Welcome to July and welcome to the Summer Read-Aloud Challenge. Hope your had a chance  to consider what your individual challenge will look like. At a minimum, try to read aloud to your kids at least once a week. Naturally, the more you can incorporate reading aloud into your family life, the more benefits both you and  your kids will reap.

My plan is to post a tips and offer reading suggestions appropriate for youngsters in Grades 4 through 8 several times a week.  My first tip is to start small. Find a short book, news article or even a narrative poem that you think your youngsters will enjoy. Kids this age often view reading aloud together as babyish. They don’t see the point, because they all ready know how to read themselves. Be sensitive to this fact and talk about how you hope to spend some quality time together and do some reading this summer.  Enhancing the experience with a special food or reading aloud while they eat dessert may be a great way to start.

In my experience, these short texts easily capture kids interest and may be a good starting point:

The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes:  Probably more interesting to girls, but this well-written classic story beautifully shows youngsters the damage that even subtle bullying can do to another.

   Number the Stars:  One of my all-time favorite books. You will need to provide some background knowledge about World War II and can find some great non-fiction picture books to help you do that                                         .

    The “I Survived Series” – Any book in this series would be an excellent choice. Although the plot and characters are fictional, these stories are all based on a true historical event. The books are short, intriguing, prompt discussion and make wonderful read-aloud material.

The “Who Was” Series – Concise but interesting biographies sure to grab your children’s attention.

   Testing the Ice by Sharon Robinson – A picture book by Jackie Robinson’s sister, this text presents an unique look at this legendary baseball player.

Crickwing by Janell Cannon – Unusual picture book about a cockroach who bullies some ants, but eventually redeems himself and saves the ants from danger using his artistic talent. Includes non-fiction information at the end about both cockroaches and ants.

Good luck a you begin this journey and use reading to connect with your kids in a special way this summer.

Please share your great suggestions and help all of us find top-notch literature to read-aloud.