The Read-Aloud Family

April 9, 2018
This practical guide contains a skillfully designed plan for parents to use in hopes of fostering a love of reading in their children. Book-lover Mackenzie found Jim Trelease’s The Read-Aloud Handbook when the first of her six children was one year old. In Trelease’s thesis, Mackenzie discovered not only a method but also her calling. She has produced a popular podcast, Read-Aloud Revival; it targets homeschooling parents, but her brainstorming and cheerleading will be a support to all parents who want to help their children read. The trick is to read aloud to them, she writes—even to small babies and truculent teens. In laying out her philosophy, Mackenzie addresses how reading encourages kids to be more attentive and nurtures compassion. She offers ways to connect kids to and through books: create a book club at home, match the child to the book, converse with substance, and ask leading questions. An inveterate list-maker, Mackenzie divides children into age groups for which she provides suggested reading lists (including Bibles), plus activities for children to do while adults read aloud. Although designed for Christians—brief sections address the power of reading for finding truth in Jesus—this enjoyable book will also be welcome to general readers.

March 15, 2018
It began with a copy of Jim Trelease's The Read-Aloud Handbook (1982) borrowed from a friend, a simple act that turned out to be life changing. For it introduced Mackenzie to the notion that reading aloud to her children (all six of them) could be one of the most important building blocks to a lasting and healthy relationship. A true believer in the efficacy of the out-loud experience, she brings a zeal to her argument that informs the pages of this interesting and often-inspiring book. In her enthusiasm and optimism, she is a veritable Norman Vincent Peale of the page, her message grounded in religion, though never oppressively so. For her, reading aloud is a magic pill, a sovereign remedy for whatever ails you. She supports her enthusiasm with practical strategies for reading aloud, accompanied by book lists for specific age ranges, including teens. If this has a fault, it's the tendency to be redundant. But that's a small quibble, for the book admirably fulfills its larger purpose: to inspire young people to read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)