Whether you're a parent, grandparent, or aunt/uncle/friend to younger kids...this email is for you.

My (Rachel's) three kids are all teenagers now, but I spent many, many summers with preschool and elementary kids at home.

Why Read Aloud to Kids?

As a trained English teacher and former children's ministry director, I could see first hand the positive impact of reading from early on.

So, I always wanted to use summer months to help my children's minds stay stimulated and read even more books together. What I found over the years was that reading aloud...

• Was a special time of bonding together. This may be the best benefit on here.
• Helped our kids broaden their vocabulary and imaginations.
• Taught them to value reading.
• Helped them become better writers and thinkers as they heard good children's literature and we talked about it.

My husband and I always tell younger moms and dads that we regret some things we did (and didn't do) when we were in their shoes, but reading aloud to our kids will never be one of them!

5 Read-Alouds I'll Never Get Rid Of

Below, I'm sharing 5 well-written, engaging read-aloud books or authors that I can recommend with no hesitation. My husband and I actually enjoyed reading these to the kids. No, Dog Man did NOT make the cut--sorry/not-sorry 3rd grade boys. :)

For Toddlers and Preschoolers

1. We own a large collection of this author's board books--they are tattered, well-loved, and even quoted by our teens to this day. This collection is a great one to start with, but it's missing our very favorite book by this author.

2. Potty training was one of my least favorite parenting responsibilities. Anybody relate?! But I love this author so much and saw she wrote a book that might help young parents! At a minimum, grab this book by her (perfect for a birthday gift). We still laugh about this one to this day. Ages 3 to 103, ha.

For Early Elementary

3. Another Classic Beginner Collection - 53% off right! What kid doesn't want to imagine having to survive on their own? These older books are worth owning! I think we read ALL of this extensive collection eventually. Older preschoolers and younger elementary will enjoy these as a read-aloud.

For Elementary & Beyond

4. This Complete Collection - 50% off right now! Please, please, please either read aloud or listen to these books with your kids (the Judi Dench audio version is amazing). I promise you will enjoy these classics just as much as your kids do. We still make references to the witty humor in these stories to this day! For ages 5 to 105!

5. Another Classic Collection - 50% off! Oh my heart! We love these so much! Read aloud as a family and then watch the available movies together.

📚 What books have you enjoyed reading aloud to the children in your life?

I'd love to know!

If you found this email helpful, please let us know. We are here to serve you!

Sincerely,

Rachel