July 2006

Dear Fellow Book Lovers:

READING ALOUD

I have fond memories of sitting with my siblings on the floor at my mother’s feet while she read aloud to us. There were also special times with my father. He liked to read the comics in the newspaper to me. In school, my teachers almost always made a special time during the day to read aloud to the class. Otherwise, I might never have been exposed to good language, good literature, and the simple joy of sharing a special story. When I became a teacher, and later a librarian, I cherished the moments when my students would beg me to read just one more chapter. Today, kids, and even teens, need this special time more than ever. Reading aloud gives them a sense of belonging, a sense of stability, and creates a calmness that is missing in so many of their lives. Use the summer months to sponsor read aloud workshops for parents and teens. Many schools ask students to do community service. Perhaps the library can offer community service credit for older students who are willing to go into library branches, community centers, and even child care centers to read aloud to younger children. A read aloud workshop might include topics such as: (1) selecting good read aloud books, (2) introducing the book, (3) the length of a read aloud session, (4) what to do if the children don’t seem to be responding to the book, (5) how much interaction to expect from the children, (6) pointers in discussing the books with the children, and (7) the best time of day to read aloud. Point out to parents and teens that a read aloud session will be successful when there is a strong connection that develops between the reader and the listener. This connection will happen if the reader loves the selected book so much that she cannot wait to share it. Ask readers to browse the library and look for genres that they especially like. Offer guidance in selecting books with strong plots, themes worthy of discussing, or just plain funny books at which everyone will enjoy laughing out loud. Here are a few books from Random House that I believe are perfect for reading aloud:

YOUNGER READERS

•  Duck & Goose by Tad Hills (Ages 3-7)
•  Pezzettino by Leo Lionni (Ages 4-8)
•  The True Story of Stellina by Matteo Pericoli (Ages 5 up)
•  Veronica by Roger Duvoisin (Ages 4-8)
•  George and the Dragon by Chris Wormell (Ages 5-8)
•  Little Rabbit’s Loose Tooth by Lucy Bate; illustrated by Diane De Groat (Ages 4-8)
•  Mirandy and Brother Wind by Patricia C. McKissack; illustrated by Jerry Pinkney (Ages 5-8)   
•  The Quigleys in a Spin by Simon Mason; illustrated by Helen Stephens (Ages 5-12)

MIDDLE READERS

•  The Dark Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural by Patricia C. McKissack; illustrated by Brian Pinkney (Ages 8-12)
•  A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park (Ages 10 up)
•  The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder (Ages 10 up)
•  Fish by L.S. Matthews (Ages 10-12)
•  Flush by Carl Hiaasen (Ages 10 up)
•  Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell (Ages 10 up)
•  The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare (Ages 10 up)
•  The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (Ages 10-13)
•  Small Steps by Louis Sachar (Ages 10 up)
•  They Called Her Molly Pitcher by Anne Rockwell (Ages 7-10)
•  Whittington by Alan Armstrong (Ages 8-12)

TEENAGE READ ALOUD SESSIONS

•  A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck (Ages 12 up)
•  Bucking the Sarge by Christopher Paul Curtis (Ages 12 up)
•  Eragon by Christopher Paolini (Ages 12 up)
•  I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan (Ages 12 up)
•  In the Middle of the Night by Robert Cormier (Ages 12 up)
•  Kit’s Wilderness by David Almond (Ages 12 up)
•  Summer of Fear by Lois Duncan (Ages 12 up)
•  The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney (Ages 12 up)
•  The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier (Ages 12 up)

You may email me at pscales@bellsouth.net.