Read-Aloud Revival ®

Here at the Read-Aloud Revival, we’ve been asked more times than I can count to create virtue-based book lists. And I always say no. Today, our Creative Director (and my eldest daughter) Audrey is back with me to talk about why we don’t make lists of books that specifically set out to teach kids about kindness, honesty, or other virtues.  The reality is, all good books have a powerful capacity to...

 When you think about the various work that goes into making a children’s book, research probably isn’t at the top of your list.  It might not make it on your list at all! But research is often an essential part of the process. And I can tell you from personal experience that research can be a time-intensive, sometimes overwhelming, but often the most delightful task.  Today on the show, we’re hea...

When I mention Shakespeare, a lot of people immediately conjure up visions of high school English class, struggling through Julius Caesar line by line. Which is an absolute shame, because Shakespeare’s plays are meant to be experienced–performed, seen, heard, felt.   And experiencing Shakespeare with your kids is truly one of the most joyful things you can do together. Today, I’m returning to my c...

How do we homeschool high school? It’s *the* question, isn’t it? A lot of us go into homeschooling ready and excited for the younger years. Then as high school approaches, things start to feel… a little more complicated. To say the least. Navigating difficult subjects, transcripts, college applications, and alternatives to college if that isn’t a good fit for your child can be intimidating. It’s n...

One of the very best ways to travel with your children is through books. Physically travelling as a family isn’t always possible for a variety of reasons, but by reading with our kids, we give them the gift of windows into unfamiliar worlds. Stories develop empathy and invite us to engage with another’s experiences in ways that can even go deeper than visiting a place in real life.  Today, RAR’s C...

 What would happen if you decided to be your child's mentor rather than their teacher?  What if you awakened their wonder and curiosity so that they became the kind of people who thirst for knowledge and understanding? Today, I’m revisiting a conversation about those very questions that I had a few years ago with Sally Clarkson. I’m lucky to count Sally as a dear friend and I know that her work ha...

What is your calling in life?  For poet, songwriter, and academic, Malcolm Guite, it’s unequivocally clear–to be a storyteller.  Today on the podcast Audrey and I chat with Malcolm about the first volume in his new retelling of the classic King Arthur stories, Galahad and the Grail, illustrated by the incredible Stephen Crotts and published by our friends over at Rabbit Room Press.  Not only is Ma...

Learning to read can be hard. And when our kids are still learning to read fluently and well, helping them fall in love with books can feel impossible. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Today on the show, I’m sharing some strategies to help hook your developing reader. And of course, I have some suggestions for books that they won’t be able to resist. In this episode, you’ll hear:  Why helping y...

We all want to build those meaningful and lasting connections with our kids.  Around here, we’re usually talking about doing that through books and reading aloud. But how do we extend these connections into our everyday, ordinary parenting moments?   Today, I’m talking to one of my favorite people to listen to when it comes to relationships. Dr Matthew Breuninger is a clinical psychologist and aut...

Today, we’re revisiting a listener-favorite episode that has some advice and an activity that I think are perfect for this time of year in our homeschools. Jon Acuff, author of All It Takes Is a Goal, joined me a while back for a perspective-shifting conversation about setting and achieving goals for our homeschools, and how looking back at our best moments, from major milestones to pockets of joy...

We talk a lot around here about the incredible impact stories have on our kids. They build empathy and connection, letting us walk a mile in another’s shoes. And some stories also help us see what it looks like to be brave and courageous, even in the face of fear or daunting challenges. Today, Audrey is back to talk with me about how stories inspire courage in our kids and ourselves and can connec...

Why do we read aloud to our kids? Especially those who can read to themselves?  This is a topic that comes up all the time at Read-Aloud Revival and it’s one I’m super passionate about. It’s foundational to what we do around here and I firmly believe it’s vital to our kids becoming lifelong readers.  In this episode, we’re talking about the impact reading aloud has on our children, regardless of t...

Today’s episode is a special treat featuring the return of a listener-favorite guest who happens to be one of my favorite people, too. 😉 Back on episode 209, my eldest daughter, Audrey joined me to share her perspective on what it was like growing up in our bustling homeschool family. Ever since that episode aired, listeners have asked for updates on what she’s up to and how she’s doing. Suffice...

If I were to ask you if your life ever felt tranquil , you would probably do one of two things: bust out laughing or look at me like I was from another planet. I get it, I really do.  Which is why I’m so excited to have the author of one of my absolute tippy-top recommended books with me today. Laura Vanderkam is a time management expert, mother of five, and the author of Tranquility by Tuesday: 9...

What if I told you there’s an Icelandic Christmas tradition where the whole point is to spend an evening sitting around, sipping hot cocoa, and reading books? Sign me up, right? Today, we’re talking about Jolabokaflod, which loosely translates to “Yule Book Flood,” how it started, and how you can bring the magic of this bookish tradition into your home this Christmas. In this episode, you’ll hear:...

We all know there is no shortage of Christmas picture books out there.  But for a book to make it onto my kids’ Christmas stack or onto a Read Aloud Revival Christmas Book List, it has to be excellent .  And the books we choose for Christmas School? Those are the ones that go above and beyond excellent and are some of our most treasured, tippy-top favorite Christmas read-alouds. Today, I have the...

Hey hey, it's Sarah Mackenzie! I am here with a bonus episode. I host another podcast — it's called Circle with Sarah— and it's a short, weekly podcast that helps all of us become the peace-filled, joyful mamas we're called to be. It goes up at RAR Premium every Monday during the school year.  Recently, I recorded an episode for that podcast called "God is Not Disappointed in You." And not only di...

Have you ever worried that you’re not meeting all of your child’s needs—academically, emotionally, spiritually, or even socially? Pretty much every day, right?  You’re not alone. Most of us have asked ourselves if we are giving our kids everything they need at one time or another. In this episode, I’m sharing a replay from one of our Circle with Sarah live sessions where RAR Community Manager Kels...

Many of you will already know that I am a huge fan of The Chronicles of Narnia. Today, I want to introduce my fellow Narnia lovers to a new book that jumped right off the shelf as soon as I saw it.  Giant is a middle-grade novel by debut author Judith McQuoid where we meet Davy, a fictional working class boy from East Belfast, Ireland who is sent to work in the wealthy Lewis household in 1908. The...

Astrid Sheckels continues the wit and whimsy of childhood through her marvelous and magnificent illustrations and storytelling.  You might recognize her from the Hector Fox and Friends series or Sea Dog and Sea Dog Rescue , and she created the gorgeous cover and interior illustrations for Beyond Mulberry Glen by Millie Florence.  Today we’re chatting about her new book, Flora and the Jazzers, whic...

Peace. It sounds lovely, right? It’s what so many of us want more than anything else in our homeschools. We long for peace, even if it often feels unattainable. But what does peace actually look like in the midst of a real, chaotic homeschool day? Last month in Circle with Sarah–my mentoring program for homeschool moms inside RAR Premium–we had a retreat. And our theme? Maintaining Peace in Your H...

What does having a happy homeschool mean to you ?  How would you describe it? What would you be doing? Our homeschools are all unique. We have different kids, different spouses, different resources, different homes, different demands on our time and energy. And yet I have a hunch that when we think about what having a happy homeschool means, our answers would be remarkably similar. As many of us a...

Today, I have a very special treat for you! This spring, our publishing imprint here at RAR, Waxwing Books, celebrated the release of Painting Wonder: How Pauline Baynes Illustrated the Worlds of C. S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien at one of my favorite bookstores, Fabled Bookshop in Waco, Texas. I had so much fun talking to Painting Wonder’s incredibly talented author and illustrator, Katie Wray Schon...

One of the all-time most useful things I’ve implemented in my homeschool is Quiet Reading Time. I did Quiet Reading Time with my three eldest kids, who are now in college and beyond, during the most hectic years when I had all six at home (three of whom were babies at the time!), and I still do it with those younger three today. It has made a bigger difference in our homeschool than almost anythin...

Summer break . . . It’s often not much of a break, right? Even if you find yourself with a little less on your plate, anxiety and second-guessing have a way of filling the gaps where we want rest and relaxation to fill. To find peace that lasts throughout the school year, we can’t just “take a break.”  We need to break free from the stories and fears that keep us mired in anxiety. When homeschooli...