Comments on: Thinking Aloud About Reading Aloud

By: Leigh Ann

Leigh Ann — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:43:05 +0000

Listening to stories is time well spent indeed. I’ve been listening to books on CD’s in he car lately, and now I don’t want to drive without one. Waiting for someone to hurry up and get into the car to go somewhere? No problem. Just turn on the story. Arriving too early? A happy moment to listen a little more.

If only I could figure out how to download a book onto my Phillips audio thing.

By: Kay

Kay — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 18:46:49 +0000

It astonishes me how hungey we humans - all of us - are for story. T.V., video games, movies, theater sell story - and how eagerly we buy! But there is even more power in story read one to another.

I read aloud to my family in the car and always have. They prefe it to taped stories (and my stomach doesn’t object.) I visited one school this year where community volunteers come in early to simply read aloud to kids before school starts. At another school, senior citizens are matched one-on-one to socially and emotionally needy kids. Thair job? Simply to read aloud to them during lunch hour. Perhaps they’ll play a game, share a cookie and a laugh, but being read to is the main event. My son helps coordinate a “book group” for adults with special problems. The simply pass a book around, taking turns reading it aloud to each other. That is enough. (They judt finished Harry Potter # 1, will read Dewey next)

Watching story hunger expressed all around makes me feel humble to be among the story spinners. This is a most ancient and profound calling.

By: debbie

debbie — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:15:31 +0000

I love this, Kate. New technologies aren’t always evil!

My husband & I were driving back to CT from Acadia last week, a seven hour drive. We did chat for a few hours (!), but then decided to listen to A MOVEABLE FEAST. It was great listening, but it was also really wonderful that we were actually able to talk to each other about the book as it went along. Or chuckle at some line or another, or whatever - respond to little things that we wouldn’t necessarily remember to mention had we each read the book as a book, in our own little corners.

By: alice

alice — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:10:23 +0000

My fondest childhood memories are of my father reading to me and my siblings before bed. We read and re-read books, to the point that my father could recite our favorites. Years later, when my youngest daughter was two, I dug up A Fly Went By by Mike McClintock at my parents’ house. As my daughter snuggled into my lap in anticipation, and we turned to the first page, my father began, from across the room. “I sat by the lake. I looked at the sky, And as I looked, A fly went by.” He had the warmest smile!