Your Read Aloud Magic Newsletter

"Improving children's lives through Read Aloud."

Let’s begin bringing non-fiction into our Read Aloud times! My focus for this newsletter will be on non-fiction books, and I do this for three reasons.

First, I have seen extremely reluctant readers turned into excited readers with the simple use of non-fiction. The most amazing example that I've experienced is mentioned in my book, Read Aloud Magic.

In this example, one student, a sixth grader, showed absolutely no interest in books when he entered my classroom many years ago. Looking back, the solution seems so easy. Yet, at the time, I really struggled to hook this young man with the enjoyment of reading. Something had either really turned him off on reading. Or, that spark of reading a great book had never entered his world.

Please keep in mind, as you help your child select books, that non-fiction can compliment whatever interests your young children may have in the outside world. These subjects are virtually unlimited and include books about animals, space, history, people, or, as in this particular case, a future career.

Second, non-fiction is relevant because most of our adult reading is actually non-fiction! Hopefully, we all can unwind enough to sit down and read a great fictional story from time to time. However, our world is filled with a never ending array of written information, manuals, reports, articles, news stories, sports stories, magazines, email, and so much more. Our communication with others, and your child's future communication with others, will be constantly “ON” within a significantly non-fiction world.

And finally, non-fiction can open the door to communication with our children in an entirely new way. Whether it is based on an interest, a hobby, a sport, future careers, or current events, non-fiction allows us to share ideas with our children. And, this capability is a critical parenting skill that parents of teens will grow to appreciate.

I hope you'll choose to explore some non-fiction ideas with your child during the coming months.

As always, I would love to hear more of your Read Aloud success stories! Please don't hesitate to send me your individual success stories by email OR you can use the convenient Read Aloud Success form on the Read Aloud Magic website.

To Your Read Aloud Success,

Susan Frankenberg
Read Aloud Coach and
Author of Read Aloud Magic

Help to Connect Your Child to Books

Non-fiction might be introduced with a magazine subscription. There are some fabulous animal magazines available. Book stores often carry them. Check out a few before you order a year’s worth. My elementary students really enjoy Zoo Books and National Geographic Explorer.

Biographies are another route to consider. My granddaughters love to listen to biographies about famous American Indians. At 5 and 6 years of age they have gained a lot of background knowledge about Squanto, Sacajawea, and Pocahontas. Scholastic Books provides some excellent biographies suitable for our younger listeners. Ask your children who their heroes are. Find out who they like to talk and learn about in school. That's the route to a good biography.

Place various non-fiction library books on the coffee table. Make a basket with just non fiction books in it. Have one that focuses on animals, one on dinosaurs, or perhaps one on aircraft or space exploration! See which ones get picked up and looked at. Discover which topics appeal to your child. The possibilities are endless!

My Recent Read Alouds

At Home:
The Underwater Alphabet Book by Jerry Pallotta is a colorful non-fiction book that is perfect for summer! It uses each alphabet letter to introduce an unusual ocean animal, like the upside down jellyfish for “U.” Just a short amount of information is given for each animal, but it's definitely enough to spark an interest.

Family Read Aloud

If your children are ages 7 or higher, I highly recommend A Dog’s Life: Autobiography of a Stray, by Ann M. Martin. Although technically not a non-fiction story, this book is always a favorite in my literature circle groups at school. It promotes amazing discussions and certainly will foster empathy and an understanding for stray animals. It is very realistic, but ends so wonderfully. Every adult and child will love this story!

Specific Read Aloud Suggestions

Tiny Ones
Peek-A Who? by Nina Laden is on my list of "must have books" for my newest granddaughter! It is a darling board book for infants.

Preschoolers (about 2-4)
What Do You dDo with a Tail Like This, by Robin Page and Steve Jenkins is a must! You will capture your preschooler's attention immediately with the many illustrations and fascinating facts about animals.

Primary Children (K-3rd Grade)
How to Hide an Octopus and Other Sea Creatures, by Ruth Heller. If you haven’t seen any of Ruth Heller’s books you're in for a treat! The illustrations are fantastic and her use of great words increases vocabulary development.

Intermediate Children (4th-6th Grade)
I still love the “Usborne” books. These can be found virtually everywhere, including libraries, book stores, and even from individual Usborne distributors in your area. In fact, many schools hold an Usborne Book Fair as an annual fund raising event. These books cover many non-fiction areas, from space to animals to history and more! The amazing illustrations capture a child's mind while teaching. Check them out! Planes and Helicopters(Big Machines), by Clive Gifford is a great one for many!

Actually, while recommending these Usborne books for 4th grade and up, I realized that Usborne also has many great books that are very appropriate for younger children. Go ahead and give them a try.

Book Suggestions for Parents

Charlotte Mason Companion: Personal Reflections on The Gentle Art of Learning, by Karen Andreola sits by my reading chair as a permanent reference tool. I have never picked it up without finding something I want to incorporate into my dealings with children. This is a terrific resource for teachers, moms, home school parents, or anyone who has young children in their lives! Just the section on narration with young children is enough to buy the book. I love it!

What The Dormouse Said: Lessons for Gorwn-ups from Children’s Books, by Amy Gash is a treasure of sayings from the best of the best children's books. As the notes on the front cover say, it is both “Charming” and “Wise.” If you have someone who loves children’s books, this would be the perfect gift. My favorite quote in this book is: “It is not often someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both.” from Charlotte’s Web, by E.B.White.

Listen to This Inspiring Music Video

I recently ran across this wonderful music video that I'd love to share with you. It progressively adds talented musicians from around the world as they sing and play the famous song, "Stand By Me." It evolves from an initial solo to an inspiring worldwide chorus of music.

A few years ago filmmaker Mark Johnson had a simple idea - that music has the power to break down boundaries and overcome distances between people. That simple idea has evolved into the Playing for Change Foundation and seeks to unite musicians and bring people together while promoting peace. This video provides a sample of their work.

As I listened to this recording it suddenly struck me that this worldwide connection of musicians is, in many ways, similar to the worldwide connection between parents who are attempting to stand by their children and provide greater opportunities and better lives through Read Aloud and increased literacy skills.

I hope you enjoy this music. And perhaps it will strike a chord in your heart as it did in mine.

Simply click on the arrow in the center of the screen and adjust your volume.

Please Note: Depending on your Internet connection and download speed, you may experience brief pauses as this video plays. If this happens, try this:
1.) While the video is playing, position your cursor over the round button in the video control area (the button that slowly moves to the right as the video plays).
2.) Left-click your mouse and hold the mouse button down as you manually "slide" the video player button back to it's original "start" position.
3.) Release your mouse button and the video will start playing again automatically (this time, with a larger "buffer").