Family Read Alouds {Summer 2022, age 7 & 9}

In this season with a needy infant (hello there, four month sleep regression and cutting 4 teeth in 5 months!), I am grateful for audiobooks and a parenting partner who enjoys reading to our kids! We managed to squeeze in some “traditional” read aloud time, but it definitely looks different now– sneaking in a few pages here and there, while the baby’s momentarily content. It’s worth the effort though, as read aloud time always provides a bonding time and my big boys love it.

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Books

Clementine by Sara Pennypacker. We read this in two sittings (130 pages)! It was so fun laughing out loud with my kids to Clementine’s antics. A perfect, light, summer read. And a nice message for “out of the box” kids ❤️

The Way of the Warrior Kid by Jocko Willink . I read the first few chapters to the kids, and then my husband took over. They read a chapter each night before bed, and it was a great bonding time for them… my husband liked the character that it inspired: diligence, perseverance, healthfulness.

Home Again (Heartwood Hotel series) by Kallie George. The final installment in the series (though they do not need to be read in order as the author explains context for references to other books’ events), this one takes place in the summertime. While reading one day, my 7yo exclaimed, “I just think authors shouldn’t be ALLOWED to write cliff hanger chapters!” And so we had a hard time putting this down. The endearing protagonist, Mona the Mouse, once again shows bravery and kindness in this installment that follows the danger a fire brings to the Heartwood Hotel’s tree. This is on my seasonal list of favorites for Summertime!

Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George. My older boy is a huge fan of the author (completely obsessed with the My Side of the Mountain trilogy!), so I pulled this one to try. It is quite heavy with some serious themes (I was glad I was reading this aloud and hadn’t handed it to my strong reader to read independently as I did edit out one scene in particular while I was reading, and just felt glad to walk through this alongside of my kids). That said, the kids have really gotten into it and we’ve had some interesting conversations. We’ve been comparing the writing and the plot of this book to the My Side trilogy. We have a much greater appreciation for wolves’ pack behaviors and the culture of arctic peoples.

Audiobooks

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo. I’m really struggling with the fact that this book is 22 years old as it seems like yesterday it was a “new release”! Ack! But anyhow, it’s as heartwarming now as it was then. Kate DiCamillo is a master, and her writing is so rich and deeply crafted, with much to mine. Her characterization is stand-out, and we just adored the charming narrator, India Opal Buloni. The author doesn’t shy away from difficult topics but handles them with such tenderness and age appropriateness to her audience (loss, poverty, loneliness, mental illness, incarceration). Listening on audiobook to Cherry Jones’ narration was perfection! (Cherry Jones famously narrated the Little House series).

Clementine (series). After reading aloud the first in the series, the kids devoured the rest of the series on audiobook (free on the Hoopla Digital app that our library subscribes to). I didn’t love Clementine’s Letter (some weird, unnecessary humor that maybe my kids didn’t get, but nonetheless I didn’t appreciate it.)

Winnie the Pooh: Pooh Goes Visiting (Dramatized). Some of our friends starred in a summer drama camp production of Pooh, and it inspired us to re-listen to some of our favorites. I loved how much more laughter I heard from my kids as they listened with a bit more understanding of the humor this time around (I think we’ve read the entirety of the Pooh volumes at least 3-4 times over the years. They never disappoint.)

Swallows and Amazons series. My kids continue to be obsessed with this series and both re-listen and re-read these over and over. The series has also inspired so much dramatic play. They’ve been creating sailboats (alongside of forts) both indoors and out, and they’ve asked to learn semaphore signaling! Love those rabbit trails!

Podcasts

We turned to some podcasts after completing these audiobooks. My kids have become obsessed with The Past and the Curious history podcast! They’re wowing me with a lot of very interesting historical facts, too 🙂

We also tuned in to a few episodes of Brains On! Science Podcast. 

What have you been reading (or listening, as it may be) to lately? Connect with me in the comments below or find me on social media: instagram / facebook.