Sarah (00:00):

Every year at the Youth Media Awards, the American Library Association honors books that released in the previous year that made an outstanding impact on the world. Today, the Read-Aloud Revival team is here to break it all down for you. We’re going to talk about our favorites from the awards that were just given here at the beginning of 2021 and spoiler alert. We’re also going to tell you about a few of the books we wish had won. Don’t miss it, it’s all happening right here on the Read-Aloud Revival.

 

(00:39):

You’re listening to the Read-Aloud Revival podcast. I’m your host, Sarah Mackenzie, homeschooling mama of six and author of The Read-Aloud Family and Teaching from Rest. As parents were overwhelmed with a lot to do, it feels like every child needs something different. The good news is, you are the best person to help your kids learn and grow, and home is the best place to fall in love with books. This podcast has been downloaded 7 million times in over 160 countries. So if you want to nurture warm relationships, while also raising kids who love to read, you’re in good company. We’ll help your kids fall in love with books, and we’ll help you fall in love with homeschooling. Let’s get started.

 

(01:31):

Each year, the American Library Association, or ALA for short, honors books and presents Awards to standout titles that were published the year before. These awards just took place in January, and I’ve got the team here that chattered a few of the winners and a few books we wish had been winners. All of the books we’re talking about on today’s show are of course in the show notes at readaloudrevival.com/174. So be sure to check that out. And you can always head there to refresh your memory about the books we’re recommending today. We’re going to start throwing titles around and you don’t have to stop stirring the soup or folding the laundry or walking the dog or whatever you’re doing right now to jot them down, we did that for you. Readaloudrevival.com/174.

 

(02:21):

So I’ve got Kortney and Kara with me here today. Kortney is our Read-Aloud Revival Community Director. She’s a poet and a homeschooling mama of three. And she’s responsible for so much of what happens in our RAR premium. And she’s also responsible for almost every good decision made here at Read-Aloud Revival. Welcome back to the show, Kortney.

 

Kortney (02:42):

Thank you so much. Thank you for that generous introduction. It is very good to be back.

 

Sarah (02:46):

Kara is here as well. She’s the Read-Aloud Revival Podcast Manager and she makes so much of the magic happen right here on the show. She’s a writer and a podcaster and a homeschooling mom of two sweet kiddos. And when you ever hear me say, “I’ll put that in the show notes.” Or, “We’ll have to talk to so and so on the podcast.” I usually mean, Kara, we’ll put that in the show notes. And Kara, can you please help me figure out how to talk to so and so? I don’t know where we’d be without her. Kara, welcome back to the show.

 

Kara (03:15):

Thank you so much. I am really excited to talk about these books.

 

Sarah (03:19):

Well, we love watching these awards together. It feels a little like watching the Oscars for books except these awards happen at 0 dark 30 in the morning, really they need to move this award ceremony to the evening. I don’t know why we have to all get up so early to watch these live. But this year, we watched them together from our own homes. We were just texting madly with each other through the whole thing.

 

Kara (03:44):

I remember when we went there live, it was very bright and early. We all stood there with our coffee and tea cups as we found our seats. We went a couple of years back and it was so much fun. The librarians from the various committees, they dress up and they stand up as their categories announced. And it’s all just like you said, it’s like the Oscars for books. It’s enough to give any book lover total goosebumps. The awards include several that you’ve perhaps heard of including the Newbery, and that’s for the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. And then the Caldecott, which is awarded to the artists of the most distinguished American picture book for children. And the Coretta Scott King book award given to outstanding African-American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African-American culture and universal human values.

 

Kortney (04:40):

There are also other words that might not be as well known, like the Pura Belpre award that’s named after the first Latino librarian in the New York Public Library. In fact, there’s a fabulous book called Planting Stories, about Pura Belpre on the RAR picture book biography list. Like Sarah said, we all gathered from our homes to watch together, the texts were flying. We were so excited to see familiar books honored and even better to learn about new ones. Of course, we might have some opinions about books we wish had gotten some award love. So let’s talk about all of these books right now.

 

Sarah (05:16):

Yeah, one of the things we noticed, I think we were all excited about this is how many picture book biographies are named to be awards this year. Of course, that made us all kinds of happy because as longtime listeners know, we love ourselves a good picture book biography around here. And we have a great ever expanding list you can download for free of picture book biographies, categorized by time period and by category. Anyway, you can hear us talk about why picture book biographies are one of our favorite resources for sharing history with our kids in Episode 164. You can also grab that list at readaloudrevival.com/164.

 

(05:59):

But I thought we could start our conversation with one of those picture book biographies that won some ALA award love this year. This one’s called Itzhak, a boy who loved the violin. It’s written by Tracy Newman, illustrated by Abigail Halpin, and it won a Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience. So this one tells the story of Itzhak Perlman, who’s an American-Israeli violinist who was paralyzed by polio as a young child, but then grew up to dazzle the world with his violin.

 

Kara (06:36):

Oh, absolutely gorgeous illustrations, make the music move off the page in this book. That’s wonderful. It’s wonderful to look at, but I had no idea the work that Itzhak Perlman had done to make buildings more accessible for people with disabilities, and the work that he has done with children with disabilities. So I think this is absolutely a story I’m glad to know more about and it’s one of those books that will really help our children build empathy.

 

Kortney (07:07):

I’m glad that you mentioned the illustrations Kara. I know Abigail Halpin’s work but I didn’t really know that she was a picture book Illustrator. I know that she’s done magazine work and design fabric and embroidery patterns. On her website, she’s got a very cute little project that ties into this book, Itzhak, and a video of herself. I think she’s even wearing a dress that she might have sewn herself made out of fabric that she designed. So she does it all, it’s worth finding on her website.

 

Sarah (07:34):

As you’re talking I’m thinking that sounds like the makings of an RAR Family Book Club. I have been a fan of Abigail for sure. I found her because she’s illustrated the Anne of Green Gables chapter books that were written by Kellie George. We have those on our shelves I just love them and I really like her illustration style. So I noticed as I read Itzhak. The use of color is just really beautiful. And it’s an excellent picture book, pretty much all around. We’re going to have to add it to our list of favorite picture book biographies. We did say it was ever expanding.

 

Kara (08:09):

And we were so excited to see one of our favorite authors honored this year, Jane Yolen, who has joined us in RAR Premium before for our Family Book Club about our moon. Jane was a Sydney Taylor Book Award silver medalist, an award which honors books that authentically portrayed the Jewish experience for her new book, Miriam at the River.

 

Kortney (08:30):

This book tells the ancient story of baby Moses being placed in the basket, floated down the Nile River in order to save his life. In this telling of the story, the river, the plants, the animals become characters in the story too. And Jane Yolen is poetry, it’s so beautiful, spare, lyrical. My favorite lines come as Miriam is placing the baby in the basket in the water, just listen, “I say a quick blessing over him. For he is so small, so much at risk. I give him a sister’s kiss.”

 

Sarah (09:13):

I Just love this book. Kortney, I think you had raved about it before I saw it. Had you seen it before the awards or?

 

Kortney (09:19):

No, I’d never heard of it.

 

Sarah (09:20):

Okay, I love that. Okay. I’m going to be permanently adding this one to our family’s bookshelf. That kind of really speaks to the power of these awards, because I hadn’t heard of it before, the words either. It had flown totally under my radar, even with as much attention as I paid for what’s coming out each year. And we all pay lots of attention to that. And of course, we’re paying attention to what Jane Yolen is coming out with, who’s not, if anyone can keep up with her anyway. But I am so happy that this book won an award because then we got to discover it. So that’s the power of these awards, is shining light on some books that we might not have heard of otherwise. But I agree between Jane Yolen’s really lyrical text, and then I noticed that gorgeous oranges and reds in the illustrations they really stuck out to me. So I definitely think Miriam at the River, that’s definitely one not to miss.

 

Kortney (10:10):

Next, can we talk about Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks? It’s illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera, written by Suzanne Slade, and it won the king illustrator honor. Now, Gwendolyn Brooks was a celebrated poet from Chicago from the middle of the 20th century. And the book as a whole is wonderful. But again, it’s the illustrations that really pulled me in, there’s an aliveness and a vibrancy to the acrylic paintings done by Cozbi A. Cabrera. When you open the book up, you see plain pink and papers next to the edge of the dust jacket. So a narrow painting of a little girl next to a wide expansive pink. Something about that juxtaposition really struck me. It felt like this is how it feels to write a poem.

 

Sarah (10:55):

Oh, wow.

 

Kortney (10:56):

And like the best picture book biographies, it’s got great endnotes, it’s got an extensive bibliography, so that instead of ending as the book closes, this story is really just beginning.

 

Sarah (11:08):

I love that. I mean, like that feels like an invitation for rabbit trails. But I haven’t seen this one yet. So I can’t wait to get my hands on it. Now, have you gotten a chance to see it, Kara?

 

Kara (11:16):

No, I haven’t. I’m hoping to get to see it soon, though. Because I know Kortney was a big fan of this book before it even was announced that it was an award winner, right?

 

Kortney (11:25):

Yeah. So I was really happy that it got some attention.

 

Sarah (11:28):

That’s always fun when you’re watching the awards, and a book that you love shows up. I remember the year before last or two years ago when we were at the awards and Jonathan Auxier, Sweep, won in the Sydney Taylor category. And I felt like I was about to leap out of my chair. I was like, I know that book. I felt like one of your friends is getting it. I mean, that is true. Actually, one of my friends really did get an award.

 

Kortney (11:55):

I was going to say I kind of felt like I won.

 

Sarah (11:57):

That’s better. Yeah, that’s more like it. That’s how proud I was.

 

Kara (12:03):

Well, that’s kind of how I felt about The Cat Man of Aleppo that was honored, because this is a story I’ve been following for a long time. The Cat Man of Aleppo, illustrated by Yuko Shimizu, written by Irene Latham and Kariim Shamsi-Basha won a Caldecott Honor for its beautiful illustrations. And I knew this story and the illustrations are truly powerful, they show so much emotion. And this just gives us a way to learn about the world. And again, helps us to walk a mile in another shoes. so powerfully displays the difference that one person, one heart, can make in the world.

 

Kortney (12:42):

Yeah, as you can imagine, there are lots of cats in this book.

 

Sarah (12:45):

I can imagine why Kara likes it then.

 

Kara (12:47):

Because there’s a picture where he’s surrounded by cats, and it reminds me of me every morning.

 

Sarah (12:57):

We’re going to let you marry a cat.

 

Kara (12:57):

[inaudible 00:12:57] food.

 

Sarah (12:57):

Yeah. I mean, they are in the book too.

 

Kortney (13:02):

That each cat has its own personality, you can tell. Like you can tell the really feisty ones and the ones that are hanging back. And so I like that, there’s attention to the personality of all of these cats. In 2018 Kariim, one of the authors of this book, traveled back to Syria, and Irene Latham collected wordless books for him to distribute to children there. We shared this project in the Read-Aloud Revival Premium Forum, and our community had the opportunity to donate books.

 

Sarah (13:29):

Okay, so Kortney, I remember that, of course, I remember that project, where we donated those wordless books, but I did not connect that this was Irene and this was Kariim, and that’s amazing. That’s awesome.

 

Kortney (13:40):

I was happy too. I want to mention another book that Irene Latham wrote in 2020, that also features a cat. There’s a ginger tom cat in the illustrations of Nine, a book of nonet poems. Before I read this book, I’d never heard of a nonet.

 

Sarah (13:59):

And you’re a poet.

 

Kortney (14:01):

I know. I mean, it’s not hard to find things that I don’t know about. But, I didn’t know about this. So don’t feel bad if you’ve not ever heard of nonet. It’s just a simple poetic form of nine lines. But each of Irene’s poems are also connected to nines thematically. So she’s got a poem about the ninth president, that’s one of my favorites, and one about Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. This is a wonderful book if your child or you feels a little intimidated by poetry. I bet that after you read this book, you might want to try your hand at writing a nonet. And you’ll be surprised at how the structure can free up your creativity. If you already love poetry, then you’re in for a treat because Irene is an excellent poet.

 

Sarah (14:43):

Yeah, you told me to get this book. So I did of course, because I always listen when you tell me what to do. And then I loved it so much. We decided to invite Irene to come to our RAR Premium. So she’s coming in April for national poetry month, and she’s going to teach us in a W.O.W Writers on Writing workshop about how to write a nonet poem. Using that book Nine as a guide, I’m pretty sure there might be a cello involved. I don’t know I’m really excited. It’s going to be fun, I can’t wait.

 

(15:13):

And then of course, now hearing you guys talk about The Cat Man of Aleppo. That’s another book, I’m sure we’re going to have to add to our list of picture book biographies. Here, we are rattling off some of our favorites that got mentioned. But of course, these are not even close to all of the books that won. We didn’t even touch on the novels or the Newbery winners. But you can see them all and learn more about them at the American Library Association website. And we’ll put a link to that in the show notes as well.

 

(15:58):

What else do we need to talk about today? We don’t have time to talk about all of them. But are there any other books that one that we need to shine a light on today?

 

Kara (16:06):

I wanted to talk about When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson, and Omar Mohammed. This is a graphic novel that won awards both for depicting the experience of living with disabilities. And it also won an audio book award.

 

Sarah (16:22):

Super interesting, right?

 

Kara (16:24):

Yeah, I was really curious, how do they turn a graphic novel into an audio book? But it turns out the audio is done by a full cast, that’s how they did it. And the story is so good. It completely makes sense after having read the book. Is the true story of Omar and his brother growing up in a refugee camp in Kenya, after being forced to flee their home in Somalia when Omar was just four years old. And he becomes the caregiver for his brother, who is nonverbal and has seizures. And they are continually searching for their mother from whom they’ve been separated for seven years at the beginning of the book.

 

(17:04):

I don’t want to give too much away, but I will say that faith, hope, perseverance are big themes of this book. And the back matter will really make the reading experience worth it. I finished it with tears in my eyes immediately handed it to one of my kids, because it ripped my heart into pieces and put it back together again. I do think this one is best for older tweens and teens because the subject matter is difficult. There are depictions of war. But I feel like this is one of those books that can change you, and you won’t be able to let it go.

 

Sarah (17:43):

You’re not the first person who said that to me. There’s another friend of mine mentioned really good things about this one. So I’m excited to read it. I haven’t gotten my hands on it yet. Kortney, have you read that one yet?

 

Kortney (17:54):

Yeah, I read. I got to see. I haven’t had it in my hands, I got to read the E-book version of the graphic novel. It’s wonderful. I love the relationship between the two boys. There’s a woman in the camp who’s their auntie who takes care of them, and she is just a star I think too, which is really wonderful. And then like Kara said, when you hear the end of the story, it’s sad. It’s wonderful.

 

Sarah (18:18):

Okay, I’m going to have to move it way up high on my to-be-read list. I was really intrigued by the book How We Got to the Moon by John Rocco, because it kept coming up during the awards. I haven’t seen it yet, have either of you?

 

Kara (18:33):

Yes, I was so intrigued, because I felt like we kept hearing it. For all these different awards, it was just getting all these mentions. It turns out that that recognition was absolutely well deserved, in my opinion, because this is the kind of book that my son used to just adore. He would curl up with nonfiction like this for hours. And it’s that kind of book done and it’s very fast. It reminds me a lot of David Macaulay’s books. And in fact, David Macaulay, who we’ve had on for other access, endorsed it saying, “This particular book is going to inspire future generations of problem solvers and dreamers, whether it is to venture back into space or to look more closely at the seemingly overwhelming challenges we confront right here on Earth. Nothing short of stunning.”

 

Sarah (19:24):

Words from David Macaulay.

 

Kara (19:26):

Yeah. And he knows how to do a nonfiction art format book like that. So for sure, the illustrations are so expressive, there’s so much detail. I feel like you could just read it over and over again and keep finding new little tidbits and things that if you have a child who’s interested in space travel and that kind of thing, they would just be able to keep finding new information. Can I share one of my favorite [crosstalk 00:19:54] book that I noticed when I was looking through it? On page 141, this is the kind of detail I’m talking about, “What they ate each day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Apollo 11. And so like on day one for breakfast, it’s peaches, bacon squares, eight, strawberry cubes four, grape drink and orange drink.” And something about that, and having access to that information just makes it feel so real to me. I just love it.

 

Kortney (20:25):

My kids just love this book. None of us are even really interested in space travel or the moon, so it wasn’t one of those books that I knew immediately they’re going to love. But like you said, it’s so well done. The illustrations are so wonderful. I said, you don’t have to read this book, just look at the pictures and read the captions, because that’s going to spark something. And then you’re going to go back and read the chapter that’s about that.

 

(20:50):

My 12 year old, he said his favorite part was the problem and solutions that were listed. And so they would list the problem, and then the things that they tried, and then what finally ended up to be the solution. And I thought that was such a great little way to do that to get him thinking like an engineer thinks, or like space scientist thinks, that there are problems and there are solutions. And you might have to try a few things, but you’re going get there.

 

Kara (21:16):

That just reminded me of something that I saw today about someone who was part of the two spacecraft landed on Mars. It’s from Ben Cichy, I think his name is, “I got a 2.4 GPA my first semester in college. Thought maybe I wasn’t cut out for engineering. Today, I’m landing two spacecraft on Mars, and designing one for the moon. STEM is hard for everyone. Grades ultimately aren’t what matters. Curiosity and persistence matter.” I think this book just really exemplifies that, that what matters most is that when you encounter one of those problems, you keep being creative, and you keep working on it in trying to solve it.

 

Sarah (21:51):

Oh, my goodness, will you take a screenshot of that, Kara, we can put it in the show notes, because I have a feeling that’s going to be something that a lot of parents are going to find very encouraging, and a lot of kids are going to find really encouraging to.

 

Kara (22:02):

Yes, for sure.

 

Kortney (22:13):

Okay, can we talk about some books that we wish would have gotten some love with the awards? I’m feeling there might be some opinions here. Who’s going first? I wonder.

 

Sarah (22:24):

I want to go first, I have opinions, capital O. So I can go, sure. I hate to say that a book should have won an award, like I know better than the awards committee. Okay, so One Little Bag: An Amazing Journey by Henry Cole. You guys have heard me talk about this book before. It’s a wordless. Like it’s up by Henry Cole. Most of its in black and white sketches, except for the tree at the very beginning that becomes this bag and then the bag as it proceeds through its very long journey, impacting a boy’s life as he grows.

 

(23:05):

Anyway, I talked about it in our episode on wordless books, Episode 170. But I’m just going assume the Caldecott Committee didn’t get a good look at it, because this one should have won some Caldecott love. The storytelling alone that happens in just the illustrations with no words makes it stand head and shoulders above so many of the other books that were published this year. So I really think it deserves a little attention. Listeners, if you haven’t gotten your hands on it yet, get your hands on that one. One Little Bag: An Amazing Journey and then you can agree with me and realize my opinions are founded. They’re not crazy.

 

(23:41):

And then another one I would have loved to see acknowledged is Your Place in the Universe by Jason Chin. Have either of you seen this one yet?

 

Kortney (23:51):

I haven’t. I’m number like 512 on the wait list, so I might have to buy it. Let’s hear your review.

 

Sarah (23:57):

Okay. Are you ready for this? Get your… Whatever you’re going to go buy it, just open that window while I’m talking because Jason has been at Read-Aloud Revival before, because we did his book Nine Months, which was written by Miranda Paul, he illustrated it. We did that for a Family Book Club not too long ago. But I’m really surprised this one, Your Place in the Universe didn’t get some love at the awards. His illustrations are so gorgeous, and the premise of the book is really excellent.

 

Kortney (24:27):

So I can see this being a kid favorite.

 

Sarah (24:29):

For sure. Basically, at the beginning of the book, he starts from the perspective of an eight year old child. There’s, I think, four, eight year olds at the beginning, who are about five times as tall, he says, as the book you’re holding as you read. And then there’s this illustration showing that five books, the book that you’re reading with the cover… Your Place in the Universe, stacked up one on top of each other, but their covers face out, are about as tall as those eight year old kids. And then you turn the page and those five books are only half as tall as an ostrich who are the tallest birds in the world. And then of course, there’s an illustration showing how tall an ostrich is compared to the books and compared to the kids.

 

(25:08):

And then he just keeps going from there, you turn the page, and now you’re comparing the ostrich to a giraffe. You keep going, and you’re comparing ranges. And he does this all one step at a time, the illustrations really showing you, giving you an unbelievable perspective I think on the vastness of size, until you get to the edge of the universe. How big is the universe really? And I haven’t seen a book that really paints this picture of how big the… I mean, it’s hard to do. You’re looking at it like a 10 by 10, or 9 by 11 book or however big it is. How can it really paint this picture of how big the universe is, but he does it?

 

(25:47):

And then there are these descriptions at the bottom of the pages that tell you little facts, like how high Mount Everest really is, and what that is like, compared to the tallest buildings in the world. Because you know how when you read a description that says, this mountain is such and such meters, or that such and such feet high, and that feels like, okay. I couldn’t tell you how many feet I am away from my door right now. So it’s really hard for me to know what that actually means on scale. So he compares, for example, Mount Everest to the Empire State Building, or to the tallest building in the world. And then he talks about the difference between miles and feet and inches and light years and talking about the book just makes me love it even more. So that’s my vote. I think One Little Bag by Henry Cole and Your Place in the Universe by Jason Chin should have won something. And I shall step down from my soapbox for a minute.

 

Kara (26:40):

It almost feels like we should add that one maybe to the math books, picture list.

 

Sarah (26:45):

I think we probably should. I think you’re right.

 

Kortney (26:49):

I love that it’s based on the book that’s in your hand. Because like you said, distances, and miles, and feet, you can get abstract very quickly, but you’re actually holding the tangible thing in your hand and can imagine it stacked up. And so that’s a really great way to do that.

 

Sarah (27:06):

I’ve never seen anything like it.

 

Kara (27:08):

It’s such a creative idea. So my nominee for book that I just wanted to win something is The Oldest Student. I know not every book, our personal favorites, the ones that touch us, like not everyone can win. But this one is by Rita Lorraine Hubbard and illustrated by Oge Mora, who has been here at Read-Aloud Revival. And it’s just so touching and beautifully done. And I just wish it would have been recognized, because I think it’s one that we should all read. I want everyone to know Mary Walker’s inspiring story. So this one wins the care award for books that I want you to check out at your library and that’s not a real thing. But please just picture me standing up like the librarians who serve with the committees at the ALA awards. Okay.

 

Sarah (27:53):

Are you sure we need our own RAR awards committee at this point? I told y’all we have some opinions of the capital O. Kortney, what about you? What did you wish had gotten some love at the awards?

 

Kortney (28:08):

I nominate A Long Road on a Short Day by Gary Schmidt and Elizabeth Stickney. It’s illustrated by Eugene Yelchin.

 

Sarah (28:16):

Yeah, so I loved this book too.

 

Kortney (28:17):

It’s so good. This is a story of a father and son who head out adventuring on a snowy winter day. The boy dresses warm, puts a few apples in his pockets because they’re going to be traveling a long road on a short day. This isn’t a picture book, so I don’t exactly know where it would go in the awards. I don’t know what to call it. It’s 50 pages long. It has chapters but they’re short and there’s full page illustrations.

 

Sarah (28:42):

Is perfect. That’s what we can call it, but we’re going to call it a perfect book. You told me to read this book not that long ago and honestly, it’s a Gary Schmidt book so it’s not like he had to twist my arm. Gary Schmidt writes some of my absolute favorite, all time favorites. So I read it, and I absolutely adored it. It’s a new family favorite I think. I agree, it should have won something.

 

Kortney (29:02):

Yeah, we read it one day during advent, we read a single chapter in the sitting and then we read throughout the day and finish the book. It’s about a father and a son. And that’s a recurring theme in Gary Schmidt’s work. And having this father and son join the fathers and sons in Wednesday Wars, and Okay for Now, it just adds another layer of complexity. A Long Road on a Short day, it’s a story that feels like Ox-Cart Man to me. Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall. If the ox cart man would have taken his son on the journey with him.

 

Sarah (29:35):

Okay. The Ox-Cart Man, if the ox cart man could have taken his son with him. So you need to start writing marketing copy for publishers court because if that doesn’t sell this book, I do not know what will. We love Ox-Cart Man. I know so many of our listeners love Ox-Cart Man too. So now they’re scrambling. About this book, you said it’s not a picture book. It’s just short chapters highly illustrated. You read it in a day. But you probably could read that book in a 45 minutes setting do you think or sitting do you think?

 

Kortney (30:02):

Yeah, it’s not overly long.

 

Sarah (30:04):

Yeah, so I love that because those feel to me like real quick wins with the read-alouds. Satisfying for your kids who want more than a picture book, who want longer story than a picture book or want to dive in and stay with those characters longer, but really beautifully illustrated and also a story you can get in a whole day. So good. I expect that we’re going to be talking about this book some more in the future. It’s not the last time you’ll be hearing about it on the podcast. I’m sure. Alright, ladies, we got to put a wrap on this podcast episode. But as always, I just loved every minute of talking to you. So thanks for coming on this side of the microphone once again.

 

Kortney (30:45):

Thank you so much for having us.

 

Kara (30:47):

Yes, that was so much fun.

 

Sarah (30:55):

Now it’s time to hear from the kids. They’ll tell us about the books they’ve been loving lately.

 

Amy (31:09):

Hi, my name is Amy. I’m nine years old. I live in Amarillo, Texas. My favorite book is Rotten Richie and the Ultimate Dare by Patricia Polacco. I like it because he goes to his sister’s ballet.

 

Keegan (31:27):

Hi, my name is Keegan. I am seven years old. My favorite book is the Little Critter by Mercer Mayer. And I like it because I think it’s funny. And I also live in Amarillo, Texas.

 

Sarah (31:42):

Hi, what’s your name?

 

Cora (31:43):

Hi, my name is Cora.

 

Sarah (31:45):

How old are you?

 

Cora (31:45):

Five years old, Amarillo, Texas.

 

Sarah (31:48):

And what’s your favorite book Cora?

 

Cora (31:50):

Llama Llama Mess Mess Mess.

 

Sarah (31:51):

Llama Llama Mess Mess Mess. Why do you like llama llama?

 

Cora (31:56):

Because I like Llama and [inaudible 00:31:57].

 

Sarah (31:58):

Why do you like Llama?

 

Cora (32:00):

Because [inaudible 00:32:01].

 

Zack (32:02):

Hi, my name is Zack. I’m eight, almost nine. I live in Illinois. My favorite story is The Tale of the Three Brothers. It’s a good book and tells the story of three brothers that split up.

 

Lola (32:18):

Hi, my name is Lola. I’m nine years old. And I live in Statesboro, Georgia. And my favorite series of books is the Harry Potter series, because I love magic. And I love the characters and the magical creatures.

 

Speaker 9 (32:35):

I live in California. My favorite books are Taki books. And my favorite character is Taki because he’s the old bird and very funny.

 

Diana (32:51):

Hi, my name is Diana.

 

Sarah (32:53):

And how old are you?

 

Diana (32:57):

Four.

 

Sarah (32:57):

And where do you live?

 

Diana (33:03):

In California.

 

Sarah (33:03):

And what’s your favorite book?

 

Diana (33:19):

The Gingerbread Man.

 

Sarah (33:21):

Why is it your favorite?

 

Diana (33:21):

Because [inaudible 00:33:21].

 

Sarah (33:22):

What’s your name?

 

Speaker 11 (33:23):

[inaudible 00:33:23].

 

Sarah (33:27):

What’s your favorite book?

 

Speaker 11 (33:28):

The Oops one.

 

Sarah (33:31):

The Oops one. How does it go?

 

Speaker 11 (33:33):

(singing).

 

Elizabeth (33:34):

Hello, my name is Elizabeth. I’m seven years old. And I live in Maryland. And my favorite book is [inaudible 00:33:54]. My favorite character is [inaudible 00:33:57]. And my favorite part is when Celia and Laila attracted tower and Celia needs the food and he has to go through a narrow escape.

 

Julie (34:08):

My name is Julie. I live in Maryland. I’m five. And my favorite book is Where the Wild Things Are. And like when a force pulled in his room.

 

Samuel (34:24):

Hey, my name is Samuel. And my favorite book is [inaudible 00:34:36]. My favorite character is [inaudible 00:34:37].

 

Lucy (34:41):

Hi, my name is Lucy and I’m seven years old and I live in Maryland. And my favorite book is Princess Ponies and I like it because it’s about a girl named Pippa who visited a magical island called Chevalia with talking ponies and much more impossible things.

 

Sarah (35:06):

Well, thank you. Thank you kids. I always love to hear your messages. I love to hear about the books that you’ve been enjoying. You are going to hear more from Kara and Kortney on the podcast coming up. We’ve got great plans for this year to do some more team podcasts. And so I’m really looking forward to that. But not yet, because in two weeks, I’ll be back with another episode, this time with Marianne Sunderland, who’s coming to talk with us about dyslexia. Now, this is a question we hear so much about here at Read-Aloud Revival. I’ve had lots of these questions myself, and Marianne is my go-to-person when it comes to homeschooling with dyslexia figuring out.

 

(35:45):

We’re going to start right at the beginning from what are the warning signs? What do we want to be looking for? What does it mean, actually, to be dyslexic? Because a lot of us understand that quite wrong than we might have been told growing up or in the past, because we can understand dyslexia on a whole different level and it’s all about brain science. So we’re going to dig into that in a couple of weeks. We’ve actually got two episodes coming up dedicated to that, and some other really good ones right around the corner.

 

(36:13):

As always, I love spending time with you here on the show. Thank you so very much for listening. If you want to get a personalized book recommendation, you want to know what I read aloud next, go to readaloudrevival.com and click that button on the homepage to take the quiz. It’ll take you about, I don’t know, two minutes to answer a couple of questions really quick about how old your kids are, whether you’re looking for a fat book or a quick one, and what you’re in the mood for. And then I will give you a personalized book recommendation based on your answers. It takes about two minutes and you’ll have a book recommendation just for you. That’s at readaloudrevival.com.

 

(36:54):

That’s it for me today. I’ll be back in a couple weeks. Can’t wait but you know what to do in the meantime, go make meaningful and lasting connections with your kids through books.

 

(37:12):

So many of us feel overwhelmed in our homeschool. There’s a lot to do. And it feels like every child needs something a little different. The good news is you are the best person on the planet to help your kids learn and grow. And home is the best place to fall in love with books. I’m Sarah Mackenzie, I’m a homeschooling mother of six, the author of Teaching from Rest, and The Read-Aloud Family. And I’m the host here on the Read-Aloud Revival Podcast.

 

(37:50):

This podcast has been downloaded over 8 million times. And you know, I think it’s because so many of us want the same things. We want our kids to be readers to love reading. We want our homes to be warm and happy havens of learning and connection. We know that raising our kids is the most important work of our lives. That’s kind of overwhelming right? You are not alone. In Read-Aloud Revival Premium we offer Family Book Clubs, a vibrant community, and Circle with Sarah coaching for you, the homeschooling mom, so you can teach from rest, homeschool with confidence, and raise kids who love to read.

 

(38:40):

Our Family Book Clubs are a game changer for your kids relationship with books. We provide you with a Family Book Club guide, and an opportunity for your kids to meet the author or illustrator live on screen. So all you have to do is get the book, read it with your kids, and make those meaningful and lasting connections. They work for all ages from your youngest kids to your teens.

 

(39:08):

Every month our community also gathers online for a Circle with Sarah to get ideas and encouragement around creating the homeschooling life you crave. They’re the most effective way I know to teach from rest and build a homeschool life you love.

 

(39:31):

We want to help your kids fall in love with books and we want to help you fall in love with homeschooling. Join us today at rarpremium.com.