Reading aloud to Jona (age 7) is one of my very favorite things to do as a parent. He has always loved to be read to, and would sit and listen to stories from a young age. I started reading (short) chapter books to him when he was about 3 and a half, and haven’t stopped since. (Violet, newly 4, can barely make it through a picture book without interrupting me several times to ask questions or make random comments. Listening is a struggle for her.)
I wanted to share a few read-alouds we’ve enjoyed lately.
Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder. We’ve read the first three in the Little House series, but I think Farmer Boy–all about Almanzo’s (Laura’s future husband) life on a farm in upstate New York–has been Jona’s favorite so far. We listened to this on audio, and the narrator, Cherry Jones, is just wonderful. Learning about the way people used to live is fascinating to him, and I really loved this one as well.
The Adventures of Nanny Piggins by R. A. Spratt. With the premise of a pig who becomes a family’s nanny, I knew this would be the kind of goofy book that is right up Jona’s alley. Luckily, it’s zany enough to appeal to him, but not so firmly rooted in little-kid humor (looking at you, Captain Underpants) that I can’t stand it. If you enjoy this one, there are more in the series–but this is the only one we’ve read.
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown. I had no idea how much I would become completely wrapped up in a story about a robot who winds up on an island with a bunch of animals. Jona and I loved Roz the robot and can’t wait to read the sequel, The Wild Robot Escapes.
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo. I love Kate DiCamillo, she has such a way of creating a beautiful story in so many unique ways. This story about a china rabbit who winds up on a life-changing adventure touched my heart. And while Jona’s not always one for that kind of story, there was enough adventure in it that he enjoyed it too.
The Yellow House Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner. This is the third in the Boxcar Children series, which I adored as a child. I started reading this series to Jona last year, but he was only mildly interested at the time. This year he really got into them and has been asking me when we can read the next one. I think that he is just about ready to start reading these on his own–he’s totally capable of reading the words, it’s just a LOT of words (and not very many pictures) and he gets intimidated by that.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling. Obviously I’m not the only one reading aloud Harry Potter to my kid, but over the past year Jona has really gotten into it. He loved the second book in the series and right now we’re reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban–which is pretty long, we may be reading it for a while! I know that the later books in the series are meant for an older audience, but I think the 6-8 age range is a great time to get started on these.
I’d love to hear some chapter books you and your family have enjoyed, or even chapter books you loved as a child!
