Remember, You Are Not Alone!

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Reading aloud on a daily basis can sap your strength.

Every afternoon - you feel a little bit more tired when you have to start reading aloud.

It starts building up.

A fight breaks out among your children over which book will be chosen for a read aloud tonight...

You have to convince your hyperactive audience to settle down...

And - getting through just the first page... I won't get you started on that one.

These are all challenges that can take twenty to thirty minutes of preparations on a good day.

Many things conspire to make reading aloud an unbearable daily chore.

But don't give up.

We all face these challenges. I do to.

But there is a silver lining that makes it all much easier.

Reading aloud - pleasure or chore?

As my twins get older, reading aloud involves more trials and struggles.

Not less.

One child can be fully focused, but if the other one isn't - the read aloud session soon goes downhill for all involved.

I know what you are asking yourself sometimes.

If reading aloud is supposed to be a source of fulfillment and satisfaction, why does it rob my strength and energy so often?

This happens easily, especially if your listeners lose connection with the story.

One tactic I employ when reading chapter books: I always re-read the last page or half-page of what we last read a day or two ago. And then I also sum up the situation before we continue reading.

It makes it easier for the listener to get back in the mood of the story and to re-connect.

Another trick of the trade

Let me share another trick of the trade. 

We never read one chapter book at a time. Kids can get bored easily. 

The same old story, day in and day out - is a bit too much for them.

So we usually read three or four chapter books at the same time. (not the same day!)

For example, right now we are reading (concurrently): 

a. The Story of Doctor Dolittle, 

b. The Castle of Adventure,  

c. Christopher Mouse: The Tale of a Small Traveler and,

d. any given book from the Horrid Henry collection. 

This is without mentioning the Jack and Annie books from the Magic Tree House boxed set.

And this works perfectly.

Boredom is banished to a distant realm, as every day we read a "fresh" chapter book.

Rotation, rotation. 

This may be a recipe that does not work for other families, but I find it is perfect for our household. 

Inspiration is all around

Every parent can have the desire to read daily.

It comes from within.

But inspiration comes from around us.

You cannot read aloud to your kids for the long haul without inspiration.

My true sources of inspiration are you.

Parents and teachers who just do it.

People who lead by example.

I am still a newcomer to this game. I've been reading aloud for the past three or four years.

But I am inspired by so many parents and grandparents who leave comments on my blog, telling me how they read to their kids until they left their homes or how they are reading to their grandchildren now.

Teachers and librarians who are trying to improve the prospects of the children at their schools. 

Sadly, in my day-to-day life, I do not know other dads who read aloud to their kids on a daily basis. 

I'm not saying that they don't - I just never hear anyone telling me about it.

There is no read aloud excitement among many parents. 

People around me do not know that I am "the Read Aloud Dad", so the topic of reading aloud never crops up spontaneously. 

My friends know that I like to read aloud to my kids. But that's it. No one else tells me they are doing it. 

OK, admittedly I also do not have much of a social life these days - so my sample is not so large. 

That is why what I told you before is true - YOU really inspire me.

I crave this inspiration.

I need real people to inspire me.

Take, for example, Lauren. 

A mom of two who says that "few things are more important than taking time to snuggle up and read a good book with our kids".

Lauren left me a very inspiring message in the comments section of my blog, two weeks ago.

Her words helped me to connect again with my own motivation for reading aloud.

Yes, her dedication is inspiring. 

Lauren is not just a great mom who reads to her kids - but she also has a wonderful children's book blog that is deep, critical and earnest. 

Her blog - 365 Great Children's Books - is guaranteed to fire you up for reading for as long as you need! 

What a wonderful tribute to children's books and reading. Lauren has reached Day (book) 197 - so you have a treasure trove of great books reviewed on her blog!

Thanks Lauren for getting in touch with me. Your inspiration is infectious!
  

And what about Rodrigo?

Two months ago, a message popped up on my screen.

It was from Rodrigo Morlesin.

I didn't know Rodrigo, but I felt he was an old friend of mine!

I was bowled over by Rodrigo's message.

"I am from Mexico City and I'm a children's books designer. 

I write about children books too in the Mexican newspaper Reforma and in the Spanish magazine Babar. 

If you want to read some of my interviews with authors (Lemony Snicket, Eric Carle, Satoshi Kitamura, Katsumi Komagata, Adam Rex... and some more) please go to 
Chum!  

The interviews are in Spanish but if you want to read it in English I can send it to you.

Thank you for promoting children's books!

Hugs from Mexico"

I checked it out and Wow!

Rodrigo's blog Chum! had some exceptional interviews with fabulous KidLit authors and illustrators!

You are a very special man Rodrigo. ¡Sí! Estoy pensando en ti. 

So my friends, if you can read or understand Spanish, please visit Chum! One of the posts about Maurice Sendak is also available in English.

Rodrigo knows I adored his playful interview with Lemony Snicket.

So, let me close this segment with Rodrigo's words -  they will give you a glimpse into how dedicated he is.

Lemony's interview is one of my favorites too... I spent a lot of time looking for him. And Eric Carle and Cornelia Funke was difficult too. 

In March I will publish an interview with Tonya Hurley (Ghostgirl) but Satoshi Kitamura was on vacation at our home in Mexico so I invited to him too and we made some games for Tonya's interview... was strange and funny.

You are an exceptional and interesting man, my friend Rodrigo!

Your love of children's books is infectious! 

Thanks for getting in touch and inspiring Read Aloud Dad :-)

Give an incredible gift - one word at a time

So, my friends, if you find yourself doubting whether your reading aloud really matters, don't worry - it is normal.

I find myself doubting the quality of my efforts all the time.

But usually for a brief period.

Everyone needs inspiration.

Reading aloud is like counting steps with a pedometer. If you keep looking at the screen, you will be discouraged.

It takes time to reach ten thousand steps.

It usually lasts much longer if you keep glancing at the screen.

The trick with reading aloud is to find your source of inspiration and focus on the next ten minutes.

And that is just what it takes to change a life.

Just ten minutes a day, every day.

To inspire a young human being.