Favorite Family Read Aloud Books
There’s no simple way to rank the Top Picks of our family read alouds for the year. But we tried! On New Year’s Eve we reminisced over the books we’ve read the last 12 months. I printed my seasonal book logs (if you’ve missed them, I post every few months a list with descriptions of the books we’ve read and audiobooks we’ve listened to). From the list, I allowed the kids to circle their favorites… and that brought us to the top 28. LOL. After several rounds of discussion and comparison, I present to you our hard-fought Top Picks:
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Agreed By Everyone:
The Wilderking (series) by Jonathan Rogers. I can’t say enough wonderful things about this series! It was pitch perfect- the narration combined with the sweeping tale of adventure and bravery and heroism. My boys could NOT get enough. They were plotting errands we could do in the car just to listen to more chapters! (Not an easy feat in semi-quarantine world we were in at the time.) It is loosely a retelling of King David as a shepherd boy/Goliath-fighter, but without being heavy handed or literal. Instead, the story highlights the heart of the young hero- his devotion to his faith and to his country which lead him to follow the advice: “live the life that unfolds before you; love goodness more than you fear evil.” I do recommend listening to this on audio, narrated by the author with the perfect Southern accent. Incidentally, this series also appears on my hubby’s personal list of favorite books of the year. I so love that a children’s series appears on this very weighty and intellectual list of titles 🙂
Toaff’s Way by Cynthia Voigt. This book has the most inviting autumnal cover, but it is told through the entirety of a year, following the adventures of gray squirrel Toaff. It’s not sentimentalized– it shows the harshness of the natural world, but in a way that is palatable to even my sensitive one. We see the challenges that creatures have to survive, how they interact with their environment and each other, how the seasons impact them. Characters come in and out of view frequently, with Toaff the only steady player. There is much room for inference skill practice as we read the clues described in squirrel point of view, and interpret what he’s talking about: describing the humans and animals of the farm/forest, the “machines” like cars, lawn mowers, chain saws. Our favorite was the description of the human “taking off his orange head” (helmet). All in all, a beautiful read for nature minded kiddos. It’s taken us probably a month to read through this- 260 pages with very infrequent illustrations, primarily at the start of each season.
The Wild Robot (series) by Peter Brown. My kids INHALED these! I am 100% shocked by this considering how sensitive my kids are (particularly my older). This series would not be a good match for sensitive readers but apparently mine were okay based on an unknown algorithm that I wish I could figure out. Anyhow, the series is an odd mix of technology and nature survival. Roz was the most likeable heroine and we loved cheering her on through each chapter.
The Nutcracker Mice by Kristin Kladsrup. We adored this! My 6yo in particular is obsessed with the Nutcracker, and he’s been asking so many questions about the “backstory” of the mice… So, this story was a treat for him! We enjoyed the imaginative plot as well as the creative reworking of the Nutcracker ballet which made the mice the good guys. We all wished we could watch the alternate story as a ballet in person!
Morning by Philip & Erin Ulrich. I began reading this series to my firstborn several years ago, before my secondborn was old enough to attend to a long chapter book with no illustrations. He is now 5 and joined us for this third installment… and he LOVED it. While in the middle of reading it, he repeatedly asked if we could go back and start at the first book immediately when we completed the third. This is a sweet series- an adventure/wilderness survival story with a 3-book arc but each each stands on its own. One aspect that I especially appreciate is that there are no “bad guys” but instead the characters show teamwork and perseverance against incredible obstacles, demonstrating self-sacrifice at each step. This is not always easy to find, and it’s just what my sensitive bookworms need. It does have longer descriptive passages so it requires some listening stamina.
Vanderbeekers (series) by Karina Yan Glaser. *We read the first in the series, The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street, the previous year.) The Vanderbeekers are the family you want to move in with, or at least visit quite frequently. The characters are so vivid, the family so real and endearing. Note- These books have less “elevated language” than some, with characters describing how a circumstance “sucks” or “blows,” some “stupid” name calling and the like. I found the stories to warrant reading as those instances weren’t constant, but more sensitive readers might want to give pause. The final book in the series deals with some difficult topics, including grief, homelessness, and foster care, but in typical fashion all is handled beautifully– without leaving readers despairing. I am grateful for this deeper dive to open my kids’ hearts to these topics they will have to grapple with in time.
Additional By the 5 Year Old Bookworm:
Winnie’s Great War
Where Are You Going, Baby Lincoln?
Additional By the 7 Year Old Bookworm:
My Side of the Mountain
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
Charlotte’s Web
The Adventures of Geraldine Woolkins
I hope you’ve found some ideas to add to your TBR list! My kids do have wonderful taste in books 🙂 What were your favorite books of the year?? Share with me in the comments below, or connect with me on my instagram or facebook accounts.
