RAR #07: A Lifestyle of Reading Aloud, Melissa Wiley
When I think of someone who fully embraces a family culture built around books, Melissa Wiley comes to mind right away. As a mother of six and author of several children’s books, she has managed to make reading aloud a central part of family life in her home.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
- what creating a family culture around books looks like in a busy household
- how she considers read-alouds as she’s writing children’s books
- her own (super helpful) tip for remembering accents and dialects
Links from this episode:
- Melissa’s website
- Melissa’s page of book recommendations
- Cybils: Children’s and Young Adult Bloggers’ Literary Awaards
- Jen Robinson’s Book Page
- Kidlitosphere Central
- As Cozy As Spring (here’s the post where she mentions Wormwood Forest)
- Back to Basics– that giant resource Melissa would bring if she was stranded on an island :)
- Living Without School– Leoni’s blog (Melissa mentions learning a lot from her, specifically her use of pegs)
- The Writing Process Blog Tour (a post by Melissa)
- Scrivener (both Melissa and I use this for our writing, and I actually got going on Scrivener using this incredibly awesome e-course)
Books from this episode:
(All links are affiliate links.)
The Martha and Charlotte Little House books can be found here.
It was because of this podcast that we discovered the Charlotte Little House series. My 7 and 9 year old have LOVED hearing them read aloud. Thank you!
Finding/making time to read is a challenge, but I’ve been trying to make it a priority. The last couple books we’ve read didn’t interest the twins (almost 6), so they’ve been going off to play while I read to the 8 & 10 y.o. Would like to find more stories that will appeal to all ages. Thanks for these posts and podcasts!
I need lists!! I have my favorites but I don’t always have ideas for different levels-especially as my daughter is becoming an independent reader!
My biggest challenge to read aloud time at the moment is keeping the toddler engaged in something when I’m reading to my older son.
What makes reading aloud hardest for me is my voice/throat getting tired. I think maybe I read too loudly? I love Melissa Wiley’s blog –so many of her suggestions have found their way into our family!
I need book lists divided by approximate age levels. I have picked up so many recommended books from our library only to get them home and realize that they really are a bit too advanced for my kiddo just yet. Not that the time is wasted, but it would be good to have some amazing lists that are divided by age. Thanks for your podcast!!!
The thing I need help with most is making it happen! We do read aloud and my kids (10! ) love it, but it is finding the time to do it. The podcasts have really inspired me to make it a priority and make it happen!
I need help with making more time to read aloud. My oldest four listen at night but my infant and preschooler make day time reading a bit challenging.
My biggest challenge is finding a way to balance so many books at one time! I have multiple maturity levels, so I always have to balance what is “boring” and what is too much.
Great podcast! Great to take with on vacation.
Also, I struggle with just taking the time each day, especially in the summer when the days seem to get away from us so quickly.
Always so encouraged hearing from Melissa Wiley! Thank you for having her on for an interview.
Oh, thank you for your awesome podcast! I only have two small children, and I struggle continually with finding time. With six, wow – thank you for such great, inspirational and practical discussion!
What a fun episode. Love all the book recommendations.
Finding time is often hard, esp with a little boy who likes to be loud, make his own noises and if he’s not engrossed, he struggles to listen. He’s only 3, but can listen for 20 minutes if its something he really likes. We read Winnie the Pooh (milne stories), long Dr. Seuss books, and even a few ‘chapter’ books (Frog and Toad, Lion, witch and wardrobe, Magic Tree House). I guess I just need the encouragement! Which these podcasts have been. Thank you!
Inspired to keep on reading aloud to my kids (12, 14, & 17). Thank you!
It’s hard to find books that interest my wide range of children and I want to have some books that we can all enjoy together.
We love reading aloud. I haven’t made it much of a priority this summer so we need to get back into that. Great book recommendations. Thanks!
Finding time to read :)
My favorite time of the day is read aloud time with my three boys!
I need to find more time in our day to read aloud.
I really enjoyed this episode. Very thankful for your show notes because I was frantically trying to remember all the great suggestions you both had in this episode. I may very well listen to this one again for anything you (or I) may have missed :)
Thank you for the great podcast and wonderful book recommendations. I felt as if I were sitting with two friends.
Thanks for these inspiring podcasts. They have been so encouraging as I plan and look forward to a new year. Read aloud will now be a regular part of our schedule.
I just began listening to the podcasts and have really been enjoying them!
Definitely the thing I need the most help with is finding the time to make reading aloud happen! We used to read storybooks aloud for hours, but since my third (rather fussy) baby was born (3 months ago) I find it very hard to make time for reading — or perhaps I’ve just gotten lazy about it! Hopefully as he grow older we can make it a priority again.
I definitely struggle with finding reading lists, and I love how you show the books you discuss at the end of the posts. Thank you!!
We love love love reading aloud, but it’s a challenge with so many kids in the house. My big kids argue over whose turn it is to choose, while the toddler just runs the house. I’ve tried bedtime reading, but it’s hard, too — I usually end up putting the littles to bed while my husband wrangles the big kids.
Love your podcasts! This one inspired me to give Harriet The Spy a second chance :)
That was a great interview. Thanks, Sarah and Melissa!
My difficulty with read alouds is that the time passes all too quickly, and we have to put our book away and delve into maths :)
I always use different voices for the characters of books, and normally they get Australian (we’re Australian) or English accents. We’re reading Little Lord Fauntleroy at the moment, and I have to say I have been STRUGGLING with the American accents! Oh, you’d laugh really loud if you heard me!
I have been reading to my children for 22 years and your talks have inspired me anew! There are a few books that were suggested that I have not yet read for example Melissa’s books. Thank you. Many of the suggestions are great especially for those just beginning. Loving the like mindedness. :)
Such a great interview! Great questions and thoughtful answers. Thank you.
My biggest struggle would be finding the right time. My kids have so many great ideas of things to do and sometimes I don’t want to squash their creativity. But then when there would be time to read, it’s really late and we resort to quickly read books.
I *LOVE* what you said, Melissa, about the twaddle question. I feel the same way–I won’t discourage my kids, either, because the goal is to get them to read and read a lot–and have it be enjoyable for them. To me, this is the same thing as reading mostly nonfiction, but taking a break for the new Young Adult novel that is becoming a big hit movie this summer–something fun and ‘lighter’ than my normal reading habits.
I think the way you phrased it, too, is really well done, too, just noting that the writing isn’t as strong as other books.
My daughter loves My Little Pony and so we check out just about every DVD and book from the library that they have on MLP. I’ve found even just having the books at home actually spurs on other projects not just reading–tracing the characters, art, imaginative play, etc. so I never felt comfortable with restricting it, even though the stories aren’t completely top-notch.
Sarah M
I love being read to, but really don’t enjoy reading aloud… I need more discipline to just do it!
Thank you for posting all those lovely links!
My biggest challenge with our read alouds is that I have too many books going at a time. I want to read aloud everything everyday. :)
Awesome podcast! I love love love the giggling because whenever I think of Melissa, she is always smiling ear to ear in all of her pictures, and I know she must laugh all day long. It made my morning walk so pleasant and I know the out loud laughter I interjected while listening made the squirrels wonder just who was I listening to!
I did think of another question…maybe I’ll go to FB with this question…but I’m curious if her kiddos (or yours Sarah?!) do anything with their hands during all that reading aloud time and if so what are some favorites? Playdoh versus beeswax? Coloring vs lego building? Or all of the above…that sort of thing?
Very good Scottish accent Melissa! More Glasgwegian than Highland but a very good effort! (High acclaim from a Scot indeed!)
Hey I just wanted to say thanks for the kind mention of my Scrivener course! I always love hearing the great reports. What a lovely site this is too :-)
I so enjoyed this RAR! I loved her tips about reading one on one with her kiddos! This is something i will implement this coming school year.
Another great podcast – loving these! Thank you! Great tips and suggestions, great encouragement and recommendations….and thank you for the giveaway too!
The rest of my post: one of my biggest challenges is setting aside time to do it! We read a lot, but there are always other things tugging at me that need to get done – dishes, dinner, floors, etc…..I need to remember that those don’t always need to be top priority!
I love visiting your blog!
Blessings on your family!
My biggest challenge for reading aloud is so many books, not enough time!
Booklists of good read-alouds that capture the fancy of everyone in the family. Not all good books are good for reading aloud, and it can be challenging, too, to find books that span an age range. We tend to cycle through some favorites, but I like to discover “new” favorites :)
Book recommendations- which I just got a ton of. :)
For me it would be making it happen, although I loved her suggestion about tying reading aloud to a daily activity. I also loved her suggestions about reading poetry. I would love to hear more on reading different genres and making time for all types of books. This was very inspiring– probably my favorite podcast yet!
I have an actress hiding inside me; one that loves children literature! The only problems I have are:
1. Splitting time between 4 boys with different interests (ages 16-2.5) 2. Good books.
Great giveaway, thanks!
My biggest struggle is finding appropriate things for my teenage daughter to read. There is so much trash out there it can be down right frusterating.
Hey Melissa, my daughter had the same problem – if you want you can check out her goodreads and see if there are some options for your daughter. https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5881803-violet
She has many great reviews and selections for the younger teen years. Let me know if you have any questions, it’s so hard to sort through the trash ;-) God Bless,
The biggest hurdle for me in reading aloud is making time. I’m s l o w l y laying aside all my ideals and just picking up books and reading them to my kids.
My biggest challenge right now is trying to keep my 18 month old son distracted and happy while I read to his big sisters. He just hit that age where he is into *all* the things and pitches a fit whenever I snuggle in with his sisters to read. It’s like he knows I’m doing something that doesn’t involve him.
My biggest challenge is that initial moment where I’m trying to engage the kids with reading aloud, getting them to settle down to the idea and to the point where they’re listening enough to start getting sucked in.
So good to see Lissa here Sarah – nice job :)
Making time for reading aloud and finding good booklists are my biggest obstacles!
This interview made painting my daughters’ room MOST enjoyable. Thank you, you two!
Booklists, always looking for new books to fit the ages of my four children.
My biggest challenge is finding the time! Thank you for this opportunity.
I’m listening to this podcast right now and am loving it just I like I have every episode so far. I’m making my read-aloud list for the school year this week so I am very excited about all the books on this post!
I forgot to add my biggest challenge in reading aloud. I have two. One is that my three year old doesn’t sit. Ever. I feel like he misses out on the pictures when I read him picture books.
My second challenge is finding books that go along what we are learning in history. Some historic events are easy but some are so obscure or all the books I find have content that is to adult or scary for my children (7,5 and 3).
I love to read aloud, but I find biggest challenge to be finding and MAKING time. I’m not very good at time management so it too often falls through the cracks.
My biggest obstacle is simply making it a priority. Time is limited for sure, but if it were a higher priority, I’d find more time to read aloud.
I really appreciated the ideas presented in this podcast. I used to read aloud a lot… Then life got very busy with 8 children and now older teens. I am motivated to get back to reading aloud! I may even make character voices :)
I think my biggest challenge is simply the range of ages I’m reading aloud to. I have eight children ages 1 – 13. We always do family read alouds, as well as audio books. Sometimes they appeal more to one end of the spectrum or another.
I also wanted to ask – what version of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer are you listening to on audiobook (who is the reader?)? That is one of the books on my list with my 8th grader this year to read and discuss but I would love to have her hear the dialect so an audio book might be a great help. (We have an audible subscription.)
Definitely setting aside time daily to read aloud. Making it a regular habitual occurrence. After lunch works well for us. My husband usually reads a chapter or two to the children before bedtime.
Just picked up the new Inch and Roly at the library yesterday!
I love seeing book lists. We do a lot of reading aloud in our family, and it is helpful to learn of recommended books.
Thanks!
Thanks for the podcast and all the recommendations for books! :)
I need to get better at making the time for reading out loud! all my kids love it when I do even my teenagers!
Thanks for the opportunity! We definitely make time for reading aloud, and I don’t feel that I need help with practicing reading or finding great book lists, it’s that very often my kids want me to read…stuff that I consider junk. I make time for both, and they love me to read comics (I have one new reader and one non-reader), which I hate reading. I try to compromise, but they aren’t my favorite…
Sarah M
Oh, and we love so many of those books!