For Reading Out Loud!

While most people acknowledge the need to read aloud to young children, many do not realize how beneficial it is to continue to share books after children can read on their own. Beginning readers are able to understand more complex stories than they are able to read independently. By reading aloud, you provide motivation for them to develop fluency. You expose them to varied styles of language, good grammar, and rich vocabulary. You help them increase their attention spans and develop critical thinking skills. And, most importantly, you condition them to associate reading with pleasure.

We need to teach children to want to read as well as how to read. Following are some recommended titles suitable for sharing with children of mixed ages. Be sure to ask your librarian for help finding these and other books FOR READING OUT LOUD!

Selected novels to read to elementary school-aged children

Mr. Popper's Penguins
by Richard and Florence Atwater; illustrations by Robert Lawson
A house painter's life is altered by the delivery of a crate containing an Antarctic penguin.

Poppy
by Avi; illustrated by Brian Floca
Poppy the deer mouse urges her family to move next to a field of corn big enough to feed them all forever, but Mr. Ocax, a terrifying owl, has other ideas.

The Stories Julian Tells
by Ann Cameron; illustrated by Ann Strugnell
Julian's stories are full of imagination, but his father outdoes him every time. This is the first of several books about Julian.

Ralph S. Mouse
by Beverly Cleary; illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky
Ralph experiences school in this sequel to The Mouse and the Motorcycle and Runaway Ralph.

Frindle
by Andrew Clements; illustrated by Brian Selznick
When he decides to turn his fifth grade teacher's love of the dictionary around on her, clever Nick Allen invents a new word and begins a chain of events that quickly moves beyond his control.

Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher
by Bruce Coville; illustrated by Gary A. Lippincott
Jeremy is surprised when a dragon hatches from the egg he purchased at the magic shop.

The Adventures of Ali Baba Bernstein
by Joanna Hurwitz; illustrated by Gail Owens
Hoping that his life will become more exciting, eight-year-old David Bernstein changes his name to Ali Baba Bernstein.

Harriet's Hare
by Dick King-Smith; illustrated by Roger Roth
An alien hare visits eight-year-old Harriet, bringing changes to her English farm life.

Song Lee and the Hamster Hunt
by Suzy Kline
Song Lee and her classmates launch a search when her hamster escapes from his cage in this installment of the adventures of Room 2B.

Rabbit Hill
by Robert Lawson
Hoping for a garden to supplement their food supply, the animals rejoice when people move into the vacant house.

In The Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson
by Bette Bao Lord; illustrations by Marc Simont
A Chinese girl who immigrates to the United States in 1947 learns to appreciate American culture.

Seven Spiders Spinning
by Gregory Maguire; illustrated by Dirk Zimmer
Seven prehistoric spiders are accidentally released when the ice around them melts, and the first seven girls they see unknowingly become their targets.

The Cricket in Times Square
by George Selden; drawings by Garth Williams
When Chester, a Connecticut cricket, is found in Times Square, he is befriended by a young boy and his parents as well as by a mouse named Tucker and a cat named Harry.

Lily and Miss Liberty
by Carla Stevens; illustrated by Deborah Kogan Ray
A young girl's entrepreneurial talent contributes to the fundraising for the Statue of Liberty's pedestal.

The Friendship
by Mildred D. Taylor; pictures by Max Ginsburg
An elderly black man's courage when confronting a white storekeeper in rural Mississippi in the 1930s is witnessed by Cassie Logan and her three brothers. This is one of several noteworthy books about Cassie's family.

Charlotte's Web
by E. B. White; pictures by Garth Williams
Fern's pet pig, Wilbur, and Charlotte, Wilbur's spider friend, cause a sensation in the barnyard and at the fair.

Scooter
by Vera B. Williams
Childlike drawings and word games add to the appeal of this contemporary story about a young girl's summer in an urban housing project.

Later, Gator
by Laurence Yep
When Teddy buys his younger brother an alligator for his birthday, the brothers' relationship changes.