The Latest and Greatest Read-Alouds

488 Pages·1994·1.59 MB·English

by  Sharron L. McElmeel

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Page iii
The Latest and Greatest Read-Alouds
Sharron L. McElmeel
Illustrated by Deborah L. McElmeel
1994
Libraries Unlimited, Inc.
Englewood, Colorado
Page iv
Copyright © 1994 Sharron L. McElmeel
All Rights Reserved
Printed in the United States of America
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior
written permission of the publisher.
LIBRARIES UNLIMITED, INC.
P.O. Box 6633
Englewood, CO 80155-6633
1-800-237-6124
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
McElmeel, Sharron L.
The latest and greatest read-alouds / Sharron L. McElmeel;
illustrated by Deborah L. McElmeel.
xv, 210 p. 17×25 cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-56308-140-7
1. Oral reading. 2. ChildrenBooks and reading. I. Title.
LB 1575.5.M34 1993
372.41dc20 93-39048
CIP
Page v
Especially for Jack, who knew the value of reading aloud
before it was the thing to do, and for the parents of my
grandchildren, who are giving their children
a love of reading.
Page vii
Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction xi
Scope/Purpose of This Book xii
Tips for Reading Aloud xiv
Using This Book xiv
Chapter l: Reading EarlyReading Often 1
Continuing Benefits of Reading Aloud 1
What to Read? 2
Notes 4
BookshelfPicture Book Parade 5
Alphabetical Listing of Picture Books by Title 25
Chapter 2: The Next Step 27
Selecting Books to Read Aloud 27
Reading AloudA Few Comments 28
Notes 28
BookshelfGoing Beyond Picture Books 29
Titles From the Bookshelf 162
Listening Level Categorizations 162
Titles Arranged Alphabetically by Title 165
Chapter 3: Going Beyond Reading Aloud 169
Twenty-one Steps to Building a Family/Classroom of 171
Readers
Conclusion 182
Notes 182
Photograph Credits 183
Author, Illustrator, Title Index 185
Subject Index 201
About the Author 210
Page ix
Acknowledgments
First and foremost I must thank Nancy Jennings of O. G. Waffle
Book-house in Marion, Iowa, for sharing wonderful new books for
The Latest and Greatest Read-Alouds. She not only suggested titles
but she shared copies of many books to be read and evaluated. In
addition, I must thank the educators with whom I work. They help me
to know when a book "works for them and their students." The many
hours of research to find just the right books would not have been
possible without the patience and assistance of my in-house staffmy
family. They have provided first readings, illustrative material, and
location assistance. Special thanks to Jennifer Jennings, who provided
valuable research assistance in helping to verify bibliographic data for
the many titles listed in this book, and to Slayton Thompson, founder
and director of the Grant Wood Drum and Bugle Corp and the
members of the Corp who cooperated by letting us photograph their
visit to the Cedar Rapids Public Library. And finally, I am
appreciative of the cooperation of the many publishing house
publicists, marketing directors, and others in the publishing industry
who suggested new titles to evaluate and in some cases provided
review copies.
Page xi
Introduction
The late Dr. Seuss, Theodor S. Geisel, often commented that when he
went to his office to write he never left the room during the workday
even if all he did was sit there. I am now in that position. What more
can I say about reading aloud that hasn't already been said? In his A
Father Reads to His Children: An Anthology of Prose and Poetry
(Dutton, 1965), Orville Prescott commented that few children learn to
love books by themselves. Someone has to show children the way to
good books. He expressed the idea that reading aloud to children
would help to show them the way. Jim Trelease addresses the same
topic, motivation through reading aloud, in his book The Read-Aloud
Handbook (Penguin, 1985). Reading aloud does much to lure students
into the world of books. Many believe as I do that the single most
important thing a teacher or parent can do to ensure the success of a
child in school and life is to read aloud to that child. In past years,
many people have written books about the benefits of reading aloud,
including Prescott and Trelease. Their books also listed a multitude of
titles that could be used as successful read-alouds, including many of
the classics that have been tried and true for many years. Certainly
books such as Wilson Rawls's Where the Red Fern Grows (Bantam,
1961), Sheila Burnford's The Incredible Journey (Bantam, 1961), or
Scott O'Dell' s Island of the Blue Dolphins (Houghton, 1960) belong
on any list that includes classics, and in fact, these books are included
in many lists of not-to-be-missed read-alouds. Consequently, I have
not attempted to list those books within these pages, nor will I attempt
to duplicate the listings made previously by Trelease and other read-
aloud advocates. What I have attempted to do is to update the read-
aloud suggestions by including books that have been published since
1988. The picture books listed in Chapter 1 are those that will
contribute to the body of titles being read as general read-alouds in
many early childhood classrooms. For each of those books, I have
listed a brief annotation touching on the content and illustrative matter
(a more lengthy annotation might have been longer than the text of the
book!). In Chapter 2, which lists primarily novels suggested for read-
alouds, I have tried to include complete annotations to help the user of
The Latest and Greatest Read-Alouds to assess whether or not a
specific book will fit into educational goals or is of enough interest to
seek out for reading aloud. Suggested listening levels and read-alone
levels are given in addition to further reading suggestions.
Reading aloud allows a specific title to be shared with a child or a
group of children. A good read-aloud will often promote the reading
of other books by the same author or will become the stimulation for
reading a group of books tied together with a thematic thread. The
"Further Reading" section that accompanies each book listed in
Chapter 2 is included to facilitate the selection of read-alouds in a
specific genre, correlate with curriculum objectives, or facilitate
locating collaborative reading material. A separate listing at the end of
the chapter arranges the titles by suggested listening levels; another
listing provides an alphabetical list by title.
Page xii
I have tried to focus on books with strong narrativesbooks that are
important in the elementary years as the narratives correspond with
the speaking patterns familiar to students and with the students'
listening experiences. Reading aloud to a child will aid the
development of that child's listening vocabulary, and familiarity with
speech patterns aids in the development of the child's ability to read.
Oral reading and responses to those readings assist children in
developing an appreciation for well-written literature and extend the
listener's thinking skills. It is within the power of every parent, every
teacher, library media specialist, or public librarian to give children a
rich experience with literature. We must teach children to read, but
more importantly we must help them want to readand the very best
way to do that is to give children time to read and the inspiration to
enjoy and learn. Reading aloud to children will provide the
inspiration, and time to read will help them learn.
Scope/Purpose of This Book
The purpose of The Latest and Greatest Read-Alouds is to help