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The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids
Connecting deeply with our kids can be difficult in our busy, technology-driven lives. Reading aloud offers us a chance to be fully present with our children. It also increases our kids’ academic success, inspires compassion, and fortifies them with the inner strength they need to face life’s challenges. As Sarah Mackenzie has found with her own six children, reading aloud long after kids are able to read to themselves can deepen relationships in a powerful way.
Founder of the immensely popular Read-Aloud Revival podcast, Sarah knows first-hand how reading can change a child’s life. In The Read-Aloud Family, she offers the inspiration and age-appropriate book lists you need to start a read-aloud movement in your own home. From a toddler’s wonder to a teenager’s resistance, Sarah details practical strategies to make reading aloud a meaningful family ritual. Reading aloud not only has the power to change a family—it has the power to change the world.
Founder of the immensely popular Read-Aloud Revival podcast, Sarah knows first-hand how reading can change a child’s life. In The Read-Aloud Family, she offers the inspiration and age-appropriate book lists you need to start a read-aloud movement in your own home. From a toddler’s wonder to a teenager’s resistance, Sarah details practical strategies to make reading aloud a meaningful family ritual. Reading aloud not only has the power to change a family—it has the power to change the world.
288 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2018
1989 people are currently reading
14898 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Mackenzie
10 books2,107 followersSarah Mackenzie started Read-Aloud Revival® to help parents make meaningful and lasting connections with their kids through books.
She’s a mother of six, the author of Teaching from Rest and The Read-Aloud Family, and host of the Read-Aloud Revival podcast, which has been downloaded over 16 million times in more than 160 countries.
Her award-winning publishing house, Waxwing Books, makes timeless stories families will love to read aloud.
Sarah makes her home in the Pacific Northwest.
She’s a mother of six, the author of Teaching from Rest and The Read-Aloud Family, and host of the Read-Aloud Revival podcast, which has been downloaded over 16 million times in more than 160 countries.
Her award-winning publishing house, Waxwing Books, makes timeless stories families will love to read aloud.
Sarah makes her home in the Pacific Northwest.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,867 reviews
August 13, 2020
I stayed up half the night (twice) reading this book, jotting down a treasure trove of new titles to add to our home library.
In this book the author discusses the benefits of reading aloud to children of all ages, including teens. She splits the reading into different age groups, offering recommended read-aloud book lists for toddlers, early readers, older children, and finally teenagers/YA.
Something I love about this particular book is that the author shares quotes from other reading reference books throughout the text, offering even more assistance in finding great read-aloud books along with strategies for keeping reading fun.
"It’s tempting to tell our kids which books they should or shouldn’t like, but good taste is acquired over time. It also varies from person to person. God gave each of us unique taste buds, and because of that we can enjoy rich and varied culinary experiences. I’m convinced that he gave us unique literary taste buds for the same reason."
This book was a delight! I found it insightful and inspiring. Highly recommend it for parents, homeschoolers, and teachers.
In this book the author discusses the benefits of reading aloud to children of all ages, including teens. She splits the reading into different age groups, offering recommended read-aloud book lists for toddlers, early readers, older children, and finally teenagers/YA.
Something I love about this particular book is that the author shares quotes from other reading reference books throughout the text, offering even more assistance in finding great read-aloud books along with strategies for keeping reading fun.
"It’s tempting to tell our kids which books they should or shouldn’t like, but good taste is acquired over time. It also varies from person to person. God gave each of us unique taste buds, and because of that we can enjoy rich and varied culinary experiences. I’m convinced that he gave us unique literary taste buds for the same reason."
This book was a delight! I found it insightful and inspiring. Highly recommend it for parents, homeschoolers, and teachers.
March 30, 2018
A great idea done with a few things that made it unreadable for me.
I do not mind what an author of a book believes in as long as it doesn't infringe on the technical content of the book. This isn't the case here at all. Mackenzie is a very religious person which she explained almost immediately in the beginning of the book, that is not a problem for me and I have found that she wrote reasonably good argument in the first few chapters.
However, when she decides to say that some books should be taken literally like history books and scripture as opposed to fiction, then she loses me... I don't care that she believes that the bible is a literal history, there would be no convincing her otherwise, I care that she doesn't need to shove that into my throat when what I want to read about is reading aloud for kids.
The second issue is that this book is mostly referenced listeners of her book and as far as I could read before it became too preachy for my taste, no academic studies or expert opinions, no statistics or proofs, at least that far...
I know one answer will be that atheists and non religious people write about their (lack of) faith when they write books, and that is true when they are writing about that specific topic of religion and religiosity, but not when they are writing about other topics where their concern is delivering technical knowledge of those topics.
Anyhow, I did work my way through a few chapters, and couldn't do more. I rarely ever toss a book before I finish reading it but this is one of those rare occasions.
I do not mind what an author of a book believes in as long as it doesn't infringe on the technical content of the book. This isn't the case here at all. Mackenzie is a very religious person which she explained almost immediately in the beginning of the book, that is not a problem for me and I have found that she wrote reasonably good argument in the first few chapters.
However, when she decides to say that some books should be taken literally like history books and scripture as opposed to fiction, then she loses me... I don't care that she believes that the bible is a literal history, there would be no convincing her otherwise, I care that she doesn't need to shove that into my throat when what I want to read about is reading aloud for kids.
The second issue is that this book is mostly referenced listeners of her book and as far as I could read before it became too preachy for my taste, no academic studies or expert opinions, no statistics or proofs, at least that far...
I know one answer will be that atheists and non religious people write about their (lack of) faith when they write books, and that is true when they are writing about that specific topic of religion and religiosity, but not when they are writing about other topics where their concern is delivering technical knowledge of those topics.
Anyhow, I did work my way through a few chapters, and couldn't do more. I rarely ever toss a book before I finish reading it but this is one of those rare occasions.
August 29, 2018
The Read-Aloud Family is the inevitable book to arise from Sarah Mackenzie's inexplicably popular Read-Aloud Revival podcast and website. In this book, Mackenzie tells how she first discovered reading aloud, and then provides advice for doing so with supporting anecdotes from her own life. The book concludes with a series of annotated book lists.
I have long felt that the success of the alleged "Read Aloud Revival" that Mackenzie champions is a bit of a hoax. Though Mackenzie claims she only discovered reading aloud for the first time at age 20, when her oldest child was a baby, this should not suggest to anyone that reading aloud was a lost art that Mackenzie has single-handedly resurrected. In Orthodoxy, G.K. Chesterton talks about the man in the yacht who thinks he has discovered England, not realizing that anyone has landed there before him. He was talking about his journey toward the Christian faith when he wrote about how he "fancied [he] was the first to set foot in Brighton and then found [he] was the last," but I think it is also an apt metaphor for describing Mackenzie's relationship to reading aloud. She had never considered the importance of reading aloud, and therefore she assumes no one else has either. But most of us have been here in England all along.
This book gives very basic advice, most of which is either common sense or simply amateurish. Directives for developing a read-aloud habit are interspersed with personal anecdotes about her kids which often give rise to banal metaphors that are then beaten to death over several pages. Some of the advice just isn't good, such as the assertion that the only two criteria to consider when evaluating a book are appeal to all ages and a sense of hope, and some of it is a mere regurgitation of quotations from articles, books, and studies that have already presented this information more cogently, and in better prose. Though she says a few times that reading aloud should be simple, she undermines this message by over-complicating the process at every turn and by providing condescending examples for each point she makes. (The worst of these occurs in the chapter about "compelling questions." At one point, she suggests asking a child reader what a character in a given book fears most, then provides three examples, all of which consist of the same exact question: "What is Henry Huggins most afraid of? What is Janner Ibigy most afraid of? What is Corrie ten Boom most afraid of?" Surely, anyone who can read could have figured out how to pose that question without help.)
Though the book is published by a Christian publisher (Zondervan) and is labeled as a Religion book right above the ISBN on the back cover, there is next to nothing in this book about how Mackenzie's faith informs her family's read-aloud culture. There is an assumption on her part that the reader desires to raise Christian children who love God, and she includes recommendations for Bibles, and makes casual references to parables, but she completely misses the opportunity to provide Catholic families like hers with any advice unique to their (our) particular values and morals. This would have been the only redeeming quality of the book for me, and it was just not there.
The book lists in the final section of the book are very hit or miss. Some of the books are so new, it seems foolish to put them on any kind of list without knowing how they'll stand the test of time. Others are books written by Mackenzie's friends, all of whom have blurbed the book and appeared on her podcast, and most of whom are mentioned multiple times in the text of the book. The lists are also very short - there are dozens of blog posts and library websites out there that provide more comprehensive lists.
The countless positive reviews of this book are baffling to me. As I've blogged about before, reading aloud is not that hard to begin with, and, frankly, if a handbook is needed, Jim Trelease has already taken care of it. The fact that The Read-Aloud Family is so popular with #bookstagrammers and other parents who already read to their kids makes me think it's less about the quality of the book, and more about the fact that the content reaffirms what these readers already know and experience. But I am seeking more than just a pat on the back when I read books like this, and this one had nothing else to offer me. My recommendation would be to skip this book and instead look for Annis Duff's wonderful books Bequest of Wings: A Family's Pleasure with Books (1944) and Longer Flight: A Family Grows Up with Books (1955). Not only is Duff an expert (she was a librarian), but she also writes beautifully and in great depth about her family's relationship to books.
This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.
I have long felt that the success of the alleged "Read Aloud Revival" that Mackenzie champions is a bit of a hoax. Though Mackenzie claims she only discovered reading aloud for the first time at age 20, when her oldest child was a baby, this should not suggest to anyone that reading aloud was a lost art that Mackenzie has single-handedly resurrected. In Orthodoxy, G.K. Chesterton talks about the man in the yacht who thinks he has discovered England, not realizing that anyone has landed there before him. He was talking about his journey toward the Christian faith when he wrote about how he "fancied [he] was the first to set foot in Brighton and then found [he] was the last," but I think it is also an apt metaphor for describing Mackenzie's relationship to reading aloud. She had never considered the importance of reading aloud, and therefore she assumes no one else has either. But most of us have been here in England all along.
This book gives very basic advice, most of which is either common sense or simply amateurish. Directives for developing a read-aloud habit are interspersed with personal anecdotes about her kids which often give rise to banal metaphors that are then beaten to death over several pages. Some of the advice just isn't good, such as the assertion that the only two criteria to consider when evaluating a book are appeal to all ages and a sense of hope, and some of it is a mere regurgitation of quotations from articles, books, and studies that have already presented this information more cogently, and in better prose. Though she says a few times that reading aloud should be simple, she undermines this message by over-complicating the process at every turn and by providing condescending examples for each point she makes. (The worst of these occurs in the chapter about "compelling questions." At one point, she suggests asking a child reader what a character in a given book fears most, then provides three examples, all of which consist of the same exact question: "What is Henry Huggins most afraid of? What is Janner Ibigy most afraid of? What is Corrie ten Boom most afraid of?" Surely, anyone who can read could have figured out how to pose that question without help.)
Though the book is published by a Christian publisher (Zondervan) and is labeled as a Religion book right above the ISBN on the back cover, there is next to nothing in this book about how Mackenzie's faith informs her family's read-aloud culture. There is an assumption on her part that the reader desires to raise Christian children who love God, and she includes recommendations for Bibles, and makes casual references to parables, but she completely misses the opportunity to provide Catholic families like hers with any advice unique to their (our) particular values and morals. This would have been the only redeeming quality of the book for me, and it was just not there.
The book lists in the final section of the book are very hit or miss. Some of the books are so new, it seems foolish to put them on any kind of list without knowing how they'll stand the test of time. Others are books written by Mackenzie's friends, all of whom have blurbed the book and appeared on her podcast, and most of whom are mentioned multiple times in the text of the book. The lists are also very short - there are dozens of blog posts and library websites out there that provide more comprehensive lists.
The countless positive reviews of this book are baffling to me. As I've blogged about before, reading aloud is not that hard to begin with, and, frankly, if a handbook is needed, Jim Trelease has already taken care of it. The fact that The Read-Aloud Family is so popular with #bookstagrammers and other parents who already read to their kids makes me think it's less about the quality of the book, and more about the fact that the content reaffirms what these readers already know and experience. But I am seeking more than just a pat on the back when I read books like this, and this one had nothing else to offer me. My recommendation would be to skip this book and instead look for Annis Duff's wonderful books Bequest of Wings: A Family's Pleasure with Books (1944) and Longer Flight: A Family Grows Up with Books (1955). Not only is Duff an expert (she was a librarian), but she also writes beautifully and in great depth about her family's relationship to books.
This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.
July 30, 2018
As a fan of the Read Aloud Revival podcast from the very beginning, I was thrilled when I learned that Sarah Mackenzie was writing this book. I am someone who learned much from the podcast and experienced deepened relationships with both of my kids once I started reading aloud to them again on a regular basis. If you too have been a frequent listener of the podcast, much in the book will seem familiar to you. However, there are plenty of fresh ideas and inspiration that make this book worthwhile.
Sarah’s writing is friendly, warm, and conversational. She proposes early on that reading aloud to our kids is the best use of our time and energy as parents, and then sets out to support that claim. She shares many stories from her own experience of reading aloud to her six children over the years. She also draws from the work of Jim Trelease, Andrew Pudewa, Katherine Paterson, Dr. Joseph Price and others to substantiate the effectiveness of reading aloud to our children for academic success, for nurturing empathy and compassion, and for creating and strengthening the bond within the family.
Sarah has filled the book with practicable, easy to apply techniques for making reading aloud successful in your home. She offers methods for getting started and for creating a culture of reading in the home. She supplies the reader with ten questions for parents to ask to have meaningful conversations with our kids, and lists activities for kids to do while listening to a book. She also teaches us how to become a literary matchmaker for our kids, offers tips for what to do when you hit a speed bump, and she even takes on the potentially intimidating task of starting read alouds with teenagers. The last section of the book contains a booklist of great read alouds for all ages with a brief description of each book.
I’d recommend The Read Aloud Family to any parent who, as Sarah puts it in the book, wants to go “all-in for our kids” and create connections that really matter.
I received a free ARC copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
2nd reading - July 2018 Even better the second time through. I've started giving this book as my go-to baby shower gift for new moms. I can't think of anything better!
Sarah’s writing is friendly, warm, and conversational. She proposes early on that reading aloud to our kids is the best use of our time and energy as parents, and then sets out to support that claim. She shares many stories from her own experience of reading aloud to her six children over the years. She also draws from the work of Jim Trelease, Andrew Pudewa, Katherine Paterson, Dr. Joseph Price and others to substantiate the effectiveness of reading aloud to our children for academic success, for nurturing empathy and compassion, and for creating and strengthening the bond within the family.
Sarah has filled the book with practicable, easy to apply techniques for making reading aloud successful in your home. She offers methods for getting started and for creating a culture of reading in the home. She supplies the reader with ten questions for parents to ask to have meaningful conversations with our kids, and lists activities for kids to do while listening to a book. She also teaches us how to become a literary matchmaker for our kids, offers tips for what to do when you hit a speed bump, and she even takes on the potentially intimidating task of starting read alouds with teenagers. The last section of the book contains a booklist of great read alouds for all ages with a brief description of each book.
I’d recommend The Read Aloud Family to any parent who, as Sarah puts it in the book, wants to go “all-in for our kids” and create connections that really matter.
I received a free ARC copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
2nd reading - July 2018 Even better the second time through. I've started giving this book as my go-to baby shower gift for new moms. I can't think of anything better!
April 11, 2018
This book should be titled "The Read-Aloud Christians-Only Family".
Sarah Mackenzie leaves tons of her listeners in the dust with this extremely Christian book. Sure, you could say just look past that mumbo-jumbo for the content - but honestly the content isn't really there. It's a lot of chatter about why reading is important, which is great, but coupled with the intense Christian message it's annoying.
I had high hopes that maybe the book list in the back would be the real winner of it and I'd be glad I spent money on it but no, I feel like I wasted a bunch of money.
Honestly, this book is for people who maybe don't have a kid yet, have no books for children yet and don't understand the importance of reading, and who are very Christian.
Sarah Mackenzie leaves tons of her listeners in the dust with this extremely Christian book. Sure, you could say just look past that mumbo-jumbo for the content - but honestly the content isn't really there. It's a lot of chatter about why reading is important, which is great, but coupled with the intense Christian message it's annoying.
I had high hopes that maybe the book list in the back would be the real winner of it and I'd be glad I spent money on it but no, I feel like I wasted a bunch of money.
Honestly, this book is for people who maybe don't have a kid yet, have no books for children yet and don't understand the importance of reading, and who are very Christian.
August 6, 2018
I have been curious about this book ever since it was announced and the fervor over it seemed to build ahead of its release. I recently read (and LOVED) Jim Trelease's Read Aloud Handbook, so when I heard about Mackenzie's book, I wondered if it would offer up something new, or if it would feel like I have heard it all before. While it does have some good information, ideas, and encouragement, it's not one I will invest in for my home library.
This book is best for those who are not already listeners of Mackenzie's podcast, as pretty much everything in the book sounds familiar. There are several portions of the book that needed editing. The "ten compelling questions" section didn't need nearly so many words. When she gives examples of using the questions, I felt talked down to, and it made me wonder if author or publisher was trying to flesh out page numbers instead of content. For example: "Question #6: What is the character most afraid of?" followed by "Some examples: What is Henry Huggins most afraid of? What is Janner Igiby most afraid of? What is Corrie ten Boom most afraid of?" She also tends to reuse words and phrases to the point that they become distracting.
The recommended books in the last section of the book stands out from lists in other books mostly for the fact that the bulk of them are pretty recent publications. That said, I recognized them from her podcasts.
I didn't find answers to questions people might have who've experienced a different read-aloud history with their families than the author does. She cautions not to stop reading aloud when your kids can read on their own. Ok, but what if you have? How do you get back to it when your self-readers resist? Or what if you've neglected reading aloud since then and now you have teenagers who completely reject the idea of a parent reading aloud to them now that they are in high school? These are answers I just don't think she has since it's not in her realm of experience.
I don't mean to sound super negative about the book. It is a good one that many families will find worthwhile. There are helpful tips and counsel from which even seasoned read-aloud families can learn. It just had too much of some things and not enough of others to make it one that I will purchase or come back to read again. If I were going to choose one book on this topic, it would be the one by Trelease.
This book is best for those who are not already listeners of Mackenzie's podcast, as pretty much everything in the book sounds familiar. There are several portions of the book that needed editing. The "ten compelling questions" section didn't need nearly so many words. When she gives examples of using the questions, I felt talked down to, and it made me wonder if author or publisher was trying to flesh out page numbers instead of content. For example: "Question #6: What is the character most afraid of?" followed by "Some examples: What is Henry Huggins most afraid of? What is Janner Igiby most afraid of? What is Corrie ten Boom most afraid of?" She also tends to reuse words and phrases to the point that they become distracting.
The recommended books in the last section of the book stands out from lists in other books mostly for the fact that the bulk of them are pretty recent publications. That said, I recognized them from her podcasts.
I didn't find answers to questions people might have who've experienced a different read-aloud history with their families than the author does. She cautions not to stop reading aloud when your kids can read on their own. Ok, but what if you have? How do you get back to it when your self-readers resist? Or what if you've neglected reading aloud since then and now you have teenagers who completely reject the idea of a parent reading aloud to them now that they are in high school? These are answers I just don't think she has since it's not in her realm of experience.
I don't mean to sound super negative about the book. It is a good one that many families will find worthwhile. There are helpful tips and counsel from which even seasoned read-aloud families can learn. It just had too much of some things and not enough of others to make it one that I will purchase or come back to read again. If I were going to choose one book on this topic, it would be the one by Trelease.
July 2, 2018
My first purchase of 2018 for myself! I decided to get around my book-buying ban by calling this a "homeschool resource" because I was assured that I'd be referring to it again and again, so it's more like a reference book. I imagine my enablers will be happy to know that they are correct. Sarah Mackenzie's wisdom from her podcast on this topic has been artfully distilled down into this book, to the tune of me wanting to buy 10 more copies so I just have them on hand for everyone I know. Especially the people who ask me about how I got my own kiddos so addicted to reading and how they want to change the reading culture in their own homes but don't know how. (What? You don't have these conversations??). Sarah has all kinds of knowledge as to how to incorporate reading, how to get your kids to fall in love with reading, what to do with audiobooks or late readers, why it's important to keep reading aloud even to your teens, what to do with fidgety listeners, and even how to ask good questions about the books your kids are reading in order to create a book club culture in your home. Finally, book lists at the end (20 titles for each of 4 age ranges) will enable you to start building your personal collection in a meaningful and intentional way. The whole thing is just gold.
March 7, 2020
“No one will ever say, no matter how good a parent he or she was, “I think I spent too much time with my children when they were young.” ― Sarah Mackenzie
My biggest regret is that I did not spend more time reading to my little ones when I was a mom. I can make it up to my grandchildren. This is an easy fast read and well worth it. Four stars.
My biggest regret is that I did not spend more time reading to my little ones when I was a mom. I can make it up to my grandchildren. This is an easy fast read and well worth it. Four stars.
March 26, 2018
This was SO good and inspiring. I don't feel the need to own every book I read, but this is one I will absolutely return to again and again.
Full review to come.
Full review to come.
August 30, 2021
So yes indeed, after the first three chapters of Sarah Mackenzie’s The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids I was rapidly realising that I was just not at all finding the author’s text either sufficiently interesting or with in any manner personally appealing reading suggestions. And therefore I also very quickly decided to abandon and to shelve The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids as yet another DNF book. And no, I actually do not in fact think that The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids is in any fashion inappropriate and I do equally consider that author Sarah Mackenzie’s ideas and propositions might work very well and successfully for some and perhaps even for many families, but sorry, JUST NOT AT ALL FOR ME as an individual.
For while I certainly do have some very sweet and fond memories of my mother and my grandmothers reading aloud to me from when I was three to six years of age (mostly picture books, fairy tales and some classic German children’s novels of the early to mid 20th century), as soon as I at the age of seven learned to read independently (taught at school), at home books became something to ALWAYS be enjoyed and savoured alone and by myself and generally also without input from either my parents or my siblings, yes, my introverted Mecca of total solitude and isolation. And as such, I certainly did and do see Sarah Mackenzie and her The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids as kind of rather potentially destroying this for me, making reading a collective family activity and no longer the individual pastime that I both cherished and equally very much required as a child (since I often found myself rather an alien within my family of origin and thus both adored and also needed my reading to be silent, individual and certainly and of course not a read-aloud).
And yes, that in The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids, Sarah Mackenzie textually demonstrates and suggests not only reading aloud to and with the family but of course also actively seems keen on promoting family book debates and discussions, for me as someone who has ever since I learned my letters been completely by myself (in my place of residence) whilst perusing and both enjoying and desperately needing this (often as necessary down time away from my family and distanced from their to and for me often not at all akin and alike attitudes and perspectives), I really have absolutely no wish to continue with The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids and to thus also on a very personal reading pleasure level only consider a two star rating.
For while I certainly do have some very sweet and fond memories of my mother and my grandmothers reading aloud to me from when I was three to six years of age (mostly picture books, fairy tales and some classic German children’s novels of the early to mid 20th century), as soon as I at the age of seven learned to read independently (taught at school), at home books became something to ALWAYS be enjoyed and savoured alone and by myself and generally also without input from either my parents or my siblings, yes, my introverted Mecca of total solitude and isolation. And as such, I certainly did and do see Sarah Mackenzie and her The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids as kind of rather potentially destroying this for me, making reading a collective family activity and no longer the individual pastime that I both cherished and equally very much required as a child (since I often found myself rather an alien within my family of origin and thus both adored and also needed my reading to be silent, individual and certainly and of course not a read-aloud).
And yes, that in The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids, Sarah Mackenzie textually demonstrates and suggests not only reading aloud to and with the family but of course also actively seems keen on promoting family book debates and discussions, for me as someone who has ever since I learned my letters been completely by myself (in my place of residence) whilst perusing and both enjoying and desperately needing this (often as necessary down time away from my family and distanced from their to and for me often not at all akin and alike attitudes and perspectives), I really have absolutely no wish to continue with The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids and to thus also on a very personal reading pleasure level only consider a two star rating.
December 24, 2019
I knew I’d appreciate and enjoy this book, but I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did. After all, I’d already read The Read Aloud Handbook! I am happy to say that it exceeded my expectations. It was warmly written, engaging, informative, inspiring, and so so encouraging! I got so many ideas to encourage reading aloud in our family, but beyond even that, it put my mind at ease about the disparities between how I imagine reading aloud to my kids will look verses how it actually looks. And her suggestions for books to read aloud are SPOT ON. I highly HIGHLY recommend this book for parents and anyone who loves the kids in their life.
I feel like I should mention that this book has elements of faith woven in because it appears some readers don’t know that going in? As a Christian myself, and a parent who is interested in that aspect of my children’s lives, I found it a lovely addition to the book, but hardly preachy. I obviously can’t speak for everyone, but I feel even people who aren’t Christians and don’t care about faith would get a great deal out of the book. But if you don’t want anything regarding faith to appear in your reading life, now you know.
I feel like I should mention that this book has elements of faith woven in because it appears some readers don’t know that going in? As a Christian myself, and a parent who is interested in that aspect of my children’s lives, I found it a lovely addition to the book, but hardly preachy. I obviously can’t speak for everyone, but I feel even people who aren’t Christians and don’t care about faith would get a great deal out of the book. But if you don’t want anything regarding faith to appear in your reading life, now you know.
March 26, 2019
Love, love, love this book! Packed full of insight, wisdom, and love.
So many useful tips for connecting with children through the sharing of books and ideas.
A few important takeaways, paraphrased:
Books help us communicate our love to our children by showing them we care about what they are reading and thinking.
Sharing books opens a door to meaningful conversations about important feelings, topics, issues.
Reading promotes empathy for others by helping our children feel another person’s pain or joy.
I think this is my new top favorite book about books!! I’m sure I will return to it again and again!
So many useful tips for connecting with children through the sharing of books and ideas.
A few important takeaways, paraphrased:
Books help us communicate our love to our children by showing them we care about what they are reading and thinking.
Sharing books opens a door to meaningful conversations about important feelings, topics, issues.
Reading promotes empathy for others by helping our children feel another person’s pain or joy.
I think this is my new top favorite book about books!! I’m sure I will return to it again and again!
February 7, 2018
"A good story gives shape to the human experience and touches us in our innermost places. It picks us up where we are and leaves us somewhere else- changed, transformed, more awake and alive and aware. We leave better off then we came. Richer." Those are Sarah Mackenzie’s words from Chapter 6 of her new book The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids, but they aptly express my own feelings of the gift her new book brings to the reader. This book is a resource manual, a whisper of encouragement, and an inspiring story of her personal read-aloud journey. Yes, there are wonderful booklists for various ages, hand selected for their ability to be read-aloud. Oh, but it is so much more than just a list of books! Sarah sets forth her own reasons for why reading aloud is important for children and families while supporting it with research. For me though, the most treasured aspect of this book are the questions, the conversations she helps you as reader, parent, educator have with children and young adults. Conversations that train thinking, inspire compassion, and widen the world for the next generation far better than any comprehension test could ever accomplish. Conversations that build a relationship where beauty is shared, hard questions can be asked, and truth is ever present.
I received a free ARC copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I received a free ARC copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
June 5, 2018
Man, I loved this book! To quote Anne, I’m pretty sure Sarah & I would be “kindred spirits” in real life! My biggest takeaways:
1. Reading aloud with your kids, no matter their age, is one of the best ways to show you truly care and prioritize them, bc in that moment you are putting everything aside & focusing on nothing but connecting with them through the story.
2. It doesn’t have to be perfect or for very long, just do it. 10 minutes every other day is all it takes to start the habit.
3. Doing it first thing in the morning or adding it to something you already do consistently, like snack time or meal times, makes it so much easier to start & stick with it.
Great read, can’t recommend it enough!!!!
1. Reading aloud with your kids, no matter their age, is one of the best ways to show you truly care and prioritize them, bc in that moment you are putting everything aside & focusing on nothing but connecting with them through the story.
2. It doesn’t have to be perfect or for very long, just do it. 10 minutes every other day is all it takes to start the habit.
3. Doing it first thing in the morning or adding it to something you already do consistently, like snack time or meal times, makes it so much easier to start & stick with it.
Great read, can’t recommend it enough!!!!
January 7, 2019
I thoroughly enjoyed this motivating book on reading aloud to your family! I love how this author is so passionate about this subject yet very balanced. My favorite parts were on the benefits of fiction/fantasy as I sometimes feel guilty for reading something that I didn’t think was “bettering” myself or my knowledge. This book broadened my view of the benefits of fiction. Also I loved the section on asking questions for conversation with your kids and How to build deep thinkers and make connections with them which can then lead to other areas of conversation and growth. The book list in the back isn’t as big as I was expecting but I like that’s it’s all focused on read-aloud books. Highly recommend for every family!!🤓 Let’s get Reading!!❤️
March 27, 2018
This is the first book I’ve binge read in a long long time. I knew a lot about the importance of reading aloud to kids and this is already part of our family culture, but the book is really really good at reminding me why I do this and gave me some practical tips for doing it. Plus, I need reminders to keep me going, otherwise I get bogged down in the day to day, forgetting why I am doing what I am doing. A great reminder and inspiration. And of course, book recommendations 😉
April 7, 2018
Yes, I finished this book in one day.
The beauty in this book lies in its appeal to parents of children of ALL ages. I found myself greatly encouraged to continue reading aloud to my teens.
Sarah’s simple - yet elegant - writing style make this book a joy to devour in one setting, or to pick up in a few minutes each day as you have time.
The book lists alone make this book worth it, but the rest of the book is just as good.
ALL parents need to read this book!
The beauty in this book lies in its appeal to parents of children of ALL ages. I found myself greatly encouraged to continue reading aloud to my teens.
Sarah’s simple - yet elegant - writing style make this book a joy to devour in one setting, or to pick up in a few minutes each day as you have time.
The book lists alone make this book worth it, but the rest of the book is just as good.
ALL parents need to read this book!
May 22, 2018
This was mostly good and easily digested, but I think Sarah Mackenzie is a bit of a book snob. She recalls the memory of taking her one-year-old daughter to the library and leaving empty handed because there was nothing "worthy" of their choosing there. She also describes early readers as "boring" and recommends not reading them aloud. I understand that she desires deep, meaningful experiences with her kids while reading aloud, but credit needs to be given to the parents in the trenches reading the same two Moana books, Horrid Henry and Captain Underpants night after night. And yes, yes that is me. I do appreciate her insistence that every family, regardless of schedules, can make time for reading every single day. Even if it is just for ten minutes and the kids are only half paying attention, it counts and it matters. A lot of her book recommendations are "classics," but there were some current titles and all contained a good representation of diverse characters. I'd definitely recommend this to other parents, but with my own personal caveats attached.
April 21, 2018
I am not a parent, but I am a former elementary education major who can just never resist keeping up with what's going on in the world of kidlit (as well as person who loves books, who can never resist what Sarah Mackenzie says about books and reading). Some of her questions to ask children are surprisingly astute for my grown-up book clubs.
Her book lists gave me great ideas for gifts for friends with kiddos. I think I might declare this summer a summer of KidLit, because it's been too long since I've dipped my toes in the classics like Wind in the Willows and Little House that really never grow old.
Her book lists gave me great ideas for gifts for friends with kiddos. I think I might declare this summer a summer of KidLit, because it's been too long since I've dipped my toes in the classics like Wind in the Willows and Little House that really never grow old.
May 2, 2018
I devoured this book. Half parenting advice (told in the most down-to-earth and encouraging tone), and half delightful conversation about good books, this sweet read will help you love reading with your kids, from birth through the teen years. I will be revisiting this in the future.
September 22, 2018
Awesome! How did I get more books for my TBR list while reading this book? Great resource for other books and loved the practical examples of why reading aloud is so important.
January 9, 2025
Glad to be a read-aloud family. 💕✨
September 4, 2018
I’m shocked I actually finished reading this. I kept wanting to enjoy it since in theory I love the book as a concept. It also feels like there SHOULD be enough content for a good book about the value of reading together as a family. It wasn’t in here though.
Also, Christianity features HEAVILY in this book, and yet the publisher made a strategic decision to not mention that anywhere in the descriptions of the book (outside of some small print above the barcode). As a result, rather than being a Christian book for Christians it seems to be a family book proselytizing Christianity on its readers. That alone gets it one star for me.
I also find it interesting that there was no talk about read alouds including anyone other than the children and mother or audio books. What about library programs? What about the OTHER PARENT? I believe the authors partner was mentioned in passing once? And not in regards to the content of the book I don’t think. If you want to write a book about your family and how you value reading, doesn’t it need to talk about the whole family?
I wanted so much more from this, perhaps Christian families (or should I say Moms) will find something that I don’t.
Also, Christianity features HEAVILY in this book, and yet the publisher made a strategic decision to not mention that anywhere in the descriptions of the book (outside of some small print above the barcode). As a result, rather than being a Christian book for Christians it seems to be a family book proselytizing Christianity on its readers. That alone gets it one star for me.
I also find it interesting that there was no talk about read alouds including anyone other than the children and mother or audio books. What about library programs? What about the OTHER PARENT? I believe the authors partner was mentioned in passing once? And not in regards to the content of the book I don’t think. If you want to write a book about your family and how you value reading, doesn’t it need to talk about the whole family?
I wanted so much more from this, perhaps Christian families (or should I say Moms) will find something that I don’t.
January 2, 2021
I read this immediately following Jim Trelease's The Read-Aloud Handbook, and I was hoping I would find more of the same kind of thing, and maybe less dry.
Well, I wouldn't call this book dry. It was conversational and it did have some good moments, but overall it felt like most books by bloggers-turned-authors: fluffy and too light on the meat.
There just wasn't much substance, especially for the target audience, which is probably people who already buy into the value of reading aloud. And I didn't notice this until after I picked it up from the library, but it's actually categorized as a Christian Life book, not an educational book. I felt like this was...sneaky? Or unexpected at least. It's great that the author is so open talking about her beliefs, but it wasn't what I was looking for.
Well, I wouldn't call this book dry. It was conversational and it did have some good moments, but overall it felt like most books by bloggers-turned-authors: fluffy and too light on the meat.
There just wasn't much substance, especially for the target audience, which is probably people who already buy into the value of reading aloud. And I didn't notice this until after I picked it up from the library, but it's actually categorized as a Christian Life book, not an educational book. I felt like this was...sneaky? Or unexpected at least. It's great that the author is so open talking about her beliefs, but it wasn't what I was looking for.
April 12, 2018
Sometimes when I sit down to write, I wonder, "What's the point of writing if I'm just preaching to the choir?" Then I read a book for which I am the choir...and I remember how much I need reminders and encouragement and inspiration even about the topics dearest to my heart. The Read-Aloud Family is one of those books.
Sarah Mackenzie may not have had to sell me on the idea of reading aloud to my children as a way of fostering connection and delight...but she did have a few things to teach me, even so. I highly recommend this!
Sarah Mackenzie may not have had to sell me on the idea of reading aloud to my children as a way of fostering connection and delight...but she did have a few things to teach me, even so. I highly recommend this!
February 5, 2021
I’d say I’ve read and collected quite a few books “in this category” and so anticipated this would be much like them. And yet I somehow found this such a fresh and inspiring read! Even after all these years (and 20+ years of homeschooling), this was a compelling read with new recommendations I’ve not come across before. Top marks!!
January 25, 2023
Every parent absolutely must read this book. I was moved between laughing at the antics of trying desperately to start reading to my kids while everything went wrong around us, to tearing up over the conviction that the benefits are Just. So. Worth it!!!
July 19, 2025
Fantastic! I’m so inspired and ready to go. I had never thought much about the importance of reading aloud and I’m pumped to put it into practice.
July 14, 2022
HIGHLY recommend to any parent who wants to raise wonderful, educated, empathetic, kind, intelligent, and humble children. The book lists based on ages at the end of the book were overwhelming in the best way possible. Read it now.
January 29, 2018
From host of the Read-Aloud Revival podcast Sarah Mackenzie, The Read Aloud Family is one mom’s appeal to the heart of all parents on the primary importance of creating a read aloud culture in families. Written in a voice that sounds like a conversation over the kitchen table with a friend, the book is organized into three sections: the first explaining why reading aloud with children is so vital, the second dispelling myths and giving practical tips and suggestions, and the last part of the book containing lists of recommended read-alouds for different age groups. Although there is certainly reiteration of predecessors like Jim Trelease and Gladys Hunt, Mackenzie’s book adds a distinctive nuance to this idea and one that may be more broadly appealing to the average parent who may be intimidated by or need a more practical and bite-size way to enter into a family culture of reading aloud. Sarah’s book focuses on the importance of this habit in developing empathy, broadening worldview, expanding imagination, and growing in love for God and others. But more than anything Sarah wants to help parents and children find joy and meaningful connection with each other through books. I found the list of engagin questions to ask your children when reading together especially helpful. Additionally, the booklists, which are always a favorite of mine, draw more heavily on contemporary books (because as the author notes lists of classics abound) that have been carefully selected for their broad appeal as books to read aloud. Having read several books on the same theme, I was happy to find new ideas, great questions, and additional books that will help enrich our family’s love and enjoyment of each other and the books we share.
I received a free ARC copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I received a free ARC copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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