The Read-Aloud Handbook: Sixth Edition

This book gave me the "why" reading is important. Everyone knows they should read to their kids but after reading this and seeing the information about how that reading affects children later in life will really motivate you to make reading a habit.
I also appreciated the information about how the American school system is hindering children's reading and why their method doesn't work very well.
The book list in the back of the book is great!

Jim Trelease's Read-Aloud Handbook, first published in 1982, has sold over one million copies and gone through six editions. Trelease traveled extensively for the next 25 years, speaking to American educators and parents about how to promote a love of reading among children. He emphasizes reading aloud with parents and other adults, and his arguments for reading are focused on preserving culture, as well as benefiting children educationally and emotionally.

This book consists of ten chapters, the first nine of which a case for reading aloud to children, discussing when to begin reading, and treat other topics related to childhood literacy. Chapter three is especially helpful, describing the stages of reading aloud to children. Trelease follows children them through their maturation process, suggesting specific reading strategies and kinds of books for different stages of maturity. The tenth chapter is an annotated list of recommended readings.

Because of his secular approach, Trelease's primary criteria for selecting books are suitability for reading aloud, writing quality, and appeal to children. His emphasis is not on moral formation, and his moral criteria seem representative of our mainstream culture, especially the increasingly liberal educational culture. Still, this collection is highly respected, and contains many classic books. I have used it primarily to see what books might be popular with children in more secular circles.

The sixth edition is extensive, with over 1000 titles, more than in previous editions. Rather annoyingly, many titles are only suggested in topical unannotated lists such as "Fairy Tale Parodies" and "Sports Stories." I do recommend the final edition because it is more up-to-date and thorough than previous ones.

Jim Trelease has a web site (http://www.trelease-on-reading.com/) listing many of his educational resources, excerpts from his book, as well as a page for reviews of books that were published since the last edition of the book.

This book was listed in my professor's Highly Recommended Books to Have. I see and understand why now she is so excited about this book. I've read a few chapters and I value the information I've gleamed from the pages already. The author has a sense of humor to boot, which having read some other textbooks, it's a great asset to have. Sometimes education material- whether it's classroom management, psychology, or language acquisition, can be dry and very hard to read. This is a book I've enjoyed reading and have a hard time putting down. It has quickly become a book I've recommended to parents, and other teachers too.

Research suggests that a child, in order to be ready to learn to read, needs to hear about a thousand stories before they start school. When I first heard that number, it just sounded so high. Did I need to take some time off from work to stay home to help hit the thousand? But the more I thought about it, my kids were well on their way to a thousand plus. When you add up all those little Dr. Suess and P.D. Eastman books, you can plow through a dozen of those on any given day. Here's the sad fact, though. As a middle school teacher working with struggling readers, I see kids that are twelve and thirteen that are nowhere near the thousand to this day. And it shows. Simply put, one of the most important activities you can do with your kid is read. Let them hear the language modeled well. Let them start to notice all the similarities between stories. I remember laughing when my own daughter, at four, told me that she didn't need to see "The Little Mermaid" because it's probably the same as "Cinderella" and "Sleeping Beauty" and "Snow White". Let your child pick up on rhyming patterns and begin making their own as well.

This book would be worth purchasing for the long list of read-aloud suggestions in the back, but Trelease's own reasons for turning off the TV are dead-on. So is his discussion on OWNING books as apposed to only going to the library. The library is a must, but ownerships means value to kids. Think about it. You own DVD's. You own video games. You must value those things. You need to own books to show their value. And, you can add this one to your list of books you own and items you value.

Chris Bowen
Author of, "Our Kids: Building Relationships in the Classroom"

When my son was four months old, my mom gave me The Read-Aloud Handbook. I wasn't particularly interested at first; I was already sold on reading to my son, and the title didn't seem particularly intriguing, to be honest. But Mom's enthusiastic description of the author (based on hearing him speak in person) intrigued me. After reading the introduction to the book, I was captivated.

I knew instinctively, having been raised in a home that valued education, that reading was important. But it wasn't until I read The Read-Aloud Handbook that I understood exactly WHY reading was so vital to a child's growth. This book is filled with powerful information and persuasive arguments every parent needs to hear. And the Treasury in the second half of the book is an invaluable resource for discovering new books to read to your child!