Reading to your children is one of the best things you can do as a parent \u2014 on this, everyone agrees. But parents of older children don\u2019t always want to admit to still reading aloud to their kids. It can come out more like a confession, as if at some point along the way we should have stopped, some age when reading is supposed to become a silent, independent activity. But reading aloud in the evenings was mainstay of family time long before radios and televisions and laptops appeared on the scene.<\/p>\n
Just because someone can<\/em> read perfectly fine themselves doesn\u2019t mean they can\u2019t look forward to hearing a great story, especially from a person they love. And some books are simply made for an audience. I often scour piles at the library and bookstore for books that combine great stories with great illustrations to keep everyone interested. Read Aloud America<\/a>, a nonprofit, puts out an annual list<\/a> of great books to read aloud to kids of all ages. Below are a few mom favorites for anyone looking to pick up a book and cozy up with their big kids for storytime tonight:<\/p>\n no no 9780440422143 The Mighty Miss Malone<\/i> http:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/35775\/the-mighty-miss-malone-by-christopher-paul-curtis\/9780440422143\/ by Christopher Paul Curtis <\/p>\n Chances are good that your kids will read one of Christopher Paul Curtis\u2019s books in school, but his moving, history-rooted, character-driven stories are perfect to read aloud and discuss at home. In The Mighty Miss Malone<\/i>, Deza Malone and her family are forced to take to the road as many families were during the Great Depression. While any story about hard times and poverty will have its darker pages, Curtis gives us powerful and hopeful lead characters to light the way. When you read Deza\u2019s reflective and heartfelt words aloud, her resilience and strength come through loud and clear. <\/p>\n 9780451480989 The Westing Game<\/i> https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/296599\/the-westing-game-by-ellen-raskin\/ by Ellen Raskin <\/p>\n Beloved for over thirty-five years, The Westing Game<\/i> spins a web of illusions and intrigue. When the odd, game-loving millionaire Samuel Westing passes away, he leaves his fortunes to a total stranger \u2014 who might also be a murderer. Sixteen people attend the unpredictable reading of Westing\u2019s will, and things, let\u2019s just say, unravel from there. Author Ellen Raskin was also an incredible designer, and in this special anniversary edition, her original design work and bonus content is on full display, adding a crucial layer to the mystery and taking your read alouds to the next level. <\/p>\n 9780735228863 Two Roads<\/i> https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/551286\/two-roads-by-joseph-bruchac\/ by Joseph Bruchac <\/p>\n Things have been unstable for twelve-year-old Cal Black and his Pop after they lost their farm during the Great Depression. Still, Cal loves living on the road with his dad. But one day, Pop tells Cal that he\u2019s going alone to Washington D.C. to march with fellow veterans for their missing checks. As for Cal, he\u2019s going to Oklahoma to live at a government boarding school for Native Americans, because \u2014 and this is news, too \u2014 he and Pop are part of the Creek Indian tribe. It\u2019s there that Cal learns about his people\u2019s history, customs, and language, and also that friendship can be another sort of family. <\/p>\n 9780385752978 Squirm<\/i> https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/225531\/squirm-by-carl-hiaasen\/ by Carl Hiaasen <\/p>\n Carl Hiaasen is at it again with the elaborate antics of Billy Dickens, who you should know \u201cisn\u2019t the type to let things go.\u201d Like the mystery of his father, who left when Billy was four. Billy lives in Florida with his mom, but after he stumbles across his dad\u2019s Montana address, he doesn\u2019t hesitate. He\u2019s on a plane, trekking a mountain, cruising down a river \u2014 you know, the usual modes of transportation. It\u2019s not all fun and games (though it\u2019s a lot of fun and games) when Billy gets to his destination and makes an unexpected discovery. But after that adventure, how scary can a stepsister be? <\/p>\n 9780140312584 The White Stag<\/i> http:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/323059\/the-white-stag-by-kate-seredy\/ by Kate Seredy <\/p>\n Kate Seredy was an artist before she started writing award-winning children\u2019s books and her gift for illustrating is on display in The White Stag<\/i>. This compelling short story moves quickly and delivers a powerful and almost mystical retelling of the Huns and the Magyars and their travels westward after the elusive white stag. My sons loved listening to the tale of two brothers and the illustrations were an added bonus. Seredy wrote a number of award winning novels \u2014 The Good Master<\/i><\/a>, The Singing Tree<\/i><\/a> \u2014 if this one sparks their interest. <\/p>\n 9780763680909 The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane<\/i> https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/40399\/the-miraculous-journey-of-edward-tulane-by-kate-dicamillo\/9780763680909 by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline <\/p>\n My kids refer to this as \u201cthe book that makes mom cry.\u201d I read The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane<\/i> to my firstborn (and cried), my son read it in school (and loved it), and then came home and read it to my other son. Now I can\u2019t wait to read it to my youngest. The story is beautiful and delicate and miraculous. DiCamillo\u2019s books can be sad but they are always transformative and deeply and profoundly moving. They give reading time that special feeling that parents and kids won\u2019t want to let go of. The Magician’s Elephant<\/i><\/a> is another great DiCamillo pick. <\/p>\n 9780425287675 Matilda<\/i> http:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/319178\/matilda-by-roald-dahl-illustrated-by-quentin-blake by Roald Dahl, illustrated by Quentin Blake <\/p>\n Matilda<\/i> is a great read-together book, but really, any of Dahl\u2019s books, be it Matilda<\/i> or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory<\/i><\/a> or James and the Giant Peach<\/i><\/a>, deliver a delightful reading experience for parents and children alike. Dahl\u2019s stories are hard to stop reading but easy to jump back into each night. And Dahl\u2019s written enough books that there is something for everyone<\/a> to enjoy.<\/p>\n 9781524764241 Endurance (Young Readers Edition)<\/i> https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/553875\/endurance-young-readers-edition-by-scott-kelly\/9781524764265\/ by Scott Kelly <\/p>\n In his memoir for young readers about his year aboard the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly makes the unimaginable imaginable. The book details all the dangers and challenges of living in space \u2014 from the awkwardness of sharing close quarters with strangers to the possibility of perilous collisions \u2014 and also reaches back into Kelly\u2019s childhood, his coming-of-age years, and his career path toward becoming an astronaut. Kelly\u2019s story is a great reminder to your children that with passion and hard work, they too can achieve their wildest dreams. <\/p>\n 9780375984372 The Jungle Book<\/i> https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/211465\/the-jungle-book-by-rudyard-kipling-introduction-by-neil-gaiman\/ by Rudyard Kipling <\/p>\n