Yes.
You read that correctly.
That is not a typo!
My daughter, Aubrey, just graduated from college in May and moved back home while she searched for a job. I enjoy a couple months off from work each summer, so we had some time together that we haven't had in years!
I had read The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill over a year ago and had really enjoyed it. Actually, it made me sad that my 4 children were all grown up and I couldn't read it to them. I knew this book would have been a favorite read-aloud for all of them.
We made a point of reading aloud to our children up through middle school and even early high school. (We would have continued if their extra-curricular and work schedules had allowed it!) Of course, we started with all kinds of picture books, but moved on to chapter books once they started school. Some family favorites through the years were: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien, Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, the entire Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling, The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, and Watership Down by Richard Adams.
So when my summer break started after the first week of June, I tentatively asked Aubrey if she thought it would be weird for me to read aloud a few chapters a day every morning. She actually liked the idea! So... together, we delved into the world of the Protectorate and the forest and the bog. Together we fell in love with Luna. We laughed at Fyrian, the Perfectly Tiny Dragon. (Disney would have a hey-day with that character!) And at the end we cried with Glerk, the swamp monster and Xan, the witch. The book is full of magic, but I swear... the time Aubrey and I spent together was no less magical!
"The fire of literacy is created by the emotional sparks between a child, a book, and the person reading. It isn’t achieved by the book alone, nor by the child alone, nor by the adult who’s reading aloud—it’s the relationship winding between all three, bringing them together in easy harmony."
~ Mem Fox
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| Spending time with Aubrey! |
Reading to Aubrey as an adult brought back memories of my husband, Dan and I reading to each other when we were young newlyweds. I was still in college. Dan was just starting out as a computer programmer in the "main frame" days of the mid-80's. We didn't have much spending cash on our tight budget, so date nights often consisted of staying home, drinking cheap beer or wine and reading to each other. Some of the ones I remember were: Les Misrables by Victor Hugo (before it was ever a musical!), The Lord of the Rings trilogy by Tolkien, and the aforementioned Watership Down by Adams.
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| Young and in love in '86! |
We always enjoyed reading to each other and took turns depending on who recommended the book or whoever felt like reading aloud. And so now... we are starting it up again! Currently Dan is reading the first book in a series that he really likes: Magic Bites from the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews. After that, I will probably reread The Girl Who Drank the Moon to him!
So I guess the point of this blog post is that reading aloud doesn't have an age limit. Please don't think that just because a child can read on their own that they no longer need to be read to.
"We have an obligation to read aloud to our children. To read them things they enjoy. To read to them stories we are already tired of. To do the voices, to make it interesting, and not to stop reading to them just because they learn to read to themselves. Use reading-aloud time as bonding time, as time when no phones are being checked, when the distractions of the world are put aside."
~ Neil Gaiman
And also, consider the pure entertainment of reading with someone you are close to. A few days ago, I saw a meme that I wish I had saved. The gist was this: Being read aloud to is for ALL ages. If you don't think so, then why are audiobooks the fastest-growing sector of the publishing industry?
