For this week's challenge, we were asked to talk to a child about reading aloud. Since we have been snowed in and on vacation for 5 days, I found 2 eager participants right in my living room. They were happy to share!

Question 1: I think everyone in the world should read . . . .

Me: Dr. Seuss - Very few people do not love Dr. Seuss. Everyone has a memory of hearing his books read aloud and reading them -finally- on our own. One of my earliest memories of school is making green eggs and ham in Kindergarten. It was amazing to me that we were actually eating green eggs! Dr. Seuss made reading fun and accessible for so many. Kids still love the rhyming, the funny creatures, the fun! When I started getting ready for World Read Aloud Day and Dr. Seuss's birthday a couple weeks ago, I just filled a table in the library with Dr. Seuss books. Students were drawn to them like magnets. It always makes me smile.
Owen (age 9): Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Tessa (age 6 3/4): Magic Tree House books and Dumpling Days by Grace Lin

Question 2: If I could listen to anyone in the world read aloud to me it would be . . . 

Me: my mom. She and my dad were my first influences for reading and we always read books together. Always. 
Owen: Jeff Kinney
Tessa: Mrs. Sibiskie, my teacher

Question 3: When I read aloud, my favorite character to impersonate is . . .

Me: Skippyjon Jones. I LOVE to do the voices in those books. I love laughing with the kids. Pure fun.
Owen: Mudge from Henry and Mudge books
Tessa: Pacy, from Grace Lin's Dumpling Days and Jack and Annie from Magic Tree House

Question 4: The genre or author that takes up the most room on my bookshelf is . . .

Me: Mystery - my absolute favorite. 
Owen: Fantasy
Tessa: Fantasy

Question 5: My favorite part about reading aloud or being read to is . . .

Me: I love when kids laugh during the story, try guessing what will happen next and then yell out, "Read it again!" That's when I know it was a great read aloud.
Owen: You can just sit and listen and enjoy the story.
Tessa: You can lay down and listen to the story. I like hearing my teacher's voice make the characters' voices.

I am so excited to be participating in the World Read Aloud Day "Raising Our Voices" blogging challenge! This means there is only 4 more weeks to go! We actually did a practice Skype today with someone who is new to this celebration! It was so much fun! Each week other bloggers and I will be responding to a prompt or question about reading aloud. 

I was lucky. When I was little, my mom read to me all the time. Both my parents were teachers and they understood the importance of reading. My mom stayed home with us when we were little too. As I sat down to think about this prompt, two books jumped into my mind: Dick and Jane book and Little Runner. Both of these books helped me along the path to reading on my own, learning letters and their sounds and putting them together to form words. Dick and Jane books helped me practice sight words over and over again. Little Runner also introduced interesting words, like "wampum" to me and we read them over and over and over. I was endlessly fascinated by these stories and loved to create my own.

What I remember the most though, aside from the actual stories, was the feeling that I had when I was all snuggled up with my mom or my dad. That is the feeling that I get today when I read with my own children. We are sharing this experience together - no interruptions, no anything. Just the story and being together, warm, quiet, laughing and not wanting it to end. 

As I got older, that same feeling continued, whether I was reading with someone or by myself. Books continue to have that allure for me. I fall deeply into these stories, other worlds, times or places, and sometimes read them again and again, relishing. 

When I read with my students, I hope I create that kind of feeling for them. One of my favorite things to hear is when I finish a story is, "Read it again!" I often feel like we are under a spell - they are so excited to listen to the story. 

This year we will be celebrating World Read Aloud Day for the second time. The two schools that I work at connected with so many amazing schools and authors last year, mostly through the use of Skype. We will do so again this year, with many familiar faces along with some new ones. Connections will be made with Washington State, Texas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Georgia, and more. I am thrilled to have authors Ame Dyckman and Patricia Newman visiting with us as well! 

Our skypes involve the students introducing the schools to one another, followed by a shared reading of some sort, such as reading a book together with teachers or students taking turns by pages or by character (Elephant and Piggie are wonderful for that!) Many times we use the website wegivebooks.org for our shared reading.  If there is time, students love to ask each other questions or share favorite books. 

However you celebrate this year, share the joy that reading aloud to others can bring! Raise your voice!