A Read-Aloud Book List

Today, in lieu of a normal post, I wanted to share a cool literary resource with you: a classic read-aloud list. I’ve loved reading as long as I can remember, and now I’m thrilled to see that my kids are well on their way to feeling the same. I’m spoiled and blessed to be able to homeschool my kids, and while it sometimes makes us all want to pull our hair out (or each other’s), it’s also an awesome way to have nearly-unlimited reading time with them throughout the day.

I chose to use the Classical Conversations approach to school, and we’ve really enjoyed it so far. For one thing, it offers a lot of resources—one of which I wanted to share with you today. And while I wish CC was paying me for saying all this, I’m just telling you about it because I hope you find it as helpful as I do.

Never Too Late

Whether you have young children, old children, medium children, or no children at all, this book list is for you. Surely you know some kids who could use a story! And even if not, why don’t you browse this list and see how many titles you’ve never read for yourself. Personally, I don’t care to admit that number here, but it’s never too late to fix it.

If you do spend time with kids, grandkids, nursery kids, neighbor kids, or any kids, I challenge you to start reading aloud to them and see what happens. I’ve read board books to infants, chapter books to elementary kids, and picture books to high school students, and it’s taught me that a well-written story is a joy to kids of any age. If you start reading to your kids regularly, it will quickly become a highlight of your time together.

Never Too Early

This summer I’ve enjoyed reading to my kids more than ever before. I’ve always read to my kids from the time they were itty bitty, but this summer we’ve really ramped it up with chapter books too. We spend a bit of time most days reading nursery rhymes, fairy tales, picture books from the library, Winnie-the-Pooh, Beatrix Potter, and a whole string of young reader chapter books like Beverly Cleary’s Henry and Ribsy series, Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and E.B. White’s Stuart Little.  

And guess what? Even my three-year-old daughter usually sits and listens. My son will inevitably ask for another chapter until we run out of time or his mother runs out of energy. As a reader, I’m thrilled to see them enjoying stories. It makes me even happier that I get to have a part in it.

A Place to Start

So if you’re interested in reading to your kids but aren’t sure where to start, here’s a short list of picture books and chapter books to choose from. It’s certainly not exhaustive, and I think you can find even better picture book lists from other resources, but it’s a great place to begin. Check it out, and see how reading aloud can change the dynamics of your family!