After reading The Read Aloud Handbook years ago I got totally inspired about how much reading aloud builds kids’ brains. Since then I have wanted “a family culture built on books.” I like to think that my older kids who are grown and gone have fond memories of our nights reading aloud. I loved sharing nights reading aloud such gems as Little Britches, The Toothpaste Millionaire, and Holly Claus, among many others.

Yet we struggle with building this culture with the four younger ones still at home. When we go to the public library, my littlest kid still picks out more DVDs than books. We still feel tempted to watch a movie at night instead of just simply reading aloud. Don’t get me wrong, I like watching a meaningful movie or even a fun movie as an escape from the pressures of real life. But words from books can convey so much more than movie images, and build brains much better. So I continue to fight for our entertainment and education to come mostly from books.

That’s why I am so happy to share the following Read Aloud Revival podcast episodes. This podcast is all about “building a family culture based on books.” 

Go here to Sarah’s page to listen to her latest episode. It is all about why getting your kids to fall in love with books is more important than teaching them to read.

Then here’s Jim Weiss on tips and tricks for reading aloud.

And here’s Andrew Pudewa on why it’s important to still read aloud to older kids.

Here’s a list of 5 things Sarah says you can do to build your culture around books.

Happy reading aloud! There’s nothing you can do with your kids that gives you more “bang for the buck!” Watch these two videos above and below to give you more inspiration. Rebecca Bellingham talks about why reading aloud changes us and Linda Sue Park talks about how books can change the world by creating empathy.