I went to Elle’s class yesterday and read a few books. The kids treated me like a Rock Star. They mobbed me and were so happy I was there. I offered to sing and dance but Elle had her own thoughts about that!
I would like to go to the girls’ classes and read at least once a year, however, Elle is my only daughter who actually wants me in the classroom at this point, so I run with it and enjoy it while it lasts!
I asked a lot of questions of the kids and the nice round circle on the floor ended up being pile of kids telling me stories of hitting deer with cars and brothers who are weird. At the end I gave them each a sticker I had made on Etsy. In the spirit of Star Wars’ Yoda it said.”Read You Will.” They wore the stickers and put them on folders. One six year old told me that he was going to name his band “Read You Will”! I hope I get free tickets to his gigs…
Anyway, here are my suggestions when reading to your young child’s class:
1) Have at least three books. Time flies when you are the star of the show.
2) Ask your child to pick out at least one of the books so you know you have one hit (for me, Star Wars was the hit)
3) Go for the illustrations and make sure every child can see the pictures before turning the page.
4) Be comfortable. I love sitting on the floor so that is how I tend to read to classes. Reading from a stool, however, can help keep the kids in line as you seem the authority figure and it also helps all the kids to see the pictures.
5) If you ask them questions about the book be prepared to listen to the answersand to cut off some of the very long stories. “Let’s talk about that after the book.” usually works and they forget most of the time what they were going to say! If you don’t want to be interrupted don’t ask questions. I love to ask them things like, ” What is the spider doing on this page?” or ” Have you ever seen a frozen water fall?” It gets them engaged into the story and the art.
6) I always start out by reading the title, author and illustrator. I like giving credit where credit is due and it also helps children learn the dynamics of books.
7) To be super popular, let the kids vote on what order of books you are going to read.
8) Don’t be afraid to pick a book that they would not pick themselves. I love picking out one that has rich words, descriptions and artwork in it. Winter Waits(see below) was my favorite choice and the kids were so quiet when I read it. They commented on the illustrations and were soothed.
I read the following books:
Star Wars: Heros
Not much to say about this book other than it will thrill all Star Wars fans as it has colorful pictures and is a hardy board-book!
Winter Waitsby Lynn Plourde, illustrated by Greg Couch
This book is apart of a series featuring every season, Wild Child, Spring’s Sprung and Summer’s Vacation. All of the books have the most amazing artwork and the words are golden. I just love reading lines like the following out-loud:
“He snizzes and snips lacy designs. Sprools and sprinkles them on meadows and pines.”
Each Living Thing by Joanne Ryder, illustrated by Ashley Wolff
This book has great pictures of all types of animals and emphasises that we need to watch out for animals and not mess with them. This led to a discussion on appreciating nature without disturbing it.
Claire and the Unicorn Happy Ever Afterby Susan Mitchell, illustrated by B.G. Hennessy
I accidentally left this book at home and did not read it to the class. Elle and I have read it and feel it deserves a shout out because it is so fun and incorporates several fairy tales into a modern day practical thought. And it is Unicorn, sorry about the bad picture!
I encourage you to try reading to your kids, even if you are comfortable with reading aloud. Practice helps a lot and your kids don’t expect you to have the oratory power of James Earl Jones. Although that would be awesome to read Star Wars with his voice!
What books do you like reading aloud from?
Here is the proof of the stickers I brought for the kids: 
Disclosure: All the pictures above I took of the books that I have in our home library or from our public library except for Star Wars. That picture is linked to Scholastic books, one of my favorite places to shop. I received no compensation for these reviews and was not asked to review them.
Poetry for Young People: Maya Angelou is a compilation of poems written by the famous poet and edited by Edwin Graves Wilson, Ph.D. The illustrator is Jerome Lagarrigue. The name Mayo Angelou is why I picked up this book, but the artwork is so amazing I would have bought it for the pictures alone.
I love to read. I would read all day long if that was possible. I have been know to digest a 600 page book in a day with no problems.
