What should we look for when we’re choosing books for our children?It’s as easy at 7 points, as you’ll hear in this episode with Sarita Holzmann of Sonlight Curriculum.

Sarita is a veteran homeschool mom and book lover.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• how her son went from struggling reader to Valedictorian
• all about her 7-point all-star test for books
• book recommendations that your kids will love and remember long after they leave home

Find the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/79/.

Once upon a time, I said we didn’t love treasuries at our house. Welllll … its time to eat some crow.

Lately, we’ve been reading lots of picture book treasuries, and we are LOVING THEM. They are perfect for longer reading sessions,  for taking on errands when you know you’ll be sitting in waiting rooms, and for building your family’s library with quality books on a budget.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• our very favorite collections – which treasuries we’re loving most (and which have added extras like audio downloads, CDs or even recipes!)
• gift ideas for your favorite young readers
• my biggest tip for choosing treasuries that your family will love

Find the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/78/.

Scholastic’s Kids and Family Reading Report is a national survey of children ages 6–17 and their parents that explores attitudes and behaviors around books and reading.

In this episode, I’m joined by author, Vice President, and Editor-at-Large at Scholastic, Andrea Davis Pinkney. We talk about what the most recent report means for us as parents–and there’s a lot for us in there!

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• why we need to build home libraries, and how to do that without breaking the bank
• what kids are really hoping they’ll find in the books they read
• how to make our kids readers for life (listen until the end for five ‘Reading Resolutions’)

Find the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/77/.

What do you do when reading aloud doesn’t work out exactly how you hoped?

Maybe your kids are arguing or you’re falling asleep …

But you know how valuable it is to read aloud, so what can you do?

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• 5 ways to make reading aloud enjoyable for everyone (even you! even if you normally get tired!)
• how to keep sibling bickering at bay and toddlers busy so that you can read more
• why 10 minutes of reading aloud is enough (it really is. promise.)

Find the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/76/.

It can be challenging to keep track of the books our kids read, right?

But if we want to grow a family of readers, we kind of need to have a system that actually works! So today I’m sharing about our simple reading journals.

• how to create a treasured list of books your kids read at any age
• how to make sure reading journals don’t impede your kids’ reading, but rather create delight (and help our children connect with books)

Find the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/75/.

This might be our shortest-ever episode, but also one of the most important. It’s all about what matters most.

Today I’m talking about how we can make a simple choice that will make a *huge* impact on our kids and families.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• how to figure out what matters most, even when we are DEEP in the trenches of parenting
• how to help our kids form strong sibling bonds
• making sure that even when life is hard, we get to the most important thing of all

Find the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/74/.

Does your read-aloud time ever devolve into chaos? Do you spend just as much time asking your kids to sit still as you do actually reading?

In this episode, I’m talking about how we can modify our expectations just a bit to make read-aloud time more successful.

Many kids listen better when they’re doing something with their hands (listen to Dr. Michael Gurian talk about that right here).

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• how to keep your kids at read-aloud time longer
• why it’s absolutely OK for kids to be “busy” during read-aloud time
• what kids of all different ages can do while you read aloud

Consider this episode your permission slip for making read-aloud moments easier on you, and happier for your kids.

Find the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/73/.

Bad days – we all have them, right? We can’t really avoid that, but we can have a strategy tucked into our pocket- a simple strategy that will help us save a bad day.

As a mama of 6 kids – preschool through high school – I sure do. So today, I’m talking how to save those no good, very bad days! 😉

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• a simple strategy that is the ultimate reset button
• the genre of books that saves the day time and time again
• what Jim Trelease and Andrew Pudewa say is the most important part of your school day (I bet you can guess!)

Find the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/72/.

Caroline Starr Rose is back, and she’s joining me today to talk about her historical fiction, plus she’s sharing inspiration for young authors and tips for introducing novels in verse to our kids.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• the picture book she wrote about the wetlands after Hurricane Katrina
• what research looks like for a historical fiction author
• 4 novels in verse to share with younger children
• the book Sarah read-aloud… to herself!

Kids will be so inspired to hear about Caroline’s research and writing process, so gather ’round!

Find the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/71/.