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A review by misscalije
The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids by Sarah MacKenzie
3.0
I got a lot out of this book. It contained a lot of good ideas for me, a children’s entertainer who reads aloud to kids.
The demographic the book was for was definitely not me, and I should have looked closer before purchasing it. In the first few chapters, I wondered how original the book even was, since Mackenzie herself admits that her entire read aloud journey was inspired by Jim Trelease’s The Read Aloud Handbook. Beside, what could I, a single man who entertains kids as a drag queen, learn from a book by and for parents (read:mothers) with the intent of creating a “reading household.” Even though Mackenzie and I are both Christians, I felt that her branding towards a Christian household was unnecessary for the book’s overall intent.
These differences aside, Mackenzie does a solid job at collecting source readings, academic studies, and author interviews to compose a compelling argument for Reading Aloud. Some of my favorite quotes, and things I will be using to help me shape my Reading Times, are as follows.
P. 63 “...Reading to our kids teaches them to think, make connections, and communicate. Reading aloud doesn’t just open windows. It flings wide the doors of opportunities far outside the scope of Language and literature.”
P. 75 “A book can reach us where a news report cannot...We slip on someone else’s shoes for a few minutes or 121 pages, and our spirits are moved.”
I don’t think this book is meant for all families, and that is disappointing. But if you are able to read it with an open mind, you can glean some good information.
The demographic the book was for was definitely not me, and I should have looked closer before purchasing it. In the first few chapters, I wondered how original the book even was, since Mackenzie herself admits that her entire read aloud journey was inspired by Jim Trelease’s The Read Aloud Handbook. Beside, what could I, a single man who entertains kids as a drag queen, learn from a book by and for parents (read:mothers) with the intent of creating a “reading household.” Even though Mackenzie and I are both Christians, I felt that her branding towards a Christian household was unnecessary for the book’s overall intent.
These differences aside, Mackenzie does a solid job at collecting source readings, academic studies, and author interviews to compose a compelling argument for Reading Aloud. Some of my favorite quotes, and things I will be using to help me shape my Reading Times, are as follows.
P. 63 “...Reading to our kids teaches them to think, make connections, and communicate. Reading aloud doesn’t just open windows. It flings wide the doors of opportunities far outside the scope of Language and literature.”
P. 75 “A book can reach us where a news report cannot...We slip on someone else’s shoes for a few minutes or 121 pages, and our spirits are moved.”
I don’t think this book is meant for all families, and that is disappointing. But if you are able to read it with an open mind, you can glean some good information.