Hunter Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Can anyone give me any tips on reading aloud Winnie-the-Pooh? I can barely understand the text, when seeing the punctuation marks and formatting. What ages do you read aloud this book to? Do any of your children read it to themselves? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
courtney.byrum Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 I think Winnie the Pooh was a read aloud for us during 1st grade LA through k12. I did read it aloud to my K and 1st at that time. Then when my K'er got to 1st grade LA she just read it herself (I don't know that I could have read it a 2nd time so I would have picked a different book to read her, lol). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 We read it from about age six upwards. It's one of my favourites. You might like to search on Youtube for some examples of reading styles. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyNellen Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 We read it from about age six upwards. It's one of my favourites. You might like to search on Youtube for some examples of reading styles. Laura :iagree: We have read it as a read-aloud once a year for 10 years. I think the key with Pooh is to read slowly. I found I got the hang of the text and formatting pretty quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorisuewho Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 I started to read it to my two oldest and couldn't get the hang of it. So I bought a set of audio CDs and they love them! The Winnie the Pooh CDs are some of the most popular CDs in the house, including the poetry ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmarango Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Just finished it with my dd a few weeks ago. She is almost 5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristenR Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 I hated reading the books. I did but I felt disjointed and just unnatural. Horrible I know. :glare: I did want to like them. But I feel this is one book that I actually prefer on the big screen instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shann Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 We found our complete stories and poems of pooh in storage over the weekend and dd picked it up to read yesterday. She reads at a 3rd grade level and only stumbled on the narration. It was tricky in some spots to figure out who was talking, I just told her to look for the quotes. If it was in quotes it was a character speaking. If not, it was the narrator. Plus I had to point out to her that the narrator was speaking to Christopher Robin directly. I don't know that I ever read it aloud, since it was buried in storage. So I hope I gave her good advice lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 The cadence is *tough*! Once you get it, they're thoroughly delightful read-alouds. But I think it's very challenging. This is a particularly wonderful audio version (it says "dramatization", but really, it's just multiple readers reading the text -- and they're lovely, lovely readers) if you decide that would be easier (and once you hear it for a while, you may find it simpler to read aloud): http://www.amazon.com/Winnie---Pooh-A-A-Milne/dp/0307706125 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taffnus Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 I'd also recommend getting it on cd. If you read it, make sure to use voices - it really does make the story much better. I read it to my dd at 6. I haven't yet read it to my younger who is turning 6. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 (edited) Can anyone give me any tips on reading aloud Winnie-the-Pooh?Skip the first story outright (just explain that Pooh, etc. are CR's toys), then come back to it the next time through. The pronouns can be confusing if the listener is not familiar with Pooh, because of the shifting points of view. It's also the most difficult to read well aloud. I can barely understand the text, when seeing the punctuation marks and formatting. What ages do you read aloud this book to? Do any of your children read it to themselves? It's a difficult read aloud, and not one I'd do with most preschoolers. YMMV, but I'd say 5 is a good age to be introduced to the stories. The two poetry books are delightful as well. ETA: I don't like using an audio version because I think you and your children should have to make up your own tunes for the songs. Edited March 13, 2012 by nmoira Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SebastianCat Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 My kids LOVED it around 6. We also have it on audio CD and they still listen to it frequently, and they're now about to turn 10 & 8. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivka Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 It's a difficult read aloud, and not one I'd do with most preschoolers. YMMV, but I'd say 5 is a good age to be introduced to the stories. The two poetry books are delightful as well. :iagree: Bits of it are enjoyable for preschoolers, but the books definitely have an older target audience than the Disney movies do. I think we did them as read-alouds at five and enjoyed them, but my daughter definitely finds them funnier now. (She's reading them herself.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 My kids did not enjot it when very young. Too ponderous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lulubelle Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 We recently listened to a version which had Judi Dench. My kids were mesmorized by it. They really enjoyed it a great deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfatherslily Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 The cadence is *tough*! Once you get it, they're thoroughly delightful read-alouds. But I think it's very challenging. This is a particularly wonderful audio version (it says "dramatization", but really, it's just multiple readers reading the text -- and they're lovely, lovely readers) if you decide that would be easier (and once you hear it for a while, you may find it simpler to read aloud): http://www.amazon.com/Winnie---Pooh-A-A-Milne/dp/0307706125 I also hated reading it out loud. We found this version at the library and loved it! I highly recommend it :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicAnn Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 We recently listened to a version which had Judi Dench. My kids were mesmorized by it. They really enjoyed it a great deal. Yes, Dd has listened to that version of the audiobook basically everyday since she was 3. I recommend listening to the audiobook yourself and getting a feel for it. Makes the text a lot easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honeymommy4 Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 I think it is worth just trying at age 5 or 6 then maybe put it on the shelf if it isn't working & trying again in 6 months or a year. Here's what we did: I woudl read it to my 8yo DS. my 5yo DS was NOT interested at first. I woudl have to abbreviate just a few of the words here and there at first to get DS hooked. u know, and read it very comically - then he would crack up. The fist parts of the chapters seem a little dry. if u aren't paying attention then the end is not as funny. The trick is to hook them in the reading aloud. I don't recommend the audio book unless u think your kids will really tune in well. So then I woudl be reading like Chap. 2 and DS(8) cracking up - DS (5) had to be in the room with us, I think - and so then he was intrigued so would listen a lot of the times. I went to read it the 3rd night in a row (1 ch. a night) and DS said he already read Ch. 3 that day on his own!! (he reads a lot but i was amazed that he picked it up!) anyway so he wanted me to get thru the whole book - eventually we did. then we had on hand the other books in the series and he even had me read "Now we are 6" etc. which is mainly poems. The boys cracked up. I really enjoyed it. Even DD (3) woudl listen in some nights. She's still young but she liked the little illustrations. If u can get an original copy with the tiny illustrations it is worth it. GL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 My kids also hated it when I had a paperback with b&w illustrations. When I got this gorgeous hardcover http://www.amazon.com/Winnie-Pooh-A-A-Milne/dp/0525477683/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1331601083&sr=1-4 that has thick, cream colored pages andcolor pictures, they became much more interested. It was striking! I got it for a couple dollars as a remainder, and I'm glad I did. Have you heard the Jimmy Stewart recording of Pooh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Get a audio recording. Trying to read it was to much for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyD Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 I have read parts of the books aloud, but the Judi Dench et al audiobooks have been fan favorites with DS4 and DS6 for at least a year. DS4 in particular has listened to those CDs so often that he can reel off large swaths of the dialogue from memory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeganW Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 I started to read it to my two oldest and couldn't get the hang of it. So I bought a set of audio CDs and they love them! The Winnie the Pooh CDs are some of the most popular CDs in the house, including the poetry ones. Ditto - my kids LOOOOVE the audio CDs!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Best. audio. version. ever: http://www.pooh-corner.com/ Even Christopher Robin Milne loved this guy. The only problem is that my kids want me to sound like him. My dh can do the piglet though. My kids love Pooh as a read-out-loud once they are about 5ish. They like the audio version then as well. Now, even though they are 7 and about to be 12, they will still listen to Pooh and play the tapes often. They are very Poohish kids Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tranquility7 Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Winnie the Pooh is a challenge, but it has become one of my favorite read alouds. The absolute MOST important thing when reading Winnie the Pooh is to read it with a British accent! My DH thinks I'm a nut, but honestly I cannot read it any other way. I'm American through and through, but I grew up overseas and learned how to do a few accents... WtP is a English Bear so I cannot possibly read him any other way :D Same with Peter Rabbit, Alice in Wonderland, and Paddington Bear (who I know is technically from darkest Peru, but I don't have a darkest Peru accent on the tip of my tongue, so I have to settle for the common tongue of his new home in England). Barring that, the Judi Dench recording sounds like it would be a very good pick! Incidentally, my DS learned to recite Jabberwocky using an audio recording by a British lady - and so that whole poem (and only that poem) he recites as a Brit. Cracks.me.up!:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyx5 Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 We are almost at the end of The House at Pooh Corner. It is difficult when you come across the mispelled words to figure out the pronunciation, etc. It has caught me quite a few times. I also let the boys (6) watch an original Pooh movie since they were not familiar with Pooh and all the personalities. And I try to develop a different voice for each character along w/ faces to relay the story. However, it has not held their interest like other read a louds have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 My daughter says she doesn't like his Piglet voice! Oh no. I think it sounds fine, but...I guess nothing compares to my fantastic reading voice, I am so touched. Yikes, I looked at his website - is that Sean Penn?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 See, ITA with you: I think it's better to read it yourself, because all those curious spellings and capitalizations and whatnot add to the meaning, and you can't convey those by reading aloud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehog Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 My parents read the Winnie the Pooh stories and poems to us several times over when we were kids, doing all the voices and getting the feel of those capitalised phrases, so when I came to read it to my lot I just did what I remember.. and they seem to enjoy it just fine! I don't do a lot of reading aloud - dh does that! - but WtP I will happily read any time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 :iagree: Audio-book narrated by Peter Dennis. You can always get a hard copy and follow along for the illustrations and curious spellings....but Peter Dennis's audio is "Not-to-be-missed!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyoflearning Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 I tried reading it a few times and just COULD NOT get into it. I could only read about a chapter or two and I was bored to death. Something about the style just doesn't click for me. However, it is one of my husband's favorite books and his mom purchased him The Complete Tales of Winnie The Pooh. http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Tales-Winnie-The-Pooh-Milne/dp/0525457232/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1331610422&sr=8-1 DD (5) recently finished reading it by herself and loved it. Some people like it and some don't. If you don't, then maybe wait until your child wants to read it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted March 13, 2012 Author Share Posted March 13, 2012 Wow, what a response! :lol: I wasn't expecting this to be such a hot topic! I found this audio version at my library, and downloaded it, but it isn't much help. The narrator doesn't change his voice, and I think that is really necessary. The 2nd voice POV is difficult, but I am thinking that when it comes to teaching 2nd voice, it'll is nice to have a familiar example. I bought a nice little hardcover copy of Pooh today and I'm wanting to push through with this. Listening to the dramatized version of pooh, reminds me of dramatized versions of the KJV Bible. They certainly both increase comprehension of awkward text. If I want to learn to read this aloud, the best recording would be the Sean Penn looking guy, right? It's one person changing his voice? As I have been posting about, in the thread I started, about picking 3 literature books per year, I really want to become very familiar with a few excellent books. I think I want this one, to be one of them. When I was at the bookstore today, I decided I don't like color illustrations. The pages are heavier and glossier and the books weight so much more. I'm realizing I'm very attracted to light, small hardcovers with cloth covers. I don't like glossy pages or covers. And I like paperback sized books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 My favourite audio version is by Alan Bennett. He is the best Eeyore. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted March 13, 2012 Author Share Posted March 13, 2012 My favourite audio version is by Alan Bennett. He is the best Eeyore. Laura I see a used copy of this at Amazon for $668.12 :-) I read chapter 2 of Pooh last night. It is like a whole other book from chapter one. Thanks to the person who recommended starting at chapter 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 (edited) I read chapter 2 of Pooh last night. It is like a whole other book from chapter one. Thanks to the person who recommended starting at chapter 2. I admit I don't like chapter 1. I feel it doesn't fit. :$ Edited March 13, 2012 by Julie Smith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelBee Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 I hated reading the books. I did but I felt disjointed and just unnatural. Horrible I know. :glare: I did want to like them. But I feel this is one book that I actually prefer on the big screen instead. That is how I felt about Eloise. :( I am having slightly better luck with Winnie the Pooh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrookValley. Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 We are in the midst of a full-blown Pooh obsession in our household. :blink: DS is 4.5. I read the book aloud a couple times (I don't remember it being tough; I must not have had an issue with it, or I wouldn't have went back through it a second time). By the time I had racked up $13 in overdue fines from the library because I kept forgetting to renew it, I got the Peter Dennis audio version. Which, by the way, IS fabulous. :D The only problem is that I need to limit my son's access to his mp3 player because he will listen to it non. stop. all. day. long. if left to his own devices. He now naturally speaks in Piglet's voice. I have to explain to folks why he snorts after every few words. He has adopted an ocassional British accent and a few colloquialisms (the new go-to exclamation is "Oh, dear!" spoken in a perfect British accent). It is a bit cute when he's listening to it in the car with his headphones and I hear him giggling in the back seat, out of nowhere. Not so cute is the moon-size crater now in my front yard (aka, the "huffulump trap"). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 I see a used copy of this at Amazon for $668.12 :-) With free shipping. http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/search?searchTerm=alan+bennett+winnie+the+pooh&search=search Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 You can hear a sample at http://www.amazon.co.uk/Winnie-Pooh-BBC-Radio-Collection/dp/0563536772 although I'm having trouble getting it to work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted March 13, 2012 Author Share Posted March 13, 2012 With free shipping. http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/search?searchTerm=alan+bennett+winnie+the+pooh&search=search Laura Stripe, I couldn't load the audio either. But at $6.60 and no shipping...I just hit "click" :-0 Thanks Laura!!! :-) Brookvalley, is the huffalump trap in the 1st or 2nd book? My youngest went through an obsession with Pilgrim's Progress years ago. There were audio tapes that were multi-voiced with sound effects and he just loved them. I remember there were all sorts of accents including a scottish one. Video tape him if you can. That is too cute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 We first heard it on CD. Dh and I loved it as much as the kids did. A few years later he read the books aloud, including the poetry books. He didn't seem to have a hard time with it- maybe because he had heard the CD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 (edited) When I was at the bookstore today, I decided I don't like color illustrations. The pages are heavier and glossier and the books weight so much more. I'm realizing I'm very attracted to light, small hardcovers with cloth covers. I don't like glossy pages or covers. And I like paperback sized books. We have this color version. I love it. :001_smile: The colors are beautiful. We have all four books in this style. Even the spines look pretty, all lined up on the shelf. :lol: The look inside feature shows black and white pictures though. :confused: ETA: You are right that it is heavier. I guess I like the feel of a substantial book. :lol: Edited March 13, 2012 by Julianna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3peasinapod Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 I hated reading the books. I did but I felt disjointed and just unnatural. Horrible I know. :glare: I did want to like them. But I feel this is one book that I actually prefer on the big screen instead. :iagree: I had a HORRIBLE time reading them aloud. I quit. I couldn't figure out how to make it better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kubiac Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 Thanks to everyone for the input on this topic. We initially got the Dench-Fry-Horrocks audiobook from the library but I found it disjointed (and I wanted to punch the Piglet voice, which can't be right, can it?) and confusing. Next we tried the Dennis reading and it's just exactly right for us. Enjoying it very much. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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