RAR #121: Kate DiCamillo on Reading Aloud for Connection

I've got a new favorite episode of the Read-Aloud Revival podcast. It's no wonder, because in this episode, I'm having a conversation with Kate DiCamillo on reading aloud for connection.

There is so much packed into this conversation.

You'll hear...

what Kate really thinks when we ask our kids "what did the author mean?"
how books help us jump into the Great Conversation ("unwittingly", as she says)
that stories are smarter than their authors... and what that means for readers

Listener Guide
Use the time stamps below to skip to any part of the podcast:

1:28 Reading aloud with kids in school
5:35 Kate DiCamillo is here!
9:29 'Same side of the table'
10:54 In a new light
12:03 Trying to get to the table
15:12 How we talk about books
18:45 Not getting in the way of the story
25:11 The Great Conversation
28:19 Themes and stars
32:02 Microscopes, telescopes and flashlights
34:21 Character wants versus needs
36:16 More Mercy
37:10 Writing advice
39:01 A coffee invitation
41:01 Let the Kids Speak

Links from this episode:

RAR #81: Eavesdropping on the Soul, a conversation with Katherine Paterson
RAR #34: Reading Aloud Around a Traditional School Schedule
Kate DiCamillo on The Magic of Reading Aloud - PBS.org
Kate on Facebook
Andrew Peterson music
RAR #56: What's at Stake and Why Stories Matter, Jonathan Auxier

A quote to remember:
"Reading aloud ushers us into a third place, a safe room. It’s a room where everyone involved: the reader and the listener, can put down their defenses and lower their guard. We humans long not just for story, not just for the flow of language, but for the connection that comes when words are read aloud. That connection provides illumination."
- Kate DiCamillo
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