Alicia64 Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 I had to share. We just finished Despereaux. It was awesome. (I've never seen the movie; although my kids say it's good.) My kids even applauded as the last line was read. Can we start a GREAT read aloud thread? Share what you're absolutely LOVING this month! And thanks!! Alley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByGrace3 Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Oh yeah, that is on our short list! Our next read aloud is either it or Because of Winn Dixie. We just finished Henry Huggins and the kids loved it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet Home Alabama Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White FABULOUS!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Element Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 I love these threads! We just finished "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon" by Grace Lin and it was one of the best books we've ever read together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 We're listening to From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and the kids adore it. It was short - we'll be done soon. The kids are also really liking Our Only May Amelia - but warning to all that it's sad, sad in the middle. And the style is a little different - weird grammar and punctuation choices abound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Our most recent read-alouds: Five Children and It - so far they love it. Looooonggg chapters though! I think we'll do the Phoenix & the Carpet & the Amulet next. previously read - The Princess & the Goblin - we all liked it a lot. Then we read the Princess and Curdie and - not so much (well, I hated reading it. The girls liked it ok but were totally mystified and unsatisfied by the ending). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelli Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Red Pyramid have been our latest read aloud hits. Although my dd will still tell you that All-of-a-Kind Family was the best book series we've read ever. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. WhiteFABULOUS!!! We are reading this one too! We love it! My 4 year old son has made a trumpet out of one of his dragon figurines and he "plays" it daily. We are getting ready to read Abel's Island which we've enjoyed in the past. It's time for round 2 with that one. My oldest is loving the Little House books. She also begs for a new chapter of Story of the World Volume 1 every day. We use Tapestry but have been using SOTW as a read aloud. She's in love with it! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 We're reading The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, and it's quite funny! My dad gave DS1 that book and a couple other similarly thick books. DS1 finished on his own already, but I'm reading it aloud to everyone so the little ones can enjoy it too (and me ;)). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyNellen Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Our all-time favorites (the ones we have re-read many times): Winnie-the-Pooh Pinocchio The Railway Children Dog Friday (someone here recommended it a couple of years ago..thank you!) Little Pilgrim's Progress Charlotte's Web Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto2Cs Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 We're reading Smoky House by Elizabeth Goudge, and are loving it! Also reading Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, and the kids are definitely enjoying that one! Looking forward to starting The Light Princess (Macdonald) shortly. I had to share. We just finished Despereaux. It was awesome. (I've never seen the movie; although my kids say it's good.) My kids even applauded as the last line was read. Alley We loved that book! We had seen the movie first, but the book was wonderful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trinchick Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 DD's favorite read aloud by far has been Tumtum and Nutmeg. I really enjoyed it, too. We also recently read Stuart Little (I thought it was so-so, but DD really loved it), so as a companion book we breezed through Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little. It's about a girl who is required to read Stuart Little for summer reading and on the last day of summer break still hasn't started. The book chronicles her day procrastinating before finally devouring Stuart Little. This was a quick read and has a quirky humor that had my DD laughing hysterically and repeating lines. I'm picking up The Penderwicks at the library tonight, and based on the reviews, I'm really eager to start it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassy Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 DS11 claims to be addicted to Noughts and Crosses, Malorie Blackman, although he says that it's for older kids. He compares it to The Hunger Games as far as its being unsuitable for littles. The noughts are a 'colourless' underclass, the crosses a dark-skinned dominant class. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePW Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 We (boys, 7 and 10) are reading the Swiss Family Robinson together, they are enjoying it and I have promised that I will get the movie from the library once we have finished reading it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 We just finished The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (book 1). My son begged me to immediately order book two. I had never read these books, but considering the Wizard of Oz is so prevalent in our society, it's really pretty wonderful to finally be reading them, and loving them. This first book was so different from the movie, and I am also really excited about reading the others! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 I MUCH preferred the book to the movie for The Tale of Despereaux. I read it to DD when she was around 4, and she liked it at the time, but I think she'd like it better now. Her all-time favorites have been Because of Winn-Dixie (we had the audiobook read by Cherry Jones and I can't even count the number of times she listened to that over and over), Black Beauty, and The Invention of Hugo Cabret. We just read the first two books in the Green Knowe series, The Children of Green Knowe and Treasure of Green Knowe, and will probably go back to the next book once we finish the current books we have going. One of my personal favorites was A Little Princess, which DD also liked a lot. I'm still debating on when to read Little Lord Fauntleroy and The Secret Garden (I just found a gorgeous version of TSG illustrated by Inga Moore and the bookstore a couple of days ago). Oh, and I want to make sure to read The Hobbit before the movie comes out in December. I can't wait! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edeemarie Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 We just finished The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (book 1). My son begged me to immediately order book two. I had never read these books, but considering the Wizard of Oz is so prevalent in our society, it's really pretty wonderful to finally be reading them, and loving them. This first book was so different from the movie, and I am also really excited about reading the others! We are really enjoying the Oz series! I was amazed at the differences too. I almost wish we all would have read the book before we ever saw the movie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Right now we're in the middle of our favorites so far. I'm reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Yay! "I think Edmund just wants more Turkish delight! :lol:" --The Drama In the car, we've been listening to Patricia C. Wrede's Enchanted Forest series. Right now we're on Searching for Dragons. They both LOVE it. Usually The Sponge could care less about audiobooks, but she asks for this one when we get in the car almost every time, as does The Drama. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 We're reading The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, and it's quite funny! My dad gave DS1 that book and a couple other similarly thick books. DS1 finished on his own already, but I'm reading it aloud to everyone so the little ones can enjoy it too (and me ;)). Ds recently interviewed the author of The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, if you guys are interested in seeing it... He seemed like a really nice guy, very gracious about the interview and excited about sharing his book. (The interview is split -- dd is also there interviewing Sarah Pennypacker, author of the Clementine books.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Ds recently interviewed the author of The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, if you guys are interested in seeing it... He seemed like a really nice guy, very gracious about the interview and excited about sharing his book. (The interview is split -- dd is also there interviewing Sarah Pennypacker, author of the Clementine books.) Very cool! My son loved the book. The littles and I are still in Chapter 4. :D But we are definitely enjoying it! Good choice from my dad! I'm sure DS will read this again and again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mothergooseof4 Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Follow My Leader I read it to my oldest when he was in K. I started it last week with everyone and they all nagged until I finished it. Even oldest enjoyed it again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 We're listening to From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and the kids adore it. It was short - we'll be done soon. The kids are also really liking Our Only May Amelia - but warning to all that it's sad, sad in the middle. And the style is a little different - weird grammar and punctuation choices abound. I loved Our Only May Amelia! I don't remember that about the style, but I read it several years ago before working with a director to stage it, so I'm sure my brain wasn't focused on the punctuation or grammar. I'm thinking The Mixed Up Files for one of our next read-alouds as well, so it's good to hear your boys enjoyed it. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Red Pyramid have been our latest read aloud hits. The Red Pyramid has gone over really well here too, ds is listening to it on audiobook and can't get enough. Pippi is the gal of the moment at our house, since pretty much the boys go for any hysterical young girl and her antics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyforlatin Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 (edited) We're reading The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, and it's quite funny! My dad gave DS1 that book and a couple other similarly thick books. DS1 finished on his own already, but I'm reading it aloud to everyone so the little ones can enjoy it too (and me ;)). Thanks for mentioning this. DD just finished listening to The Enchanted Forest, and will be re-listening to the series again, but I was hoping to find another oddball fairy tale story. I'm trying to look for quirky fairy tales for this year. DH read aloud The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland a few weeks ago and DD still refers back to this book. It's definitely a whimsical story, probably better appreciated by older kids and adults. Edited July 19, 2012 by crazyforlatin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 I loved Our Only May Amelia! I don't remember that about the style, but I read it several years ago before working with a director to stage it, so I'm sure my brain wasn't focused on the punctuation or grammar. I'm thinking The Mixed Up Files for one of our next read-alouds as well, so it's good to hear your boys enjoyed it. You staged it? That's really cool. How did it come out? My boys were just shocked that it was written by the same person as Babymouse and Squish. But ds made a cool connection - he was like, well, in Babymouse, she always says, "Typical!" and in Squish he always says, "Sigh" and May Amelia says "and that's the truth!" so the writer must like to have things end with the same words over and over. I thought that was a good observation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MommyK Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 We've not read aloud in years (aside from story books for the tiny minions). The big kids read independently now, so it never occurred to me to read aloud to them. I look forward to starting back up. A great thread for suggestions. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyforlatin Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Ds recently interviewed the author of The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, if you guys are interested in seeing it... He seemed like a really nice guy, very gracious about the interview and excited about sharing his book. (The interview is split -- dd is also there interviewing Sarah Pennypacker, author of the Clementine books.) That's so cool! Amazon has a link to a short activity guide, just four pages, but I think DD will enjoy it after we read it to her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WIS0320 Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Misty of Chincoteague here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyLittleBears Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 (edited) Out of all the RA's did for history this year, my boys were mesmerized by Black Ships before Troy by Rosemary Sutcliff, and I have to say, so was I. The language is just so beautiful and rolls of your tongue almost musically. It was absolutely lovely.:001_wub: Edited July 19, 2012 by MyLittleBears Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirstenhill Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 Misty of Chincoteague here! we liked that one earlier this year! I like to do a series in the summer so it is less decision making on what to read next. :lol: We're reading through the Little House on Rocky Ridge series (the Rose years series that follows the original little house series). We are on book three. Enjoying it so far, though I don't think they are quite as good as the original series of course! I think my favorite read aloud this past school year was either Hitty: Her First Hundred Years or Wheel on the School Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 You staged it? That's really cool. How did it come out? My boys were just shocked that it was written by the same person as Babymouse and Squish. But ds made a cool connection - he was like, well, in Babymouse, she always says, "Typical!" and in Squish he always says, "Sigh" and May Amelia says "and that's the truth!" so the writer must like to have things end with the same words over and over. I thought that was a good observation. That was a good observation! The play was brilliant, but it really had very little to do with me and much more to do with the fact that it was a professional production with a fabulous artistic director. We were just "helpers" as part of culminating university experience in drama teaching methods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia64 Posted July 19, 2012 Author Share Posted July 19, 2012 Such a great thread -- thank you for replying! The Wizard of Oz books that are in the series are AWESOME. In fact, I'm always surprised that they're rarely if ever mentioned on this board. If you haven't read The Read Aloud Handbook -- it might just change your life. It did mine. Any more? Alley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 We just finished and loved Princess Academy. We are now in the middle of Nzingha: Warrior Queen of Matamba, Angola, Africa, 1595, and that is pretty good. We just started reading American History Stories You Never Read in School . . . but should have. Dd7 loves this so far, but she is a history fanatic. But I do think it is a delightful little book. We also started the audio book of Anne of Green Gables when we were vacationing, and we didn't get to finish it, so we will be reading the book soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShannonS Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 Out of all the RA's did for history this year, my boys were mesmerized by Black Ships before Troy by Rosemary Sutcliff, and I have to say, so was I. The language is just so beautiful and rolls of your tongue almost musically. It was absolutely lovely.:001_wub: :iagree: I was amazed that this book kept the attention of my five and four year old Ds's but it did! We have also enjoyed Lang's Fairy Books (those lasted FOREVER) and Roald Dahl's The B.F.G. was so much fun. I could go on and on. LOVE our daily read aloud time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NittanyJen Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 We have been all over the place, from Colum's 'Children's Homer' to 'Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' to unabridged versions of Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland to McCaughrean's 1001 Arabian Nights and King Arthur stories and Greene's 'Robin Hood.' Right now, they are loving Funke's 'Inkheart.'. It may not be a literary masterpiece, but it does have some fantastic description, fun characters, great cliffhangers at the ends of the chapters, and a fun story. And tossing in doing character voices, it's a real kick to read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladydusk Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 We're reading Detectives in Togas right now. We're all enjoying it. I think we're doing Pinnocchio next. Our favorites: Bambi: A Life in the Forest The Jungle Book I and II Just So Stories Little Britches Wind in the Willows Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommy5 Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 What ages are these books for? We just read Jumanji and The Enormous Crocodile to my 7 & 5 yr old (the 5 yr old was scared of both books!) I thought those were fun reads ... I want to do Charlotte's Web and Trumpet of the Swan but thought they were too young... is that not right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamatohaleybug Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 Favorite read alouds in 2011/2012 were: Tale of Desperaux A Grain of Rice Pollyanna Trouble River Little House in the Big Woods Twenty and Ten The Little Riders Little House on the Prairie Adam of the Road Apple and the Arrow The Midwife's Apprentice Gabriel's Hour Book On the Banks of Plum Creek On the Shores of Silver Lake King of the Wind Frindle Charlie and the Chocolate Factory The Wind in the Willows Mr Popper's Penguins Stuart Little Lily's Crossing Favorite read alouds 2010/2011: Charlotte's Web The Year of Miss Agnes Number the Stars The Corn Grows Ripe Mandy HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamatohaleybug Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 What ages are these books for? We just read Jumanji and The Enormous Crocodile to my 7 & 5 yr old (the 5 yr old was scared of both books!) I thought those were fun reads ... I want to do Charlotte's Web and Trumpet of the Swan but thought they were too young... is that not right? I think Charlotte's Web is perfect for your oldest and probably fine for your little one. I am reading Trumpet of the Swan right now so I'm not sure on that one. My daughter has some severe attention difficulties so we didn't read chapter books aloud until she was just turning 8. That's certainly not typical around here. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CourtneySue Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 I had to share. We just finished Despereaux. It was awesome. (I've never seen the movie; although my kids say it's good.) My kids even applauded as the last line was read. Can we start a GREAT read aloud thread? Share what you're absolutely LOVING this month! And thanks!! Alley We read The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by the same author and loved it. I had a hard time keeping back the tears during some chapters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommy5 Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 What ages are these books for? We just read Jumanji and The Enormous Crocodile to my 7 & 5 yr old (the 5 yr old was scared of both books!) I thought those were fun reads ... I want to do Charlotte's Web and Trumpet of the Swan but thought they were too young... is that not right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiegirl Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 We are in the middle of Bambi right now and enjoying it a great deal. My oldest and I are reading Sense and Sensibility together. I am enjoying this time with her and the book. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LivingHope Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 Our favorite read aloud this year was The Chestry Oak by Kate Seredy. This is a WWII story about a young prince whose castle is used as a Nazi headquarters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lea1 Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 (edited) We read The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by the same author and loved it. I had a hard time keeping back the tears during some chapters. I had a hard time with this one also and my sons would look at me funny and ask what was wrong with me. We loved Despereaux also and then we found the movie at the library but the book was better. We have read so many of these books and loved them all. The one we are in the middle of currently is Farmer Boy and we all love little Almanzo. The funny thing is I skipped this one and we read Plum Creek and Silver Lake first because I didn't think we would like it that much. As it turns out, it is my very favorite of the series so far. I thought I had read all of these when I was a child but now I am thinking I must have only read the first 2 or 3. I will have to look for the Wizard of Oz books. This is a great list. Edited July 19, 2012 by Lea in OK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momaof3 Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 My kids loved Wheel on the School. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladydusk Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 What ages are these books for? We just read Jumanji and The Enormous Crocodile to my 7 & 5 yr old (the 5 yr old was scared of both books!) I thought those were fun reads ... I want to do Charlotte's Web and Trumpet of the Swan but thought they were too young... is that not right? We've read EB White, and enjoyed them a lot. We tend to read books at the children's level at lunch. The books I listed are our top favorites from our evening reading. We usually read more difficult books in the evenings with my husband. We started with the first Boxcar Children book (loved it) and have read books of varying types and styles. My husband and I usually discuss parts of the book and try to engage with the book to model how to interact with books and think through literature. So, while my kiddos are pretty young, they've been introduced to a variety of literature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehogs4 Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 We have just finished listening to the entire Audible series of Ramona and then Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary. We will MISS Ramona and Henry! Our favorite read aloud (i.e. I read for 4 straight hours one day) was Moccasin Trail (can't remember the author's name right now). Here are some others: Little Britches series by Ralph Moody Anything by Beverly Cleary The Great Brain series Around the World in 80 Days Carry On, Mr. Bowditch (We are a USCG family, and my husband had a fond navigational attachment to Nathaniel Bowditch, so that book was a treat for all of us!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2OandE Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 We are reading The Trolley to Yesterday by John Bellairs. We just started it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momaof3 Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 I haven't been doing as well as I should when it comes to read aloud time. My oldest usually reads on his own and I with the younger. I am going to make it a habit to have that time together to read during the school day this year. The books we have read aloud this year and have enjoyed are Wheel on the School, Mr. Popper's Penguins and we are now reading Moby Dick, a junior classic edition, and everyone is enjoying it.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LynnG in Arizona Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 We've recently done two books that are not quite as well known: The Enormous Egg - a whimsical story about a little boy in the 1950's who discovers a real dinosaur egg (it was recommended on this board); and Little Bo - about a little kitten and the adventures she has after becoming separated from her family. Written by Julie Andrews, but it's a very sweet children's book in its own right - a nice early chapter book. And there are three sequels out, if you enjoy them. My brand new 5 and 6.5 year old have loved these! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4Hisglory Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 We are reading The House of Sixty Fathers and a friend recommended The Wheels on the School so we'll read that next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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