Read-Aloud Revival ®

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? What if you could fall in love with homeschooling your kids? In this episode, Sally Clarkson and I continue a conversation we started over on her podcast a few weeks ago. We discuss...

We need a drumroll today, because on the podcast we’re revealing all of our autumn picks for RAR Premium.  I’m also answering podcast listener Corrie’s question about how to preserve her son’s love of reading.  It’s easy to slip into schooly habits that kill our kids’ love of reading– so how can we help preserve our children’s love of reading even after the school year starts? Find the rest of the...

R ecently, I posted on social media about my oldest daughter becoming our first homeschool graduate. I’ll admit to being a proud mama. I think for a lot of us homeschooling our kids, we hear that it works, we are told colleges want homeschoolers–are actively seeking out homeschoolers–but we still are a little nervous. We wonder if we’ve prepared them well, if this grand homeschooling experiment is...

This week, I’m thrilled to chat with Greta Eskridge about how we can adventure with our kids – yes, even now! Greta Eskridge and I discuss how books can be the conduit for adventuring with your kids, no matter your circumstances or your resources. In this episode, you’ll hear: all about Greta’s new book, Adventuring Together how even small adventures can be impactful for our kids how to start in t...

Why read aloud to kids who can read themselves? It’s a fair question. Not many of us remember parents or teachers reading to us once we were old enough to read on our own. But the benefits of reading aloud to kids who are old enough to read themselves are numerous.  That’s what we’re tackling in this episode of the Read-Aloud Revival podcast. In this episode, you’ll hear: 5 major benefits to readi...

In today’s episode, I’m answering several of your questions about audio books for kids. Let’s talk favorite narrators, whether audio books hold you children back from learning to read on their own, and more. In this episode, you’ll hear: how to choose winning narrators whether it’s holding our kids back to let them listen to lots of audio how I handle books in a series whether or not to assign boo...

In today’s episode, I’m answering your questions – from reading to separate age groups and how to make time for that (!), to what to do if summer reading programs make your kids want to read LESS… In this episode, you’ll hear: when summer reading programs aren’t useful how to handle a drop in comprehension when kids start reading longer books ideas for easy chapter books how to make time for readi...

We know that we want our kids to love to read . And it’s important (really important!) to give them the best chance fall in love with books. That’s why so many of us get worried when we have a child who doesn’t love reading. It’s a valid worry.  What can be done about it?  On today’s episode of the podcast, I share ideas for what to do when your child doesn’t love reading. We can’t exactly make ou...

I n today’s episode, I’m joined by the woman who recently faced the daunting challenge of updating Jim Trelease’s much beloved Read-Aloud Handbook . Cyndi Giorgis takes us behind the scenes of updating The Read-Aloud Handbook , and some of the interesting (and most surprising!) bits what she learned during the process. In this episode, you’ll hear: what’s in the Read-Aloud Handbook ‘s whole new ch...

Being stuck at home is getting old fast, but finishing the school year doesn’t need to be a slog. We’ve heard you loud and clear: it’s really, really hard to concentrate on homeschooling right now.  And we all want to finish the school year strong, right?  On today’s episode of the Read-Aloud Revival podcast, I’m sharing something brand new that I am over-the-moon excited about: a workshop series...

When is a story worth telling? And why are the best stories in history seen through the lens of a single human being? We’re diving into those questions to day with one of the most talented and effervescent authors I know: Barb Rosenstock. I recommend every single one of Barb’s picture book biographies. Listen to this episode and you’ll know why. You’ll find links to her books at the bottom of this...

Did you know that when you plant bamboo, you will water it, protect it, nurture it…and nothing happens for 5 years? At least it looks like nothing is happening, because it’s all happening underground, where the bamboo is growing a complex root structure. But above ground? Nothin’. You’ve got to faithfully water and care for that plant for f-i-v-e years before you get any proof that you’re making a...

If you have a gifted, twice-exceptional, or advanced reader, this episode is for you. Today I’m chatting with Colleen Kessler of Raising Lifelong Leaners . A gifted specialist and mother of her own gifted and twice-exceptional kids, Colleen understands the challenges of connecting advanced readers with books… … and the challenges that arise when your advanced reader can read anything, but isn’t em...

I’ve got a brand new episode of the Read-Aloud Revival podcast for you, and it’s a good one.  In this episode, you’ll hear: Which 3 books I’d bring with me to a desert island 🏝 (it was torture to answer this listener question!) Whether or not we use reading curriculum at our house 🤓 (and what I recommend) The skinny on what we’re reading aloud this spring at RAR (our book choices are just 😍 – sc...

Math. . ..are your palms sweating yet? 😅 Yep, I know. But you’ve asked for books that will enrich and enliven math for your kids, and we took on the challenge.  In today’s episode, the Read-Aloud Revival team is talking about delighting and learning math together through great read-alouds. In this episode, you’ll hear: why you might want to add math read-alouds to your day how to add them in when...

In today’s episode of the Read-Aloud Revival, you’ll get to know why Louisa May Alcott, the author of Little Women , was such a wonder (and indeed, she was!).  And who could be a better guest for this conversation than Jan Turnquist?  Jan Turnquist is Executive Director of Orchard House , the home where Louisa wrote Little Women , and Co-Executive Producer, Director, and Host of the Emmy-Award Win...

I felt my brain waking up during this episode of the Read-Aloud Revival podcast.  My guest is Alan Jacobs, Distinguished Professor of Humanities in the Honors Program at Baylor University, and author of The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction (goodness, I *love* that book).  It was such a delight to have him on the show to talk about those “shoulds” that often trip us up as readers, pare...

I want to introduce you to a remarkable woman. She won two Caldecott Awards, illustrated more than 100 books during her career, raised four children, and lived life with unique zest and liveliness. You may recognize her illustrations in any of the following books, including my own favorite, Miss Rumphius , and one of her Caldecott winners, The Ox-Cart Man . Barbara Cooney was a gift to the world,...

That’s right … Kate DiCamillo is back! And what she has to say is so good, you might find yourself listening more than once. In this new episode, Kate and I chat about her newest book, Beverly, Right Here , and we also discuss why parents and teachers so often try to quantify what our kids are getting from books.  We have some ideas about how we could better help kids develop their own robust read...

Why re-read? This is a question we get a lot at RAR, and I’m not going to beat around the bush… I’m convinced there is a lot to gain from rereading. Today, I’m going to tell you why. If you have a child who re-reads the same book over and over, we’re going to talk about it. And if you or someone you love has recently read the same picture book to a little one every night for months, I’ve got some...

Poetry is beautiful, captivating and (for a lot of us) a little intimidating , right? Our goal with this episode is to show you how simple and delightful sharing poetry with your kids can be. My guest today says we can’t force poetry, but we can share it naturally… and that just might be the key to helping our kids develop a lifelong love.  If you want to help your kids fall in love with beautiful...

Is there a better way to nurture empathy and compassion than through books? That’s the question we address in this episode with special guest, Courtney Westlake .  Courtney’s daughter, Brenna, was born with a skin condition that makes her appear “different” to many people.  On today’s show, Courtney shares not just her family’s experience, but also how we can teach our kids kindness and understand...

Your local library or bookshop (if you’re lucky, both!) is likely filled with children’s books. Many are simply marvelous—the kind of books you don’t mind reading aloud over and over, and that you’re delighted to hand to your kids. Others? Not so much. So how do we decide which books to read with our kids?  How do we connect our kids with books they’ll love… especially when we haven’t read most of...

Graphic novels … they sometimes make us a little nervous, right? As parents, we worry if they have any value. In this episode of the Read-Aloud Revival podcast, I’m joined by the RAR Team, and we’re talking all things graphic novels.  Do they count as real reading? Will they make our kids lazy readers? And what about questionable content? In this episode, you’ll hear:  what’s happening in your chi...

I would be willing to bet that if you’re reading this, you’re hoping to raise kids who love reading. Think back for a second. Were the books you were assigned in school the same books you stayed up reading under the covers, late at night with a flashlight?  When you were done writing the book report or the essay, did you eagerly start the book over, only to dive back into the utter delight of losi...