The Read-Aloud Family by Sarah Mackenzie emphasizes the importance of reading aloud to children to foster a lifelong love of reading and strengthen family bonds. The book offers practical tips and book recommendations for parents and educators.
Sarah Mackenzie's The Read-Aloud Family is a heartfelt and practical guide for parents and educators on the benefits of reading aloud to children. Inspired by Jim Trelease's The Read-Aloud Handbook, Mackenzie shares her personal journey and the profound impact reading aloud has had on her family. She argues that the primary goal of reading aloud is not just to teach children to read but to create lasting connections and instill a love for reading that will last a lifetime. The book is filled with practical advice on how to make time for reading in a busy household and includes a curated list of the best read-aloud titles for children of all ages. Mackenzie's insights and recommendations make this book a valuable resource for anyone looking to enrich their children's lives through the power of storytelling.
Quick quotes
The main goal of reading to children and of teaching them to read isn’t so they’ll learn to read on their own. Rather, the chief goal of reading aloud together is to create firm bonds between children and parents or between students and teachers and to give children a love of reading that will last a lifetime.
Today, Mackenzie is the mother of six children and the founder of the Read-Aloud Revival podcast. Her main goal in reading aloud to her children since infancy hasn’t been to shape them into successful adults. Rather, she wants her children “to live out the fullness of God’s vision for their lives” — to learn to be imaginative, nurturing, empathetic, and loving children of the God of all truth.
Like Trelease, Mackenzie asserts that children who are read to will most likely “fall in love with reading — an affection that will serve them their entire lives.