That’s right … Kate DiCamillo is back! And what she has to say is so good, you might find yourself listening more than once.
In this new episode, Kate and I chat about her newest book, Beverly, Right Here, and we also discuss why parents and teachers so often try to quantify what our kids are getting from books.
We have some ideas about how we could better help kids develop their own robust reading life.
I also answer a listener question about how to read aloud with highly visual kids (kids who really want pictures to go along with their books).
In this episode, you’ll hear:
- why the kinds of questions we ask our kids about books matter
- how to keep joy in reading
- what Kate really wants readers to get from her books
More free resources and booklists
Get the best episodes and reources
from the Read-Aloud Revival
Listener Guide
Use the time stamps below to skip to any part of the podcast:
1:04 | The 31-day challenge is coming! |
3:09 | Question: Got tips for reading aloud with visual kids? |
5:59 | Try biographies |
7:47 | Kate DiCamillo is here! |
9:37 | Keeping the joy in reading |
10:02 | Beverly, Right Here |
13:02 | Helping kids read well |
17:15 | A careful distinction |
18:16 | How symbolism can trip us up |
19:48 | ‘Their heart on the page with my heart’ |
23:30 | Rereading Charlotte |
26:19 | Bridge to Terabithia |
29:50 | Easiest and hardest books to write |
33:10 | ‘Mercy is falling’ 🐖 🎶 |
34:13 | Which ranchero are you? |
36:18 | Let the kids speak |
Links from this episode:
- RAR #121: Kate DiCamillo on Reading Aloud for Connection
- RAR 31-Day Challenge
- RAR #137: Why Your Kids Love Graphic Novels (and which we like best!)
- RAR #82: Why Fidgeting is a Good Sign (and what brain science has to say about reading aloud), Dr. Michael Gurian
- RAR #122: Picture Book Biographies We Love
- Quiz: Are you a Raymie, a Louisiana or a Beverly?
Quotes to remember:
“I want their heart on the page along with my heart on the page. My heart is there on the page, but it doesn’t become manifest until their heart is there on the page with mine. ” – Kate DiCamillo
Books from this episode:
Charlotte’s Web
FROM SARAH
By the wonderful E.B. White, a touching tale of friendship, character and love, with charming illustrations by Garth Williams. Your kids will hang on every word—there's a reason this book is a classic! (psst... get out the Kleenex)
FROM THE PUBLISHER
E. B. White's Newbery Honor Book is a tender novel of friendship, love, life, and death that will continue to be enjoyed by generations to come. It contains illustrations by Garth Williams, the acclaimed illustrator of E. B. White's Stuart Little and Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series, among many other books.
More info →
Matilda
*Description from Amazon: “The Trunchbull” is no match for Matilda!Matilda is a sweet, exceptional young girl, but her parents think she's just a nuisance. She expects school to be different but there she has to face Miss Trunchbull, a kid-hating terror of a headmistress. When Matilda is attacked by the Trunchbull she su...
More info →Because of Winn-Dixie
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
India Opal is at the grocery store when she makes a new friend -- a dog she names Winn Dixie (after the store, of course!). Winn Dixie helps Opal navigate Naomi, Florida, and find the inner courage to learn about her mom who left when she was 3.
More info →The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
From the wonderful Kate DiCamillo, the story of a rabbit who was very loved, until he was lost … An important message is delivered in this sweet story.
More info →Bridge to Terabithia
**Description from Amazon: The story starts out simply enough: Jess Aarons wants to be the fastest boy in the fifth grade--he wants it so bad he can taste it. He's been practicing all summer, running in the fields around his farmhouse until he collapses in a sweat. Then a tomboy named Leslie Burke moves into the farmhouse...
More info →Bud, Not Buddy
FROM SARAH:
"It's funny how ideas are, in a lot of ways they're just like seeds. Both of them start real, real small and then... woop, zoop, sloop... before you can say Jack Robinson, they've gone and grown a lot bigger than you ever thought they could." This is one of my top recommendations for teens. An absolutely unforgettable read-aloud.
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
It's 1936, in Flint, Michigan. Times may be hard, and ten-year-old Bud may be a motherless boy on the run, but Bud's got a few things going for him...
More info →Mercy Watson Boxed Set: Adventures of a Porcine Wonder
Oh, Mercy! Pig out on the first six adventures in the New York Times best-selling series, all tucked together in one enticing box--the perfect gift!Foiling a robber, driving a car, squeezing into a tutu--is there anything the porcine wonder won't do in her single-minded pursuit of treats, buttered ...
More info →The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread
A brave mouse, a covetous rat, a wishful serving girl, and a princess named Pea come together in this award-winning tale of adventure, hope, and light. Don't miss the Author Access where Kate DiCamillo answers questions about this book in RAR Premium.
More info →Maniac Magee
**Description from Amazon: A Newbery Medal winning modern classic about a racially divided small town and a boy who runs. Jeffrey Lionel "Maniac" Magee might have lived a normal life if a freak accident hadn't made him an orphan. After living with his unhappy and uptight aunt and uncle for eight years, he decides to run--and ...
More info →Raymie Nightingale
**Description from Amazon: A 2016 National Book Award Finalist! Two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo returns to her roots with a moving, masterful story of an unforgettable summer friendship. Raymie Clarke has come to realize that everything, absolutely everything, depends on her. And she has a plan. If Raymie can win...
More info →Louisiana’s Way Home
**Description from Amazon: From two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo comes a story of discovering who you are — and deciding who you want to be.When Louisiana Elefante’s granny wakes her up in the middle of the night to tell her that the day of reckoning has arrived and they have to leave home immediately, Louisiana i...
More info →Beverly, Right Here
Revisiting once again the world of Raymie Nightingale, two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo turns her focus to the tough-talking, inescapably tenderhearted Beverly. Beverly put her foot down on the gas. They went faster still. This was what Beverly wanted — what she always wanted. To get ...
More info →3 Adventures on Deckawoo Drive: 3 Books in 1 (Tales from Deckawoo Drive)
**Description from Amazon: The first three tales of Kate DiCamillo’s hilarious and heartfelt Deckawoo Drive series are collected in a convenient, affordable bind-up.Dive into a spin-off series starring favorite characters from Kate DiCamillo’s New York Times best-selling Mercy Watson books. Whether it’s bumbling cowboy ...
More info →More free resources and booklists
Get the best episodes and reources
from the Read-Aloud Revival