Discover why reading aloud to your kids can make such a big difference in their lives and yours.Learn practical strategies to make reading aloud an attainable family goal.The stories we read--and the conversations we have about them--help shape family traditions, create lifelong memories, and become part of our legacy. Many parents can't get their children to become book-lovers. Other parents lose touch with what their child is reading.Reading aloud with your children not only has the power to change a family--it can help your children grow into thoughtful, intelligent, empathetic adults.We all know that connecting deeply with our families can be difficult in our busy, technology-driven society. Reading aloud is one of the best ways to be fully present with our children, even after they can read themselves, but it isn't always easy to do. In this book, Sarah Mackenzie--author and host of the Read-Aloud Revival podcast--will teach you how to: Prepare your kids for academic success through reading to them Develop empathy and compassion in your kids through books Find time to read aloud in the midst of school, sports, and dinner dishes Choose books across a variety of sibling interests and ages Make reading aloud the best part of your family's daySPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE: Index of family- and value-friendly books by title, author/illustrator. A separate index of appropriate books, separated by age group, from children's board books to teen chapter books.From a toddler's wonder to a teenager's resistance, you will find the inspiration you need to start a read-aloud movement in your own home that will bring your family closer together.

The classic million-copy bestselling handbook on reading aloud to children—revised and updatedRecommended by "Dear Abby" upon its first publication in 1982, millions of parents and educators have turned to Jim Trelease’s beloved classic for more than three decades to help countless children become avid readers through awakening their imaginations and improving their language skills. It has also been a staple in schools of education for new teachers. This updated edition of The Read-Aloud Handbook discusses the benefits, the rewards, and the importance of reading aloud to children of a new generation. Supported by delightful anecdotes as well as the latest research (including the good and bad news on digital learning), The Read-Aloud Handbook offers proven techniques and strategies for helping children discover the pleasures of reading and setting them on the road to becoming lifelong readers.

“Parents and grandparents shouldn’t miss The Enchanted Hour.” — James Patterson, international bestselling authorA Wall Street Journal writer’s conversation-changing look at how reading aloud makes adults and children smarter, happier, healthier, more successful and more closely attached, even as technology pulls in the other direction.A miraculous alchemy occurs when one person reads to another, transforming the simple stuff of a book, a voice, and a bit of time into complex and powerful fuel for the heart, brain, and imagination. Grounded in the latest neuroscience and behavioral research, and drawing widely from literature, The Enchanted Hour explains the dazzling cognitive and social-emotional benefits that await children, whatever their class, nationality or family background. But it’s not just about bedtime stories for little kids: Reading aloud consoles, uplifts and invigorates at every age, deepening the intellectual lives and emotional well-being of teenagers and adults, too.Meghan Cox Gurdon argues that this ancient practice is a fast-working antidote to the fractured attention spans, atomized families and unfulfilling ephemera of the tech era, helping to replenish what our devices are leaching away. For everyone, reading aloud engages the mind in complex narratives; for children, it’s an irreplaceable gift that builds vocabulary, fosters imagination, and kindles a lifelong appreciation of language, stories and pictures.Bringing together the latest scientific research, practical tips, and reading recommendations, The Enchanted Hour will both charm and galvanize, inspiring readers to share this invaluable, life-altering tradition with the people they love most.