As a child, my favorite time of day was the half hour before I went to bed. It was during this time that one or both of my parents would come into my room and read to me. Whether it was my favorite Little Golden Book (The Poky Little Puppy), or a selection of poems by Shel Silverstein, I was enrapt. As I got older, the books became a little more dense–two favorites of my father were White Fang and Call of the Wild (neither were as beloved by my brothers and I, but my dad would get so excited reading them that we couldn’t help but see the books in the same magical way he did).
It is important to remember that reading aloud to your child continues to be beneficial even after they have learned how to read independently. Read-Aloud guru Jim Trelease goes into great depth describing all of the ways that simply reading to a child can be so effective, including building vocabulary, strengthening the bond between parent and child, and conditioning your child to associate reading with pleasure.
Some of my favorite chapter books to read aloud:
1. Matilda by Roald Dahl
2. Stuart Little by E.B. White
3. Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
4. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
5. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
~Tricia
Tricia is the youth librarian at OWL and loves books, movies, Motown, Bowie, knitting, blogging, 24, and learning how to be a better cook.
