What makes a book a good one to read aloud??

[LNC]

And what novels would you choose to read aloud for American History before 1800 - ages 6-10.

 

Thanks!!!

[Sue G in PA]

He offers some criteria for just this. As for American History novels before 1800...I'm not sure. One book that jumps to mind is one we enjoyed immensely as an audio book. Bud, Not Buddy. My dd read the book when she was 10 and all my school-aged dc (5, 6, 8, 9 and dd now 11) were engrossed in this audio book. It's about a young African-American boy trying to find his father after his mother dies. I believe it's set during the depression (so not your time period, but American History!).

[Jenny in Atl]

SL core 3 has some classics (most you can find at the library). Cailco Bush, Carry On Mr. Bowditch, The Sign of the Beaver, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, and Toliver's Secret. You also might ask at the library and see if there are any newer titles for this time period.

[Shelly in VA]

Carry on Mr. Bowditch, Johnny Tremain, The Sign of the Beaver. My kids enjoyed all of those in the age range you are looking for. They HATED Caddie Woodlawn, but I know most people like it. <smile>

 

My read-aloud criteria include the difficulty of the book (I can read aloud something slightly more advanced than the kids can read alone), the setting and characters (by that, I mean that if there are a lot of towns and names the kids would mispronounce in their brains, I prefer to read aloud... I am constantly surprised by the mistakes that stick if they aren't corrected early on!), and the length of the book (if my dc balk heavily at a book that I really want them to read, often making it into a read-aloud will work).

 

HTH!

[Julie in GA]

that books you find on "great book" lists (i.e. that qualify as literature) are good ones to read aloud, because you are modeling excellent language usage and beautifully crafted prose to your children. Lighter books can be fun once in a while, but they won't do what to great ones can in terms of exposing your children to the good stuff.

 

Oops - my ds needs me. Gotta run.

[PariSarah]

that books you find on "great book" lists (i.e. that qualify as literature) are good ones to read aloud, because you are modeling excellent language usage and beautifully crafted prose to your children. Lighter books can be fun once in a while, but they won't do what to great ones can in terms of exposing your children to the good stuff.

 

I find, too, that "better" books are generally easier to read aloud, because their authors have made the words do all the work. The connections, the reading cues, the transitions are already there in the text.

 

Just as an example, I'm reading the Withrows' book Peril and Peace as the family read-aloud. In one chapter, there were four or five different scenes described one after the other, with no transitional sentences (or even a little break on the page) between them. It wasn't until you were halfway through the second sentence of the scene that you realized the scene had changed--which made it difficult to convey the scene change with your voice. Sometimes, just a little change would have made all the difference--inverting the clauses of a sentence, or adding a transitional word. It's an enjoyable enough book, and I'll probably continue with the series, if only because no one else has done anything remotely comparable. But I wouldn't call them good writers. Good writers will almost always catch those places in their own writing and "clean them up."

[BizyPenguin]

Jim Trelease, author of The Read-Aloud Handbook has a web site. Perhpas you can glean something there that will be helpful.

[Shelly in VA]

Thanks for that link! I bought The Read-Aloud Handbook when I was pregnant with my first child 14 years ago, and it is one of the most thumbed through, well-worn books I own! (I really should add a new copy to my next Amazon order!) However, I did not realize Jim Trelease had a website. Thanks for posting it!

[Arch at Home]

We have been enjoying the My America Series from Scholastic Books. I am currently targeting my 6 yo. If I was wanting to read aloud to older children I would strongly consider the Dear America or the My Name is America series. The diary format makes for a flexible format as the entries are from less than one to about three pages and you don't get caught in the middle of a long chapter. The fact that the books are written from a child's standpoint really makes the history come alive.