(This post is free for all subscribers today. I like to do that with open threads, because it’s always more fun with more people.)
Possibly as a product of all the traveling I’ve had to do for work this summer, my 5yo has seemingly reverted to toddler levels of obsession with reading. “Can we read? Mama, can we read?,” the constant refrain that inspired the title of this newsletter, which I began writing when she was three, has reappeared at full throttle.
And after years of agonizing over my eldest child learning to read — if you’ve been here for awhile, you’re familiar with this; if this sounds like something you’d like to hear about, I poured my little heart out in issue No. 42 — I don’t have to worry anymore. She’s 8yo, starting 3rd grade next week, and she can read. She is reading. (That’s her basket of current reads, between her rocking chair and her bed, above.) Thank all the ancestors and all the angels 🙏 It took so, so long to get here.
We are reading more than ever — at breakfast and when we all get home from the day and again at bedtime, picture books and poetry and chapter books, with immense pleasure in all of it. (Sometimes I intentionally stop myself in the moment to be fully present, to recognize that this might be the golden age of our reading life together, and to feel the full force of my gratitude wash over me.)
Back in January, I said my family reading goals and dreams for 2022 were to increase our before-bed reading time by 15 minutes, incorporate some American Sign Language learning books, and read my kids L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. On this, the first day of Virgo season (do I even need to tell you that I’m a Virgo?), I’m assessing my progress, or lack thereof, on those goals:
✅ We have definitely increased our before-bed reading time. We’re up to about 40 minutes — two picture books followed by at least one chapter of a chapter book. (My youngest has a hard time stopping and frequently starts screaming when we have to leave off. See: Ronia, the Robber’s Daughter; Ariki and the Giant Shark; Winnie-the-Pooh.)
❌ I have not incorporated any ASL books beyond providing some practical guides for children (the best of these, surprisingly, is a dated book from 1985 called Sesame Street Sign Language ABC with Linda Bove). BUT, I enrolled both my children in an online ASL class, which they are enjoying immensely, so maybe this wasn’t a total fail?
✅ We did read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and absolutely loved it; highly recommend. (In that January thread, someone mentioned all the decapitations, and yes, they are definitely there — but my children have actively participated in the cleaning of fish and processing of deer all their lives, so what might seem gruesome to some people just isn’t to us. I did not find any aspect of the book to be gratuitously violent, and contrary to the common opinion that the movie is better, found the narrative that was left out of the film to be some of the most enjoyable parts.)
Between now and the end of the year, I want to focus on bringing back our poetry teatimes. We used to do them all the time and haven’t in far too long. I need to set a goal to make it happen, so my goal is three poetry teatimes between September and December.
How is your family’s reading life changing? And, what’s one thing you want to focus on between now and the end of the year?
Big changes here on some fronts! My older kid has grown so much in his ability to read for enjoyment (ie not to struggle too much to find it enjoyable) and he reads a lot now, especially in the car. I don't really get how he can read IN THE CAR but a 20+ minute drive is one of his favorite places/times to settle in with a book, so whatever! He is still pretty intimidated by walls of text, and naturally gravitates towards graphic novel-style books, but that doesn't really bother me.
My younger kid is still pretty antsy and restless at reading times, but is able to mostly stay calm through a chapter of a bedtime book. It definitely has to be picture-driven and geared towards his interests in general - he is LOVING Zita the Spacegirl right now, which I don't mind doing as a read-aloud because I feel like there's enough subtext and outer-space un-reality stuff that my older kid would struggle to keep up if he were reading it on his own. We also read The Wizard of Oz this summer, and I was surprised by how much they loved it!
We are moving to a new home soon, and the boys will have separate bedrooms! I'm hoping to use the new environment to make a few changes to our bedtime/sleeping routines in general and one of those changes is, I want to read separately to each kid. I would like to read picture books to my 5-year old while my older kid draws in his room (his primary calming activity) and then leave and read a chapter of a more complex book to my older kid, something we can experience together. I cherished the times my mother read just to me, as a kid, and the difficulty in giving that to my children has long been a source of grief for me. I'm hoping that the new bedroom situation, calming space of his own, etc, helps my 5-year old become better at just laying quietly on his own for a bit, even if I have to go back in after reading a chapter with my 8-year old.
Ally, you've mentioned your situation before... I'd love to hear if/how you're able to adapt in your new home and how it all goes. Good luck!
(I was a big car-reader as a kid. Your description of your son reminded me that I pretty much missed my brother's second wedding reception in Rhode Island because I was in the backseat of the car the entire time, moving vehicle and otherwise, reading the 5th Harry Potter. I was 19, but it still counts... 😂)
I'm trying to formulate intentions without expectations! We are excited to all have a little delineated space from each other (after spending years, plus pandemic years, in a house with shared kid bedrooms and a fully open-plan first floor, hahaha).
"Intentions with expectations" -- I love that. I also think it's wise. It, whatever "it" is, never ends up looking the way we think it's going to look or being the way we think it's going to be. I wonder if you might involve the kids... ask *them* what they envision for this new phase in your reading life (and home life in general).
I've started using car time as a good way to offer independent book time to my littles and they love it (especially the 25 minute car ride to grandma's two or three times a week)!
It makes me so happy! I always got carsick reading in a car so I never thought of it as a good option, but suddenly I'm like, "Wow! Look at all this great calm reading time!!!"
YES. I've had a basket of books in the car from the time my babies could hang onto board books... it made for many peaceful times that might not have been otherwise.
I'm in a new-to-me phase of life where my teen doesn't read very much. We went from a rhythm much like yours - reading before school, after dinner, before bed, having audio books on constantly - and now they are in the world of texting with friends and living online. I didn't think it would happen to us, and here we are. I keep reading a few pages before work and each evening, so I hope my kid seeing me continuing to read will remind them that We Are a Reading Family.
This happened to me, too. I mean, my mom and I had a really vibrant reading life, and then when I got to be a tween and teen, we stopped reading together for various reasons, and I certainly didn't read as much as my own. (This was before cell phones and the internet, but I spent a lot of time talking on the phone and in the bathtub and sleeping.) And in college, other than what I needed to read for my schoolwork, forget it.
What I can say is that the foundation remained. I became a voracious reader again in my early 20s. And from what I know about your home and reading life, outside of your comment here, you ARE a Reading Family, and C will take that with them into adulthood, even if they're setting it aside right now.
This gives me a sense of calm. I also need to remind myself (parents need constant reminders) that having them participate in plays is reading. Everything is reading. xoxo
Omg yes! SHAKESPEARE, Marlena! What an incredibly rich gift -- the richest, really. And all that memorizing. So good for the brain (at any age). Don't despair -- they're doing great, you're doing great.
Marlena, my son survived his teens as a reader. I read him a short passage from Dickens, just for fun, and was astonished to learn he missed being read to. So we started again. I also continued to take him to history museums (one of my passions) and that helped give him something to read about. A lot of YA books aren't fir everyone, and nonfiction and literary classics can appeal at this age. So do books you call inappropriate, and then leave lying around...
Thanks, Annette. I'm hoping we can find a shared podcast or *something.* And will all things Parenthood, I'll be surprised with whatever happens next - xoxo
Teenagers want us to stay in their lives, even (and especially) when it doesn't seem like they do. Podcasts in the car when he's a captive audience? Not aimed at him, of course....
We’re just starting to learn to read here. My goal is just to make it enjoyable and not overwhelming for her to learn and for me to teach her. The stress is real.
The stress is REAL. I think keeping it light and enjoyable is absolutely the right tack to take. Our situation was complicated by the fact that we were homeschooling -- so I had to balance genuine reading instruction with keeping the love of reading alive, and I was atrocious at the former. Also, kids learn to read on their own timeline, which varies wildly, and it doesn't help that we are obsessed, as a culture, with pushing reading from a very early age (don't even get me started).
If you ever want to talk more, let's! (You can reach me at canweread@substack.com or hit reply on any post.)
I have two littles (two and four), so they aren't actually reading yet - haha... but we are big book lovers at our home. My four year old pretends to read them out loud (adorable!) and my two year old (who has some developmental delays) has finally started to love books as much as his big sister (hallelujah!). Our daily routines have changed a lot lately and will change again soon when my four year old starts pre-school, so I've gotten away from intentional reading times (besides at bed time - that one never changes!). So I'd really like to refocus on getting that intentional book time in at certain points during our day. Trying to be flexible as things change but committed to getting it in!
Pretending to read out loud is absolutely a pre-reading skill, so your older one is well on their way!
Good for you for sticking with bedtime reading even though your routine is changing... it's hard to keep a steady rhythm (and that doesn't just apply to reading), so the best we can do is accept that things will only stay the same for a few months at a time, and keep adapting. You're doing a great job, Amy!
This has been on my mind, so I'm glad you brought it up. My son is 7 and a precocious reader. There's always been a bit of a disconnect between his reading abilities and his developmental stage, with him preferring books that are meant for older kids. We seem to be hitting a particular pain point as he transitions from early reader chapter books to middle grade novels. There's a big developmental difference between an 8 year old and a 12 year old! We've had to stop reading some books because they were too mature in terms of content or language. We've been working with our local bookstore to try to find some more appropriate books for younger middle-grade readers, but it's a challenge. I'm really interested to hear if anyone has any specific book recommendations for this transition.
This is definitely a challenge and one you're not alone in experiencing. I'm interested to hear if anyone else has recommendations or advice. (In the meantime, I know I have information about this somewhere -- something someone else, or multiple someone else's, wrote addressing this. I will dig it up and post it here/send it your way.)
I couldn't find the info I thought I'd seen elsewhere... I will keep an eye out for it.
I know you said (over in your own thread today) that he likes Harry Potter and fantasy has worked well. Here are a few suggestions for books to try with him, based on those preferences:
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (and its two follow-ups) by Grace Lin -- I am a huge fan of this book and the trilogy as a whole; it's so excellent.
Tuesdays at the Castle (first in a series) by Jessica Day George
Half Magic (first in a series) by Edward Eager
The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Edwards
Beyond the Pawpaw Trees (first in a series) by Palmer Brown
And perhaps some good old Brothers Grimm? The original stories are fantastical and much more complex and fascinating than we give them credit for. (I think 8yo is a sweet spot for them, too, and have wide appeal.)
My almost 3-year year old daughter doesn't get as excited as she used to when I read her books. Instead, she prefers to become the teacher and lead a session of "Circle Time" where Dad needs to sit silently cross-legged (criss-cross-apple-sauce as she puts it). Then she proceeds to flip through a stack of books (she won't start unless she has at least 4 lined up) and "read" them to me. Sometimes she makes up the words, sometimes she just silently flips. It's an adorable display, but I miss the good ol' days where I could just read her anything and everything with undivided attention!
This is such a sweet and endearing picture, Chris. (And look at those great pre-reading skills she's displaying, "reading" to you!) 2-3yos are a force of nature... they are VERY busy people, and it's good to give them agency when you can. Try to trust, too, that she'll come back to your lap for the closeness you've clearly provided through books -- she still needs it, and will for a long time to come.
Thanks Sarah! Yeah, it's still really sweet bonding time. I'm sure I'll look back even more fondly when she's a bit older. She certainly wants all the agency she can handle these days, just gotta ride it out, haha.
My daughter is starting kindergarten and I'm feeling anxiety about how reading will be shifting from something we do together for enjoyment and connection, to a major academic subject. Partly, as a teacher, I think I know too much about school and reading which fuels my anxiety.
That's super understandable, Abby. My approach with my eldest child was, "It's her teacher's job to teach reading; it's our job to keep the love of reading alive." That worked very well for us. I didn't feel responsible for instruction of any kind, just the fun and pleasure and connection. Now my youngest is starting K next week and I plan to take the exact same approach.
It’s just one big smile happening over here. I’m glad to hear your girl is reading—but you know I knew she’d get there eventually. Parenting can be so hard when you’re worried about what comes next, but it all makes sense in retrospect. <3
These days/years, my family at home consists of me, my significant other, and our two dogs. I had a goal of reading more books this year and I am up to 50 so far, mostly thanks to audio books on my daily hikes/runs.
Nice! Do you have any audiobook recommendations? I've increased my audiobooks this year -- yay! -- but I am so picky about narrators, I often struggle to find one that deeply engages me.
I have many recommendations, but I don't remember "names" that well. I feel the best audiobooks are stories with overall good pacing. That way I never tune them out. Do you want fiction or nonfiction titles?
The Haunting of Maddy Clare, Across the River, Ordinary Grace, Untamed, Rabbit (best memoir, read by the author), The Girl in Green, The Last Thing He Told Me, The Radium Girls, A Town Called Solace, The Beekeeper of Aleppo, Caste: The Origin of our Discontents, Little Fires Everywhere
My son just started his first year of school, and they are working on the reading curriculum, we got the story of mmmmm yesterday.
We do books at bedtime - sometimes a pile of picture books, sometimes a few chapters in whatever middle grade novel we are reading (currently the Unicorn Rescue Society, A+++ highly rcommend), and then will often read on weekend mornings or for a break during the day at the weekends. I need to get back in the habit of bringing a book with me on the school run so we can read on the way home - at least for the next month or so before the evenings close in.
I am a tracker, and use the counter app on my phone to track a few life metrics, including "books read to T" - we are at 346 books/chapters for the year. I travel 25% of the time and we alternate bedtimes when I'm here, so that doesn't count books his dad reads to him.
I'd wanted to teach him to read over the summer, but time got away from us, and I'm trying to chill and let the teachers do their thing, and keep reading as a pleasurable activity.
Also, kiddo is obsessed with audiobooks and his oral comprehension blows me away. He gets an hour during his rest time at the weekend and 30 minutes each night at bedtime. I came to a story midway through and asked who Gustav was and why Mr Schwartz was so mad (The Magical Bookshop, one of the audible freebies) and got a very detailed explanation. I was very impressed considering it's not a book we have in print.
Coree, wow, good for you! It sounds like you have built a vibrant and deeply enjoyable reading life for your son. 346 books/chapters thus far while traveling 25% of the time is truly amazing.
(And yes to the impact of audiobooks and read-alouds on comprehension -- kids are able to listen to books that are above their reading level, which just never ceases to blow my mind.)
Aww, thanks! I really love snuggling up on the sofa to read with my son, or building a den in the woods and blowing through a whole Mr Penguin book while we eat snack. This also counts for my outside time tracker, I found that time outside is the single best thing for my mental wellbeing and my silly little counter app helps me make sure I'm getting it, even in dreary Scotland!
Sarah, my eldest (7.5) just loved the Wizard of Oz. We have now read it twice. Which edition do you have? Ours also has some beautiful illustrations. So glad you read it and enjoyed it.
Do you read to your children at the same time at night? I'm curious about your evening routine -- would you be up for sharing more? I'm also interested in your morning routine. We have no extra time in between wake up and getting to school on time that I can find, but maybe I'm not approaching this the right way and I should make the time?
Our reading life is changing as I can see the end of picture books being the focus for my youngest (cue my tears) and the beginning of her love (I hope) of chapter books. Blythe (my elder daughter, 7.5) still loves to read picture books, but the reading we do 1:1 is all chapter books at this point. I won't phase out picture books, but my youngest is showing an interest in Dory and Mercy Watson and Sophie Mouse and other early chapter books...
I'd like to focus on a return to weekend morning reading. During Covid, we were always home so we read every weekend morning for about an hour and I treasured that time. Now we have plans and sports and it feels like we rush out of the house more and I miss that time a lot.
Oh, reading through the threads below, two audiobooks that I absolutely loved this past year were memoir: Stanley Tucci's Taste and Matthew McConaughy's (sp?) Green Lights. In terms of engaging narrators, you really couldn't ask for any better. I also highly recommend Tom Hanks narrating Ann Patchett's The Dutch House (not sure I would have loved that book so much had I not listened to Tom Hanks reading it).
Well, I just lent my childhood copy of The Wizard of Oz to my SIL yesterday, so I can't send you a photo of my edition -- but it has W.W. Denslow's original illustrations, and I know my mom bought it for me in NYC when she went there on a business trip when I was little, sometime in the late 80s. We started reading the next book -- The Marvelous Land of Oz -- and my 8yo was into it but my 5yo was not, so we set it aside for the time being. (I do think it veers a little too wildly from the narrative of the first book to make the leap successfully -- most sequels and series don't start with entirely different, unrecognizable characters, for one thing, and for another, it started slowly, with too little action. I do hope we go back to it, but it wasn't a title I was willing to insist on.)
As for everything else: I am sending you an email right now, but the short answer is yes, I read to the children at the same time every night (and day). Morning Time, during breakfast on weekdays, and at bedtime, regardless of who is putting the children to bed. (Which doesn't mean I read to them every night -- when it's my turn, five nights a week, I do bedtime reading; when it's my husband's turn, two nights a week, he does. We don't share chapter books; we each have our own titles going with the children at the same time.)
Funny you should bring up "the end of picture books" -- my (How) Can we read? issue for October is called "The case for continued picture books," where I am going to address this exact topic. (Also: you're not alone. I am hearing this from a lot of caregivers at this age/stage.)
Thank you so much for the detailed email! I look forward to more on the continued case for picture books. I hope to never let them go fully, I just hear my little one asking for chapter books and would love more tools to keep the picture books in rotation.
Here on the anniversary of this writing- my kids are 6 and 4, my 6 yo amazes me every day with his reading. He still likes us to read to him, but he is reading more and more to himself. He started taking books every day so he can read them on the bus. He sits on our couch next to a stack of 3-4 books. He can read all of Captain Underpants by himself. He wanted to do a dramatic reading of my journal from 9th grade and asked me to read substack newsletters to him (I told him I would if it’s 5ish minutes). My 4 yo hasn’t changed as much this year, he still has his favorites in the shorter books but is adding more chapter books and asking about certain words. I am reading more variety of genres this year, I joined 2 new book clubs and they like thrillers and non fiction I wouldn’t pick for myself.
Big changes here on some fronts! My older kid has grown so much in his ability to read for enjoyment (ie not to struggle too much to find it enjoyable) and he reads a lot now, especially in the car. I don't really get how he can read IN THE CAR but a 20+ minute drive is one of his favorite places/times to settle in with a book, so whatever! He is still pretty intimidated by walls of text, and naturally gravitates towards graphic novel-style books, but that doesn't really bother me.
My younger kid is still pretty antsy and restless at reading times, but is able to mostly stay calm through a chapter of a bedtime book. It definitely has to be picture-driven and geared towards his interests in general - he is LOVING Zita the Spacegirl right now, which I don't mind doing as a read-aloud because I feel like there's enough subtext and outer-space un-reality stuff that my older kid would struggle to keep up if he were reading it on his own. We also read The Wizard of Oz this summer, and I was surprised by how much they loved it!
We are moving to a new home soon, and the boys will have separate bedrooms! I'm hoping to use the new environment to make a few changes to our bedtime/sleeping routines in general and one of those changes is, I want to read separately to each kid. I would like to read picture books to my 5-year old while my older kid draws in his room (his primary calming activity) and then leave and read a chapter of a more complex book to my older kid, something we can experience together. I cherished the times my mother read just to me, as a kid, and the difficulty in giving that to my children has long been a source of grief for me. I'm hoping that the new bedroom situation, calming space of his own, etc, helps my 5-year old become better at just laying quietly on his own for a bit, even if I have to go back in after reading a chapter with my 8-year old.
Ally, you've mentioned your situation before... I'd love to hear if/how you're able to adapt in your new home and how it all goes. Good luck!
(I was a big car-reader as a kid. Your description of your son reminded me that I pretty much missed my brother's second wedding reception in Rhode Island because I was in the backseat of the car the entire time, moving vehicle and otherwise, reading the 5th Harry Potter. I was 19, but it still counts... 😂)
I'm trying to formulate intentions without expectations! We are excited to all have a little delineated space from each other (after spending years, plus pandemic years, in a house with shared kid bedrooms and a fully open-plan first floor, hahaha).
"Intentions with expectations" -- I love that. I also think it's wise. It, whatever "it" is, never ends up looking the way we think it's going to look or being the way we think it's going to be. I wonder if you might involve the kids... ask *them* what they envision for this new phase in your reading life (and home life in general).
I've started using car time as a good way to offer independent book time to my littles and they love it (especially the 25 minute car ride to grandma's two or three times a week)!
It makes me so happy! I always got carsick reading in a car so I never thought of it as a good option, but suddenly I'm like, "Wow! Look at all this great calm reading time!!!"
Same! I could never (still can't) read in the car. Glad it works for our kiddos!
YES. I've had a basket of books in the car from the time my babies could hang onto board books... it made for many peaceful times that might not have been otherwise.
I'm in a new-to-me phase of life where my teen doesn't read very much. We went from a rhythm much like yours - reading before school, after dinner, before bed, having audio books on constantly - and now they are in the world of texting with friends and living online. I didn't think it would happen to us, and here we are. I keep reading a few pages before work and each evening, so I hope my kid seeing me continuing to read will remind them that We Are a Reading Family.
This happened to me, too. I mean, my mom and I had a really vibrant reading life, and then when I got to be a tween and teen, we stopped reading together for various reasons, and I certainly didn't read as much as my own. (This was before cell phones and the internet, but I spent a lot of time talking on the phone and in the bathtub and sleeping.) And in college, other than what I needed to read for my schoolwork, forget it.
What I can say is that the foundation remained. I became a voracious reader again in my early 20s. And from what I know about your home and reading life, outside of your comment here, you ARE a Reading Family, and C will take that with them into adulthood, even if they're setting it aside right now.
This gives me a sense of calm. I also need to remind myself (parents need constant reminders) that having them participate in plays is reading. Everything is reading. xoxo
Omg yes! SHAKESPEARE, Marlena! What an incredibly rich gift -- the richest, really. And all that memorizing. So good for the brain (at any age). Don't despair -- they're doing great, you're doing great.
Marlena, my son survived his teens as a reader. I read him a short passage from Dickens, just for fun, and was astonished to learn he missed being read to. So we started again. I also continued to take him to history museums (one of my passions) and that helped give him something to read about. A lot of YA books aren't fir everyone, and nonfiction and literary classics can appeal at this age. So do books you call inappropriate, and then leave lying around...
Thanks, Annette. I'm hoping we can find a shared podcast or *something.* And will all things Parenthood, I'll be surprised with whatever happens next - xoxo
Teenagers want us to stay in their lives, even (and especially) when it doesn't seem like they do. Podcasts in the car when he's a captive audience? Not aimed at him, of course....
All hail Virgo season 💁🏻♀️
We’re just starting to learn to read here. My goal is just to make it enjoyable and not overwhelming for her to learn and for me to teach her. The stress is real.
(Amen! The best time of year!)
The stress is REAL. I think keeping it light and enjoyable is absolutely the right tack to take. Our situation was complicated by the fact that we were homeschooling -- so I had to balance genuine reading instruction with keeping the love of reading alive, and I was atrocious at the former. Also, kids learn to read on their own timeline, which varies wildly, and it doesn't help that we are obsessed, as a culture, with pushing reading from a very early age (don't even get me started).
If you ever want to talk more, let's! (You can reach me at canweread@substack.com or hit reply on any post.)
I have two littles (two and four), so they aren't actually reading yet - haha... but we are big book lovers at our home. My four year old pretends to read them out loud (adorable!) and my two year old (who has some developmental delays) has finally started to love books as much as his big sister (hallelujah!). Our daily routines have changed a lot lately and will change again soon when my four year old starts pre-school, so I've gotten away from intentional reading times (besides at bed time - that one never changes!). So I'd really like to refocus on getting that intentional book time in at certain points during our day. Trying to be flexible as things change but committed to getting it in!
Pretending to read out loud is absolutely a pre-reading skill, so your older one is well on their way!
Good for you for sticking with bedtime reading even though your routine is changing... it's hard to keep a steady rhythm (and that doesn't just apply to reading), so the best we can do is accept that things will only stay the same for a few months at a time, and keep adapting. You're doing a great job, Amy!
Thank you! And yes to keep adapting. Trying to carry the priority of reading through all the seasons of life. :)
This has been on my mind, so I'm glad you brought it up. My son is 7 and a precocious reader. There's always been a bit of a disconnect between his reading abilities and his developmental stage, with him preferring books that are meant for older kids. We seem to be hitting a particular pain point as he transitions from early reader chapter books to middle grade novels. There's a big developmental difference between an 8 year old and a 12 year old! We've had to stop reading some books because they were too mature in terms of content or language. We've been working with our local bookstore to try to find some more appropriate books for younger middle-grade readers, but it's a challenge. I'm really interested to hear if anyone has any specific book recommendations for this transition.
This is definitely a challenge and one you're not alone in experiencing. I'm interested to hear if anyone else has recommendations or advice. (In the meantime, I know I have information about this somewhere -- something someone else, or multiple someone else's, wrote addressing this. I will dig it up and post it here/send it your way.)
I couldn't find the info I thought I'd seen elsewhere... I will keep an eye out for it.
I know you said (over in your own thread today) that he likes Harry Potter and fantasy has worked well. Here are a few suggestions for books to try with him, based on those preferences:
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (and its two follow-ups) by Grace Lin -- I am a huge fan of this book and the trilogy as a whole; it's so excellent.
Tuesdays at the Castle (first in a series) by Jessica Day George
Half Magic (first in a series) by Edward Eager
The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Edwards
Beyond the Pawpaw Trees (first in a series) by Palmer Brown
And perhaps some good old Brothers Grimm? The original stories are fantastical and much more complex and fascinating than we give them credit for. (I think 8yo is a sweet spot for them, too, and have wide appeal.)
You’re the BEST! Thanks, Sarah!
You're welcome! Let me know how any of these go over (including if they don't) and we can calibrate from there 😉
Could I add another suggestion in the fantasy realm? The Upside Down Magic series is really fun and there are a number of the books.
Oh, that’s right! You’re the one who introduced me to that series… thanks for adding it; I think it’s a great suggestion.
My almost 3-year year old daughter doesn't get as excited as she used to when I read her books. Instead, she prefers to become the teacher and lead a session of "Circle Time" where Dad needs to sit silently cross-legged (criss-cross-apple-sauce as she puts it). Then she proceeds to flip through a stack of books (she won't start unless she has at least 4 lined up) and "read" them to me. Sometimes she makes up the words, sometimes she just silently flips. It's an adorable display, but I miss the good ol' days where I could just read her anything and everything with undivided attention!
This is such a sweet and endearing picture, Chris. (And look at those great pre-reading skills she's displaying, "reading" to you!) 2-3yos are a force of nature... they are VERY busy people, and it's good to give them agency when you can. Try to trust, too, that she'll come back to your lap for the closeness you've clearly provided through books -- she still needs it, and will for a long time to come.
Thanks Sarah! Yeah, it's still really sweet bonding time. I'm sure I'll look back even more fondly when she's a bit older. She certainly wants all the agency she can handle these days, just gotta ride it out, haha.
My daughter is starting kindergarten and I'm feeling anxiety about how reading will be shifting from something we do together for enjoyment and connection, to a major academic subject. Partly, as a teacher, I think I know too much about school and reading which fuels my anxiety.
That's super understandable, Abby. My approach with my eldest child was, "It's her teacher's job to teach reading; it's our job to keep the love of reading alive." That worked very well for us. I didn't feel responsible for instruction of any kind, just the fun and pleasure and connection. Now my youngest is starting K next week and I plan to take the exact same approach.
It’s just one big smile happening over here. I’m glad to hear your girl is reading—but you know I knew she’d get there eventually. Parenting can be so hard when you’re worried about what comes next, but it all makes sense in retrospect. <3
I would not have made it without you, Patricia -- I mean it.
These days/years, my family at home consists of me, my significant other, and our two dogs. I had a goal of reading more books this year and I am up to 50 so far, mostly thanks to audio books on my daily hikes/runs.
Nice! Do you have any audiobook recommendations? I've increased my audiobooks this year -- yay! -- but I am so picky about narrators, I often struggle to find one that deeply engages me.
I have many recommendations, but I don't remember "names" that well. I feel the best audiobooks are stories with overall good pacing. That way I never tune them out. Do you want fiction or nonfiction titles?
Both! I read (and listen to) them both.
The Haunting of Maddy Clare, Across the River, Ordinary Grace, Untamed, Rabbit (best memoir, read by the author), The Girl in Green, The Last Thing He Told Me, The Radium Girls, A Town Called Solace, The Beekeeper of Aleppo, Caste: The Origin of our Discontents, Little Fires Everywhere
Thank you so much!
My son just started his first year of school, and they are working on the reading curriculum, we got the story of mmmmm yesterday.
We do books at bedtime - sometimes a pile of picture books, sometimes a few chapters in whatever middle grade novel we are reading (currently the Unicorn Rescue Society, A+++ highly rcommend), and then will often read on weekend mornings or for a break during the day at the weekends. I need to get back in the habit of bringing a book with me on the school run so we can read on the way home - at least for the next month or so before the evenings close in.
I am a tracker, and use the counter app on my phone to track a few life metrics, including "books read to T" - we are at 346 books/chapters for the year. I travel 25% of the time and we alternate bedtimes when I'm here, so that doesn't count books his dad reads to him.
I'd wanted to teach him to read over the summer, but time got away from us, and I'm trying to chill and let the teachers do their thing, and keep reading as a pleasurable activity.
Also, kiddo is obsessed with audiobooks and his oral comprehension blows me away. He gets an hour during his rest time at the weekend and 30 minutes each night at bedtime. I came to a story midway through and asked who Gustav was and why Mr Schwartz was so mad (The Magical Bookshop, one of the audible freebies) and got a very detailed explanation. I was very impressed considering it's not a book we have in print.
Coree, wow, good for you! It sounds like you have built a vibrant and deeply enjoyable reading life for your son. 346 books/chapters thus far while traveling 25% of the time is truly amazing.
(And yes to the impact of audiobooks and read-alouds on comprehension -- kids are able to listen to books that are above their reading level, which just never ceases to blow my mind.)
Aww, thanks! I really love snuggling up on the sofa to read with my son, or building a den in the woods and blowing through a whole Mr Penguin book while we eat snack. This also counts for my outside time tracker, I found that time outside is the single best thing for my mental wellbeing and my silly little counter app helps me make sure I'm getting it, even in dreary Scotland!
Sarah, my eldest (7.5) just loved the Wizard of Oz. We have now read it twice. Which edition do you have? Ours also has some beautiful illustrations. So glad you read it and enjoyed it.
Do you read to your children at the same time at night? I'm curious about your evening routine -- would you be up for sharing more? I'm also interested in your morning routine. We have no extra time in between wake up and getting to school on time that I can find, but maybe I'm not approaching this the right way and I should make the time?
Our reading life is changing as I can see the end of picture books being the focus for my youngest (cue my tears) and the beginning of her love (I hope) of chapter books. Blythe (my elder daughter, 7.5) still loves to read picture books, but the reading we do 1:1 is all chapter books at this point. I won't phase out picture books, but my youngest is showing an interest in Dory and Mercy Watson and Sophie Mouse and other early chapter books...
I'd like to focus on a return to weekend morning reading. During Covid, we were always home so we read every weekend morning for about an hour and I treasured that time. Now we have plans and sports and it feels like we rush out of the house more and I miss that time a lot.
Oh, reading through the threads below, two audiobooks that I absolutely loved this past year were memoir: Stanley Tucci's Taste and Matthew McConaughy's (sp?) Green Lights. In terms of engaging narrators, you really couldn't ask for any better. I also highly recommend Tom Hanks narrating Ann Patchett's The Dutch House (not sure I would have loved that book so much had I not listened to Tom Hanks reading it).
Well, I just lent my childhood copy of The Wizard of Oz to my SIL yesterday, so I can't send you a photo of my edition -- but it has W.W. Denslow's original illustrations, and I know my mom bought it for me in NYC when she went there on a business trip when I was little, sometime in the late 80s. We started reading the next book -- The Marvelous Land of Oz -- and my 8yo was into it but my 5yo was not, so we set it aside for the time being. (I do think it veers a little too wildly from the narrative of the first book to make the leap successfully -- most sequels and series don't start with entirely different, unrecognizable characters, for one thing, and for another, it started slowly, with too little action. I do hope we go back to it, but it wasn't a title I was willing to insist on.)
As for everything else: I am sending you an email right now, but the short answer is yes, I read to the children at the same time every night (and day). Morning Time, during breakfast on weekdays, and at bedtime, regardless of who is putting the children to bed. (Which doesn't mean I read to them every night -- when it's my turn, five nights a week, I do bedtime reading; when it's my husband's turn, two nights a week, he does. We don't share chapter books; we each have our own titles going with the children at the same time.)
Funny you should bring up "the end of picture books" -- my (How) Can we read? issue for October is called "The case for continued picture books," where I am going to address this exact topic. (Also: you're not alone. I am hearing this from a lot of caregivers at this age/stage.)
Thanks for the audiobook recs!
Thank you so much for the detailed email! I look forward to more on the continued case for picture books. I hope to never let them go fully, I just hear my little one asking for chapter books and would love more tools to keep the picture books in rotation.
As always, thank you!
Here on the anniversary of this writing- my kids are 6 and 4, my 6 yo amazes me every day with his reading. He still likes us to read to him, but he is reading more and more to himself. He started taking books every day so he can read them on the bus. He sits on our couch next to a stack of 3-4 books. He can read all of Captain Underpants by himself. He wanted to do a dramatic reading of my journal from 9th grade and asked me to read substack newsletters to him (I told him I would if it’s 5ish minutes). My 4 yo hasn’t changed as much this year, he still has his favorites in the shorter books but is adding more chapter books and asking about certain words. I am reading more variety of genres this year, I joined 2 new book clubs and they like thrillers and non fiction I wouldn’t pick for myself.
That’s awesome all around, Elizabeth! Sounds like everyone is enjoying themselves, which is by far the most important thing.