I firmly believe that all parents should take the time to read this book.

It took me a considerable amount of time to complete it, but I can assure you that it was well worth the investment.

This book was truly a wake-up call for me.

Trelease effectively emphasizes the significance of reading aloud to children of all ages and provides solid evidence to support his claims.

One area where I am admittedly at fault is allowing Ada to watch an excessive amount of TV.

The most crucial takeaway from this book for me is that if parents desire their children to be healthy and achieve success, they must be willing to put in the effort to do what is best for them.

This requires making conscious decisions and sacrifices to ensure that our children have the best possible start in life.

By reading aloud, we can enhance their language skills, expand their vocabulary, and foster a love for learning.

It is our responsibility as parents to provide our children with the tools they need to thrive, and this book offers valuable insights on how to do just that.

Very helpful information with research basis and sources cited. This kind of information is of great significance as it provides a solid foundation for further exploration and understanding. By having a research basis, we can be more confident in the accuracy and reliability of the data and conclusions presented. Sources cited also allow readers to verify and explore the original materials, enhancing the credibility and transparency of the information. It is essential to rely on such well-researched and properly sourced information in various fields, such as academia, business, and daily life. Whether we are making decisions, conducting research, or simply seeking knowledge, having access to helpful information with a research basis and sources cited can greatly assist us in achieving our goals.

I have an unwavering love for this book. I first encountered it during my graduate school days, and just the other day, it randomly popped into my mind. This led me to re-purchase it and embark on a rereading journey. If you have the aspiration of cultivating a strong reader, whether it's for your children or for yourself to enhance your own reading skills, I wholeheartedly recommend delving into this book. I have now made a renewed commitment to reading aloud to my kids. No longer will I simply pass off this important task to Audible. Reading aloud not only enriches their language skills but also creates precious bonding moments. This book, with its engaging content and valuable lessons, is the perfect companion for this endeavor.

Still relevant today, this is truly a great book. It serves as an invaluable resource for teachers, offering them profound insights into the significant impact that reading aloud has on children of all ages.

When teachers engage in reading aloud, it creates a magical and immersive experience for the little ones. It helps to develop their language skills, expand their vocabulary, and enhance their comprehension abilities.

Moreover, reading aloud can spark their imagination, transport them to different worlds, and introduce them to a wide range of ideas and emotions. It also builds a sense of community in the classroom as students gather together to listen and share in the story.

This book provides practical strategies and tips on how to make reading aloud sessions more effective and engaging. It offers suggestions on choosing the right books, using appropriate voices and expressions, and involving the students in the process.

By using this book as a guide, teachers can unlock the power of reading aloud and create a love for reading in their students that will last a lifetime.

This may be my bible now.

It holds a certain allure and significance for me.

I am now going to embark on a journey of slowly going through the treasury in the back.

After a quick skim, it comes as no surprise that it's not a particularly unfamiliar list.

It seems to contain elements that I have encountered before, yet there is still an air of mystery and anticipation.

I am eager to explore each item in detail, to uncover the hidden gems and perhaps gain new insights or perspectives.

This bible-like collection has the potential to be a source of inspiration and knowledge, guiding me on my path.

I look forward to the discoveries that lie ahead as I delve deeper into its contents.

A must read for everyone!

There are so many new children's and YA books that I now have a strong desire to read myself, let alone reading them aloud to my kids. The research on how reading aloud can benefit a child throughout his entire life is truly interesting and compelling.

Also, I really loved the Rule of 50. According to this rule, if you're under fifty, you should give books 50 pages. Then, if they aren't appealing, you can abandon them and move on. However, if you're over fifty, you should subtract your age from 100 and give books that many pages. This rule provides a practical and useful guideline for deciding whether to continue reading a particular book or not. It helps us make the most of our reading time and ensures that we don't waste time on books that don't engage us.

My mother-in-law presented me with this book as a gift, and I have been truly grateful to her ever since.

This wonderful book has firmly convinced me of the significance of reading aloud to my children. I have carried out this practice hundreds, perhaps even thousands of times.

Each and every time has been an incredibly great experience. The joy and connection that it brings are simply indescribable.

My only regret is that I didn't engage in this activity even more regularly before they all grew up.

Looking back, I realize how precious those moments of reading aloud were, and I wish I could have had more of them.

Nonetheless, I am still very thankful for the times that we did have, and I will always cherish the memories that were created through the act of reading aloud together.

General Review:
Trelease's fundamental premise is to read to your children for 15 - 20 minutes a day from birth. He devotes an entire chapter to elucidating why reading is crucial, why reading aloud to a child matters, and why starting now is of utmost importance. A sample of his supporting points includes:

Since humans are pleasure-oriented and reading requires practice to be done proficiently, it must be enjoyable for us to be motivated to put in the effort. Being read to from a good book is pleasurable right from the start. Babies delight in the sound of your voice, toddlers are curious about everything, and as we grow older, we increasingly love the conflict, emotion, hope, and escape that fiction offers. Reading is pleasurable, unlike the numerous worksheets a child is likely to encounter in elementary school.

Reading to your children (as well as traveling with them) builds background knowledge. A significant part of background knowledge is understanding our collective culture. We encounter references like the Trojan Horse, Noah's Ark, Paul Revere, and countless others daily. Without this knowledge, we may not understand the point or, often, the joke.

Adults, especially parents, serve as role models. If a child sees and hears adults reading daily, they will expect that reading is an integral part of adult life. Reading aloud is the perfect advertisement for the product of reading.

The cost is very low: just some time, a library card, some second-hand books, and a basket or shelf for the child to keep the books. A bedside reading lamp is a bonus if possible.

Reading aloud to a child from a young age prepares them for school by exposing them to rich, formal language not used in everyday conversation and by increasing their attention span.

Experts believe that the amount of exercise the speech centers of the brain receive between 12 to 18 months directly impacts the lifetime potential of that person in that area. Parents are therefore crucial in providing that stimulation.

He also employs various statistics to support his premise. The remainder of the book provides information on what to read, how to obtain it, and when to read it, as well as discussing some of the obstacles that hinder reading.

I particularly relished the chapter on the stages of read-aloud, which covered topics such as bonding with your children over stories, why it's beneficial for toddlers to hear the same book numerous times, how to transition to chapter books, and more. (However, the reader more intent on quickly getting to the heart of the matter might prefer to skip directly to the Do's and Don'ts chapter). The chapters on libraries and Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) also contained many interesting points.

Trelease discussed home, school, and public libraries. Of course, he mentioned that it has been discovered that the number of books in the home is said to directly correlate with student success. But I'm still left pondering why this is so. I personally think it's not just because of the books themselves, although wide access to print is important; I believe it's the values and attitudes associated with reading in homes with many books that make the difference. And what about those who are poor and use the library well but own few books? Are they a rare minority and thus don't significantly affect the numbers? Even so, with $1 books available at The Dollar Store and Target, and even cheaper or free books available through other charitable sources, there isn't much excuse for a child not to receive at least a book or two a year. Even for the youngest children, Trelease states that ownership is important. Not only can the child handle the book with love, but under the age of two, it's important to build a relationship with a few specific books rather than the constant influx of different books one might get from a library.

For classroom libraries, there is also a connection between the number of books and achievement. Notably, classrooms with libraries report 50% more books read. Yet, sadly, as students get older, they are less likely to have access to a classroom library. But, as my personal experience attests, it's not enough to just have the books. Teachers must promote them. Book talks, reading aloud, and cover-forward shelving are some of the methods presented. However, all these books aren't inexpensive. In a time when school funds are being cut in all areas, Trelease takes a strong stance that I wholeheartedly support. He suggests cutting sports funding. A community will not tolerate its sports being underfunded. But if library funding is cut, not enough people rally to make a change. (As he states about the funding of public libraries later in the chapter, we don't miss what we don't use, and less than ten percent of Americans are regular library patrons. Thus, it's not a huge leap to assume that these same adults would allow a school library to be underfunded). I would add that the school library benefits all students. It provides the best opportunity for independent reading for all students, and all students use the school library in connection with their classes. Meanwhile, sports are not designed for all students, simply based on the number of students. Furthermore, I was shocked by the statement that the higher a community's sports scores, the lower their reading scores.

While I have fond memories of teachers reading aloud to me, I don't have any positive memories of SSR. I don't think I disliked it, but the power of aloud reading left a more lasting impression. However, I agree with Trelease that SSR goes hand in hand with aloud reading, and I was very impressed with the results I saw when implementing it daily in my high school level classes during my last year of teaching. (Although I did disagree that reading in class should come before writing in class, because students are more likely to read at home than write at home, and writing is a more social process that requires the classroom environment to thrive. Ideally, it would all fit, but a secondary teacher can't lengthen the period). I would have loved for SSR to have been a daily and school-wide activity, but once students move to a schedule where they have multiple teachers, SSR starts to become more about policing the students, and only English language arts teachers remain on board. But how can we expect students to spend time on something academic that we won't spend time on in school? The studies cited state that 90% of students spend only 1% of their free time on reading. Additionally, 90% of students read for less than four minutes a day. (And this doesn't even mention the summer losses that children experience. I was surprised to learn that it's the summers that widen the gaps between the highest and lowest achieving students).

When SSR is implemented in a home or school, there is then a debate about what is acceptable reading material. I love Trelease's stance that almost anything is allowed. Not only are newspapers and magazines of all kinds permitted, but he strongly believes in the value of comic books, series, and even Where's Waldo. In discussing series like Babysitter's Club and The Hardy Boys, which are often sneered at by many adults and teachers, he states that there is a time when "non-threatening, immediately accessible reading" is needed. I couldn't agree more. There is a point in most readers' lives when what they need is to read a lot of text to gain fluency and improve various basic reading skills. A light youth series is perfect for this purpose because children and teens are engaged by the plot lines and plow through the texts with great motivation. My only concern with series like Cirque de Freak and Clique is when a high school freshman or sophomore still resists trying a book outside their comfort zone. Otherwise, I understand their importance. For me, it was The Babysitter's Club, closely followed by all of Judy Blume. Another important part of my reading during this crucial time was Calvin and Hobbes collections. Trelease fully supports comics and comic books and even explains that their structure and vocabulary can be more complex than other texts. The type of text that Trelease is critical of is the classics. He points out that these books traditionally read in school are not only dated but often weren't intended for child or teen audiences. He goes on to explain how the curriculum of only reading the canon of dead white guys has left generations of increasingly disengaged adult readers. Over the years, I've come to agree with Trelease that the classics aren't the best way to engage all students. But as an English teacher, I have an obligation to expose my students to these texts and teach them how to conduct literary analysis. My compromise during my last year of teaching was to let free choice reading prevail for most of the year, and then two or three times we would read a classic together to practice close reading, thesis writing, and other English class skills that used to bog down every text.

The information about television in both editions sparked the most conversation between my husband and me. While we both read for recreation, it's not in the same amounts. Recently, I only watch TV if it's on for my daughter or if my husband and I are watching a specific show together in the evening; I almost never turn it on for myself anymore. In the past, I used to turn on the TV when I got home from school, and I would read and often grade with it on as background noise. My husband is involved in more weekly shows than I am, as well as watching the news and sporting events. This means he generally watches more TV than I do now. But do either of us feel that Trelease's discussion applies to our home? Are we addicted to television? Are we making a serious mistake by allowing our daughter, who is still under two, to watch about 2 to 4 hours of TV a day?

At present, we don't feel we are the parents that Trelease rebukes. We do set viewing limits for our daughter. With the exception of a few Disney movies and old cartoons like the Smurfs, Natalie watches only shows aimed at preschoolers, all of which have some educational value, even though we know that television only offers passive learning. (I was shocked by the direct quotation implying TV addiction from the president of Nickelodeon, no matter how much I love their subsequently created commercial-free, preschooler channel). Not only are the shows monitored, but the times she can watch are set by us, and generally, it's about an hour or so in the morning and no more than three hours in the evening. However, we wouldn't be comfortable with these time limits if our daughter just sat and stared at the TV the whole time. She does stare some, but usually only for 10 or 15 minutes at a time before she interacts with us or starts playing with a toy. Additionally, she is still home all day. Even with four hours a day dedicated to TV, she has the rest of her awake hours to play, socialize, and learn. I would feel differently if she were away from us at daycare for eight hours or when she starts school. However, I don't claim to be an expert on children and television. The controls we have set in our family have worked thus far. Could she spend more time running and climbing? Yes, but at the time of writing this, we were coming out of winter, and I was halfway through a pregnancy. We all do what we can. And what we've done so far has resulted in a well-rounded toddler who loves singing, letters, colors, and animals, as well as splashing water, climbing stairs, running down ramps, and is often complimented on her outgoing personality and verbal abilities. At this point in time, I'm not going to let Trelease's experts scare me into changing our way of life. But... Trelease anticipates this reaction from parents; he doesn't believe most parents would attempt or succeed in a TV turn-off project. So, he emphasizes that setting limits, both on content and quantity, and teaching critical viewing skills in school is very important, both of which I fully agree with.

However, I find myself more educated than the average parent, especially when it comes to reading. Some of this comes from teaching high school English for five years and having a Master's degree in Literacy Education. But surprisingly, my undergraduate degree contained no information on how children learn to read, and my master's program, which certifies me for K-12, only required one course. Even that one reading development course spent almost no time on babies. So, where did I gain my knowledge of how to develop my daughter's literacy? Two places: 1) my own childhood experiences and 2) doing my own research. Because of these factors, I didn't need Trelease to tell me to read aloud to my child from birth or not to let her watch adult television for hours on end. I was eager to read to her the moment she was born and took her to story time for the first time at 3 weeks old. But this isn't the case for every parent. And after reading this text, I'd say it's not even the case for the average parent.

One of my most common musings while reading this book was whether parents are uninformed or just don't care? More than once, Trelease mentions that parents say there isn't time for reading aloud. He cites a study that shows stay-at-home mothers only spend a minute more on one-on-one conversation and educational interactions than working moms. This clearly indicates that it's not a matter of time. Later, Trelease asks parents to consider the amount of time they spend letting their child watch TV or running errands at the mall? The time is there; parents just seem not to know any better. Trelease addresses that a lot of it comes down to how we tend to parent the way we were parented. In my home, reading, books, and education as a whole were highly valued; my father read aloud to us frequently until I was an early teen, all kinds of reading materials were everywhere, and library trips were frequent. Thus, it was natural for my home and my parenting to reflect these values. But this isn't the experience of every child and family, especially those with roots in poverty. The differences in family attitudes towards education and reading were the biggest culture shock for me when I started teaching. Therefore, this book endeavors to be a means of educating parents, as well as teachers, librarians, and anyone else who works with parents and children, about the extreme benefits and low time and monetary costs.

Other than TV, fathers' reading is one of Trelease's major concerns. I'm very glad that over the ten years we've been together, Mike has started to read for recreation. (I give Harry Potter full credit; more on the boy wizard below). When Natalie was a newborn, he didn't read to her much. But within a few months, we established a bedtime routine where he was the primary reader. As she got older and developed a strong bond with her Daddy, she now asks him to read to her as often as she asks me. Knowing we have a son on the way, I'm very glad for this positive male role model. Of course, there are many ways for a father to be a strong male influence, but Trelease's book outlines how infrequently reading is within the father's domain. So many males aren't recreational readers (perhaps because their fathers weren't, and so on?), so they either feel that the mother's influence is sufficient or that it's okay for their sons not to love reading either. The line of thinking "If it was good enough for me, then it's good enough for my child" is often valid, but what if you could make things better for your child, and all it took was a library card and 15 minutes of your attention a day? If, for so little time and no money, you could improve attention span, enrich language, build world knowledge, share values and morals, teach cultural background, and lay the foundation for independent reading, which is the most important school skill throughout the grades, why wouldn't you? Again, it makes me wonder if parents, both fathers and mothers, are ignorant or stubborn.

One of my favorite topics that emerged repeatedly in this book was Trelease's comments on how literature and reading are about more than the building blocks of academic education. Frequently in his discussions, he remarks on how literature helps build our souls as well. For example, he discusses how fairy tales prepare children for the harsh realities of the world. At other times, he mentions how reading teaches us about our culture, both modern and ancient, and is a powerful way to teach morality and humanity. Trelease explains how a Harvard Business professor teaching ethics had a syllabus filled with nothing but literature. Many times, I found myself concurring that these were the real reasons we read. These are the reasons one decides to teach high school English, not to improve test scores or perfect the nation's grammar.

What about all the other teachers? Trelease makes a very strong argument for why ALL teachers, even secondary math, science, and art teachers, should read aloud in their classrooms. A love for reading affects a child's perception of the entire curriculum, and all subject teachers should seize the opportunity to spread that enthusiasm by sharing good titles related to their content. Reading aloud to students piques their interest, and then they strive to read more to learn more, which in turn improves their vocabulary, spelling, and writing skills. (Yes, it's true; reading is the best way to improve spelling and vocabulary, not looking words up in the dictionary!). Furthermore, people tend to love fiction; teaching content through story is a great way to engage students.

I just started this today. I'm about 60 pages in and I absolutely LOVE IT! It is so inspiring and provides a plethora of answers to America's education woes.

If you are a parent, teacher, aunt, uncle, grandparent, or anyone who cares about children or education, YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK!

Trelease is validating with numerous stats and anecdotes what I've always believed regarding the power of reading aloud to children. And it's not just for young children - this holds true for teens and adults as well.

I think this will be my new go-to baby shower gift.

Update: I finished the book. I plan to reread it regularly as Shaunna Bird Dunn suggests. I find myself thinking that I might need to get involved in an effort to get more books into inner city school libraries.

Trelease vividly demonstrates that reading to children and teens for just a few minutes a day has the potential to change the world.

***Second Time Through***

Once again, this is a really good book that comprehensively covers all the advantages of reading aloud. What's more, there is an excellent list of read-aloud ideas in the second half.

Every parent and every educator (especially school administrators!) should give this book a read.

As someone who has been an enthusiastic reader since before I can even recall, reading aloud to our children has always been of great importance and a significant part of our family culture. I never thought this book could enhance my eagerness to read aloud to our kids, but it actually did! I had anticipated more of a simple list of recommended read-alouds for children, sorted by age. However, this book was far more than that. (Although the reading list is indeed included at the back of the book.)

Learning more about the influence of parents reading to their children and about the countless children who are never read to makes me eager to establish an after-school cookies-and-read-aloud hour in my front yard for all the kids who pass by my house on their way home from school. Reading aloud to a child not only improves her vocabulary, grammar, and comprehension but also heightens her desire and ability to read independently. There are so many benefits to this often overlooked activity!

The first part didn't prove to be especially useful for me. This is because I don't require any persuasion regarding the advantages of reading and reading aloud. I perused it in a very cursory manner.

However, the treasury is truly excellent. Therefore, it is most definitely a book that I would desire to have on my bookshelf as a reference when my children grow older. I managed to obtain several ideas for read-aloud books that are suitable for their current age. Nevertheless, it appears that there are a plethora of ideas specifically for Grades 2 - 6.

This makes me think that as my kids progress through those grades, this book will become an even more valuable resource. It could potentially open up a whole new world of literary exploration for them. I'm looking forward to seeing how they respond to the different books and ideas presented in this treasury as they continue to grow and develop their reading skills.

Readers Advisory/Reference

For parents, teachers & librarians

This handbook is a unique combination of half pep-talk and half readers advisory. It delves into the reasons and methods of reading aloud to children and presents highly annotated read-aloud lists categorized for easy reference.

Filled with anecdotes and reading research presented in plain English, this handbook can be read cover to cover or dipped into randomly. In the first half, chapters explore topics such as "Why Read Aloud," silent reading, dos and don'ts, and "Lessons from Oprah, Harry, and the Internet." Trelease aims to both educate and inspire adults who work with children, be they parents, educators, librarians, or anyone else. The information is so compelling that it makes the reader eager to go and find a child to read aloud to.

Similarly, the "Treasury of Read-Alouds" in the second half of the book is packed with details - from age suggestions to plot descriptions to read-aloud appeal - to assist novices in getting started or to inspire experienced readers to discover new titles. Updated with the latest research on reading, No Child Left Behind, and online resources, this handbook is accessible enough for any parent and can also be utilized by professionals for creating reading lists, generating classroom ideas, or providing readers advisory.

Library Journal described an older edition as having "undiminished fervor" and lauded the accessibility of the reading suggestions.