Read Aloud Recommendations

Reading aloud is one of the most rewarding things I’ve done with my kids, and it’s also one of the simplest. There’s a danger in motherhood of trying to overcomplicate something that should be straightforward (note that “straightforward” doesn’t necessarily mean “easy”). I’ve been guilty of this, too: my kids are bouncing off the walls from being stuck inside due to weeks of straight snow, ice, record low temperatures, and rain, and I suddenly think we need to nix every single screen in our house and come up with a detailed schedule of our day (spoiler alert: you probably don’t need to do either of these things, you probably just need to take your kids outside the first opportunity you get). Or a kid keeps complaining that their stomach hurts and suddenly I need to throw away every single piece of junk food in our kitchen and put our family on a completely organic and natural diet. Again, the solution might be as simple as getting a little more protein in them at meals or throwing away the candy that’s still lingering from Christmas. The things that have been the most impactful for me on our parenting journey aren’t the big, sweeping changes; they’re the small tweaks that seem insignificant when I make them.

 This is why I so badly want to see you reading to your kids: if you have felt a lack of connection to your child, if you’ve wondered if you’re doing enough to prepare your child for the future, if you are in the middle of a hard season and can’t stomach the thought of playing board games or building with Legos or even playing outside, reading is the answer. As Sarah Mackenzie says in The Read-Aloud Family, “It strikes me as slightly ironic that such large sums of time, money, and energy are spent in search of what could give our generation of students an academic boost, while the power lies right in the hands of the average parent in his or her home. If you want to make sure your parental time and energy will make the biggest difference and strongest impact in your child’s academic life, look no further than the closest bookshelf.”

Yet we can still complicate something as simple as reading aloud: we print off a tracker for it, put together a morning basket with twenty different books, and place a massive Amazon order. I’m not necessarily saying any of these are bad, but they’re not going to help if you are new to reading aloud. Instead, I want you to choose one book (just one!) from a list below, check it out from your library (or buy it on Thrift Books if you don’t have a library card), and sit down with one or more of your children and actually read it. If you’re overanalyzing when to do it, then do it with food, either during a meal or make a snack for your kids to eat while you read to them. Set out blank paper and crayons and let them draw if they need something to keep their hands busy. I promise you can do this, even if you’re not sure you like books yourself, even if your schedule is overwhelmingly busy, even if you’re not sure you WANT to do it. Just start and the rest will come.

The lists below are grouped pretty generally by ages. If you are just starting out reading aloud to an eight-year-old, I would still start with at least a few picture books before jumping to a chapter book. Picture books are beneficial for every age (even for us adults!).

Toddler Picture Books:

1. The Bedtime Book by Sandra Boynton: I read this board book so many times to my oldest two when they were little that it eventually had to be thrown away. Anything by Sandra Boynton is a good place to start with littles, since her text and illustrations are engaging AND it bears well with repeated readings if you’re worried about getting bored.

2. Llama Llama, Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney: If your only exposure to Llama Llama has been through the Netflix TV show, prepare to be wowed. Every single one of my kids have loved this book, although our youngest loved it to the point of “recreating” it instead of going to sleep and ended up getting banned from reading it too close to naps and bedtime. Never doubt if your kids are actually paying attention while you read to them!

3. Gobble, Gobble, Moo Tractor Book by Jez Alborough: This is from Paper Pie, so it may be harder to find at your library. But it’s absolutely worth investing in! Again, this has been a favorite with every single one of my kids. Just be ready to make the animal sounds!

4. We’re Going On a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen: Our family has specific actions and sounds for every single page of this book. Fun sidenote: when we were stuck at home during the pandemic, my oldest daughter’s preschool put on a “bear hunt” around town where people set stuffed bears on their front porches and families could drive around town on their own “bear hunts.” So fun! Every reading of this book in my house culminates with at least one of my children saying “Awww, the bear just wants a friend!”

5. The Farmyard Tales collection: I’m going to risk putting another Paper Pie book on this list even though I want you to easily get a book and start reading, because there is just nothing like the Poppy and Sam stories. I practiced reading on these growing up, my kids have done the same, and every age of child loves them. 

Picture Books for Ages Four and Up:

1. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst: Whenever a child is having a rough day (you know, the ones where they’ve decided the whole world is against them and nothing is going right), we quote this book as a family. Although, to be fair, I need the reminder just as much as my kids do!

2. Wacky Wednesday by Dr. Seuss: In the world of Dr. Seuss books, this is probably my favorite. After reading it to my oldest for the first time around age three, she quickly began asking for it EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. The combination of Dr. Seuss’s rich language and the need to search the pictures for all the wacky things makes this book a great foundation for later reading skills.

3. Blueberries For Sal by Robert McCloskey: A sweet story of a mix-up while berry hunting. Don’t let the simple, old-fashioned illustrations in books like this (and Alexander mentioned above) fool you; kids LOVE these types of illustrations and will ask to read books with them repeatedly.

4. The Book With No Pictures by B. J. Novak: Yes, B. J. Novak was on The Office. Yes, he also wrote an amazing children’s book! This book is super silly and sure to have your kids in fits of laughter. An added bonus is that your kids will quickly memorize entire pages of it after a few readings; my kids will quote it at random times when they’re being silly with their siblings!

5. The Complete Adventures of Curious George by Margret and H. A. Rey: There’s a reason George has stood the test of time: every child relates to him, and every parent relates to the man in the yellow hat! If you read this book to your older kids, I’m willing to bet your toddlers will get interested, too; at two and a half, my youngest will sit and listen to entire stories from this book, which are pretty long.

Chapter Books for Elementary:

1. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis: Narnia is often considered the gold standard of children’s literature, and for good reason. I think reading this when a child is approaching the age of accountability (or has already made a decision to follow Christ) is fantastic, but don’t be afraid to let the story speak for itself rather than forcing the Spiritual lesson. Books like this are meant to work their way down into our hearts and be thought over and dwelled on, not analyzed quickly before you move on to something else. If you’re nervous about reading aloud a chapter book, look for an audiobook version with a good British narrator.

2. Meet Felicity by Valerie Tripp: I grew up reading the historical American girl books and read several of the series with my oldest two when we were just beginning to read aloud chapter books. I’m listing Felicity here because she was my doll I had as a kid and happens to be my favorite, but any of the older historical books make fabulous read alouds. I’m not necessarily recommending those written in the last decade or two, as there have been some questionable elements in them, and I haven’t read them myself to know which are okay and which aren’t, but the older ones (Felicity, Kaya, Molly, Addy, Samantha, Kit, Kirsten) all are great choices. You will probably need to get these on Thrift Books if your library doesn’t carry them.

3. Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White: We loved this read aloud, despite shedding tears together at the ending. I personally prefer this over Stuart Little (also by E. B. White) which had an ending I didn’t care for, but most people love Stuart Little, too, so it may be worth adding to your list. And The Trumpet of the Swan is another fantastic book by White, I just would start with Charlotte’s Web since it’s a little easier to read.

4. Little House In the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder: Every child needs to experience pioneer life with Laura. Many people like to read Farmer Boy first, but our family enjoyed starting with Big Woods.

5. Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones: This one isn’t a chapter book, but I want to leave you with a good recommendation for your family devotions. This will forever and always be my family’s favorite storybook Bible; it has stood the test of more rereadings than I can count and we are even now going through it again. If you want something to read to your kids that everyone (yourself included) is going to love, this is it.

Alright, your assignment is simple: go grab a book and start reading to your kids!