Big Books, Little Ears

Reading chapter books to toddlers, preschoolers, and beyond

Reading Aloud

Calvin and Hobbes, My Husband, and Me

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Today is the day I normally share a video review of a book or series. I was planning on reviewing the comic series, Calvin and Hobbes. However, since it has no real summery…or special considerations…or chapters…I ended up shifting gears a little bit.

I do want to talk about Calvin and Hobbes, though.

My husband loved reading the Calvin and Hobbes books when he was growing up. In fact, he still loves reading them now!

When our oldest son started listening to longer books, my husband always chose one of his several Calvin and Hobbes books when I asked him to do our read aloud time for the day. [Read more…] about Calvin and Hobbes, My Husband, and Me

My Secret Weapon for Long Read Aloud Series

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Do you have a longer series that you just loved going through?

When I was growing up, the long series I read all the way through was Nancy Drew. I LOVED Nancy Drew books. I wanted to be the smartest person in the room, just like Nancy. I wanted a light pink convertible, just like Nancy. I wanted to solve a mystery in a clock tower, just like Nancy. [Read more…] about My Secret Weapon for Long Read Aloud Series

My Top Tips for Reading Aloud

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Our home in the woods is not too far from a small family strawberry farm. Every year we go and pick berries and eat them until we are sick of strawberries. It’s wonderful.

After we had lived here for a year or so, I decided that I ought to make some of these beautiful strawberries into jam. I had never made jam before, but I pictured myself bustling around the kitchen in an apron, peacefully making jars of beautiful preserves while I listened to a funny book on tape. I imagined myself like some sort of cross between Mary Ingalls and Tina Fey. [Read more…] about My Top Tips for Reading Aloud

Learn From My Mistakes: 3 Books I Started to Read Aloud and Didn’t Finish

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My family has this running joke for when someone makes a mistake that isn’t a big deal, but still an obvious blunder. We quote that line from the end of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, where the knight says about the guy who just died, “He chose…poorly.”

My dad and brother and I love to say that to each other when we make mistakes. We say it to really rub salt in the wound, like a good Christian family does. For example, when I tried to carry in all of the grocery bags in one trip and dropped a carton of orange juice which exploded in the driveway, they said, “You chose…POOOOORLY!”

Thanks, family. Love you, too.

Unfortunately, there have been a few times when I have tried some picking a read aloud book for my kids and it ended up being an epic failure. Three books especially immediately come to mind that I chose…poorly. [Read more…] about Learn From My Mistakes: 3 Books I Started to Read Aloud and Didn’t Finish