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Read Aloud. Read A Lot. Where you'll find the latest tips, lists and articles from reading specialists who value the love of reading as much as you do.
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The following article is presented by the author and illustrator of We The Peepers, Sandy Pugh. For the past several years at Meekins Cooperative Preschool in Vienna, VA, I addressed interested parents on the topic of the value of reading aloud to their children. It has always been something I personally took for granted. If you have children, your responsibilities are: feeding, clothing and bathing, teaching, loving and reading to them. It's just one of the fundamental human needs. I have been reading to my children since they were infants. And when I wasn't reading to them, I was reading to youngsters at a weekly library storytime and to four and five-year-old preschoolers on a daily basis. I have always believed in the value of the written word and the profound and subtle impact it can have. Reading to children provides a commonality, a shared experience. It provides time to cuddle, a physical and experiential closeness. Reading together builds a springboard for the imagination; it introduces a richness of vocabulary, of characters, of experiences. Reading allows for shared emotions and fond remembrances. I proudly stand on my soapbox to proclaim the virtues of reading aloud and spread the word - "read aloud, read a lot." Having seen firsthand the wonder embodied in so many storybooks, picture books, poetry books, chapter books, pop-up books, series books, I cannot help but advocate a read-aloud recipe for every parent and teacher. The following list includes tried and true read-aloud books for toddlers to preschoolers to early readers to the first chapter books. Reading aloud is a forever process. When a child reaches first or second grade and is reading proficiently on his/her own, there is no need to end the read-aloud time. By all means, continue; the books for the older child are some of the best literature on the shelves. The humor, drama, problems and solutions make for interesting conversations and shared experiences. I have divided the list into three sections: Books and Reference Material for Parents and Teachers Please write to us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and give us your best read-aloud books that we can add to our list.
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