids who love to read. Our family book clubs are a game changer for your kids’ relationship with books. We provide you with a family book club guide and an opportunity for your kids to meet the author or illustrator live on screen. So all you have to do is get the book, read it with your kids, and make those meaningful and lasting connections. They work for all ages, from your youngest kids to your teens.

(36:35):

Every month our community also gathers online for a circle with Sarah to get ideas and encouragement around creating the homeschooling life you crave. They’re the most effective way I know to teach from rest and build a homeschool life you love. We want to help your kids fall in love with books and we want to help you fall in love with homeschooling. Join us today at rarpremium.com.