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Reading Lesson: Roaring Good Reads

No lions here, just mice, wombats, bears, pirates and more great characters to enjoy in read-alouds

No teacher needs to be reminded of the benefits of reading aloud – kids practice listening skills, aural vocabulary is boosted, we give kids a positive reading experience and we get the delight of sharing an exciting text! Here are books – both old and new – that are terrific for reading aloud.

A determined dresser

Margaret Chodos-Irvine, whose colorful prints illustrated Janet S. Wong’s Apple Pie Fourth of July (Har- court, 2002, ISBN: 0-152-02543-X) and Buzz (Harcourt, 2000, ISBN: 0-152-01923-5) now presents a book of her own: the charming Ella Sarah Gets Dressed (Harcourt, 2003, 0-1521-6413-8).

Ella Sarah, a determined preschooler, strides across the dedication page of the book, dragging her red stuffed cat behind her. Chodos-Irvine’s simple language speaks volumes – developmentally – to preschoolers. “One morning, Ella Sarah got up and said, ‘I want to wear my pink polka-dot pants, my dress with orange-and-green flowers, my purple-and-blue striped socks, my yellow shoes, and my red hat.’” So begins a struggle for autonomy that preschoolers and their caregivers will find familiar.

Watch the birdie

Also for pre-schoolers is Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! from first-time author and illustrator Mo Willems (Hyperion, 2003, ISBN: 0-7868-1988-X). This quirky read-aloud opens with a pigeon dreaming of driving a bus. The bus driver tells the readers, “Don’t let the pigeon drive the bus.” The next 13 pages show the pigeon begging, pleading, lying and bribing in the hope of getting his wish. When I read it aloud, the students fell all over themselves laughing and begged to hear it again. book cover for Jackie French’s Diary of a Wombat

The land down under

Jackie French’s Diary of a Wombat (Clarion, 2003, ISBN: 0-618-38136-8) is a delightful read with adorable illustrations by Bruce Whatley. Wombats are cuddly-looking, slow-moving Australian animals, and this daily account of activities – including manipulating humans to produce treats on demand – is told from the wombat’s point of view. Students can keep a diary of a classroom pet’s activities, explore the behavior of local mammals such as squirrels and compare our daily activities with theirs.

A chiming classic

Now in a paperback edition is the classic action tale We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury (Aladdin, 2003, ISBN: 0-689-85349-1). It won’t take long for very young children to chime in with the storyteller, “We’re going on a bear hunt, we’re going to catch a big one, we’re not scared.”

No landlubbers allowed

For students just a bit older, celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day on September 19th by reading aloud Melinda Long’s How I Became a Pirate (Harcourt, 2003, ISBN: 0-152-01848-4). While playing on the beach, Jeremy jumps at the chance to join Braid Beard’s crew. He buries treasure, sings sea chanteys and hollers just like the rest of the pirates. The fun illustrations by David Shannon (author of Duck on a Bike [Scholastic, 2002, ISBN: 0-439-05023-5]) help to make this book a roaring good read. book cover for The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread

A mouse’s tale

Kate DiCamillo, author of Because of Winn-Dixie (Candlewick, 2001, ISBN: 0-763-61605-2), has given us another good read: The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread, illustrated in pencil by Timothy Basil Ering (Candlewick, 2003, ISBN: 0-763-61722-9).

Despereaux is a disappointment to the other mice in his family. He doesn’t scurry for crumbs like a normal mouse does. He’s distracted by sounds, the light from a stained-glass window and words that spell out “once upon a time.” This allegory of the importance of faith and courage is told in 52 short chapters. Invite students to make trading cards of the characters; students can draw a character on one side of a card, then write a few sentences about the character on the other side.

Strong voices

For ages eleven and up, The Goblin Wood by Hilari Bell (Harper/Eos, 2003, ISBN: 0-060-51371-3) is a fantasy in two voices. Both characters, male and female, are strong. This riveting adventure tale can lead to class discussions of vital topics such as the ethics of war, revenge, the role of religion in society and government, and loyalty to friends.

More resources

For more read-aloud suggestions, try the newly-revised 2003 edition of Books to Read Aloud to Children of All Ages, selected by the Children’s Book Committee at Bank Street College and edited by Ellen Loughran. This list, arranged by age, contains almost 400 titles with plot summaries. You can order the guide at www.bankstreet.edu.

Courtesy of © 2007, YellowBrix, Inc.

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