Read Aloud Favorites!

In honor of World Read Aloud Day today, I thought I'd share a list of some of our favorite books to read aloud.  Don't get me wrong -- I love reading ALL books aloud -- but these are some that never fail to make us turn up our volumes, laugh, giggle, sing, dance, and read with unadulterated, silly joy!

Click the title of the book to read my review of it here on the blog, or click the image to see other reviews on the Amazon marketplace.

Happy reading aloud!

The Monster at the End of this Book by Jon Stone

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems

The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? by Mo Willems

We Are in a Book! by Mo Willems

If I Built a Car by Chris Van Dusen

If I Built a House by Chris Van Dusen

Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee by Chris Van Dusen

Over in the Jungle by Maryann Berkes

Over in the Ocean by Maryann Berkes

The Caboose Who Got Loose by Bill Peet

King Arthur's Very Great Grandson by Kenneth Kraegel
Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin

A Visitor for Bear by Bonnie Becker

Hairy Maclary and Zachary Quack by Lynley Dodd

Moo Baa La La La by Sandra Boynton

Barnyard Dance by Sandra Boynton

Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems

Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems

Press Here by Herve Tullet

Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson

The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson

Jamberry by Bruce Degen

Dinosaurumpus by Tony Mitton

The Pout Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen

Cha Cha Chimps by Julia Durango

Bear Wants More by Karma Wilson

Global Literacy Statistics from LitWorld

Happy World Read Aloud Day!  

The following information is featured in LitWorld's World Read Aloud Day Activity Packet.  To learn more about this year's World Read Aloud Day activities and events, please visit www.litworld.org. 

I hope you are able to find extra time in your day today to read aloud to the little ones you love.  

Global Literacy Statistics:

 According to the latest data (2009), 793 million adults – two thirds of them women – lack basic reading and writing skills. Included in this statistic are 127 million youth aged 15-24. (UNESCO)

 Since 1985, the female adult literacy rate has risen 15%, which is about double the growth of the male literacy rate in the same time period. (UNESCO)

 On tests involving 4,500 to 10,000 students in 43 countries, half of the girls said they read for at least thirty minutes a day, compared with less than one-third of the boys. (UNESCO)

 In sub-Saharan Africa, girls have less than a 50% chance of finishing primary school. In some Asian countries, girls also struggle: 41% of girls in Pakistan and 30% in India fail to finish primary school. (results.org)

 Poorly-literate individuals are less likely to participate in democratic processes and have fewer chances to fully exercise their civil rights (UNESCO)

 A child born to a mother who can read is 50 percent more likely to survive past the age of 5 than a child born to an illiterate woman. (UNESCO)

 A literate and educated girl is three times less likely to acquire AIDS, she will earn at least twenty-five percent more income, and she will produce a smaller, healthier family. (UNESCO)

UNESCO: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 

Day 194: The Dot

We're on a big Peter Reynolds kick in our house lately... and loving it!  This is partly due to my son's sudden love of drawing, but also because Reynolds' books are simply fabulous and worthy of reading again and again.  My first encounter with his illustrations was in Someday, written by Alison McGhee, a beautiful book that makes me cry every time I read it.  I discovered The Dot and Ish last year, and they, too, were love at first read.  I've written before about how Ish inspired my son to be more confident about creating his own art, and have been incredibly thankful to have found these books ever since.  A few weeks ago, though, things really clicked and it was as though my son suddenly flipped his artistic switch to "on."  I honestly never thought I'd see the day when he'd want to sit and draw for hours, but now he does.  It's so wonderful to watch.  I got Ish and the Dot out of the library again last week to help keep inspiring his creativity, and was shocked when I realized I hadn't written about the Dot yet!  So without further ado, here's my take on this amazing picture book:

Sitting in her art class, Vashti is convinced she is not an artist.  Frustrated by her blank piece of paper, she isn't afraid to tell her teacher as much: "I just CAN'T draw!"  Smiling sweetly, her teacher gives the perfect, encouraging response:  "Just make a mark and see where it takes you."  Annoyed, Vashti grabs a marker and jabs at her paper, leaving only a dot.  "There!"  Much to her surprise, her teacher asks her to sign it, and Vashti returns to art class the following week to find her dot framed on the wall.  Little does Vashti know how much that one little dot would change her perspective and encourage her to express herself in ways she never thought possible.  

Inspiring and heart-warming, the Dot is an absolutely wonderful story with an even lovelier message.  I just love Reynolds' illustrations, as I do in all of his books, and it's as though I can feel Vashti's creative energy flowing into her work on each page.  I just adore Reynolds' watercolor and pen and ink style and the charming, sweet life it breathes into his illustrations.  He is definitely among our favorite authors and illustrators.

We've all had times in our lives where we're convinced we absolutely can't do something and don't even want to try. The Dot is an empowering, beautiful story that will inspire readers of all ages to believe in themselves, try new things, and see just what they can become if they simply take the chance.   We all have something special to share with the world; we just need to have the courage to make our mark and see where it takes us.

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." 

~ Lao Tzu

Day 193: If I Built A House

In honor of World Read Aloud Day this coming Wednesday, I thought I'd feature our current favorite book to read aloud: If I Built a House.  I can't even begin to tell you how excited we were to discover Chris Van Dusen's latest book on the shelf at the library the other day.  I didn't even know there was going to be a follow-up to the amazingly fabulous If I Built a Car, and I knew -- just KNEW! -- that it was going to be awesome.  And let me just tell you:  it is!  In every possible way!

If you've never read one of Chris Van Dusen's stories, you are seriously missing out!  Pack up the kids and head to your nearest library as soon as you finish reading this to try and track one down.  The Circus Ship, all of the Mr. Magee books (we've already featured Down to the Sea With Mr. Magee and A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee), If I Built a Car, and If I Built a House are some of the absolute BEST stories to read aloud, and I know they are books that my kids will remember fondly and want to read with their own children someday.  Van Dusen's illustrations are incredible -- I just love his bold, unique, retro style -- the story lines are clever, and oh, the rhymes! They are seamlessly crafted, brimming with creativity, and ridiculously fun to read.  If I do say so myself -- and I do -- Van Dusen belongs right alongside Seuss when it comes to brilliant rhyme design.  He's really one of the best there is.

One of my favorite things about If I Built a House (and If I Built a Car) is the way it encourages and captivates children's imaginations.  Now that he's designed his dream car, our favorite young inventor Jack is back, this time, to design the coolest, most amazing house on the block!  I wish I had been able to take pictures of my son's expressions when we read this book for the first time, for each time we turned the page, he beamed with amazement and excitement about what he was seeing. A gravity-free flying room, racetrack room, giant aquarium/water-filled room, living room with trampolines in the floor that lead to a giant ball pit, a bedroom in a tower that's accessible by elevator and giant twisty slide... this house has it all!  My favorite might just be the art room:  "You know how I constantly like to create?  Well, this is my art room.  Isn't it great?  You draw on the wall.  Don't worry, it's cool.  Hung way up high, on a big giant spool, is a huge roll of paper that hangs to the floor.  Just draw till you're done, then pull down some more!"  How incredible would that be?! The self-cooking, dish-cleaning kitchen is pretty amazing, too.  Whenever we read the lines that say, "It makes all the meals and the food is deeelish, Then it washes and puts away every last dish," my son looks at me and says, "That would be your favorite part!"  (Guess it's no secret how much I loathe doing the dishes.)

Be sure to check out the sketches on the inner covers of the book, too.  They show Jack's design from a slightly different point of view, complete with all of the fabulous features and notes on what he wants his house to be like.  This story can't help but spark young (and old!) imaginations, and we always love talking about which cool features and rooms we'd have in our dream house.  I can't wait to read this to my son's preschool class this coming Friday when it's my turn to be the surprise parent "mystery reader."  It's Lego week at his school this week, too, so I can't wait to see what cool creations he and his friends can dream up after reading this story!

Usually, when we discover a book that we really love, I add it to my Amazon wish list or keep a note of it to suggest to family as a gift idea when my kids' birthdays roll around.  Sometimes, though, as is the case with this story, I simply can't wait for a special occasion.  I grab my gift cards and put that book in my Barnes and Noble shopping cart faster than my kids race around the house after dinner.  I'm sure you're well aware of how much I love this book by now, but believe me:  it's one you simply cannot miss.