In my last blog, I shared the importance of books in the life of a family. Stories allow us adventures we would otherwise miss. And sharing those stories with others creates an even deeper memory. Reading aloud binds a family together around a shared experience. The characters reach out and touch us and become a part of our family life. We discuss them as old friends. Their experiences become a part of our family experience. Meaningful conversations ensue as we talk over the thoughts and ideas that have been introduced. Every person in the family can enjoy a good read aloud. Any book of interest can become a family read aloud.
I asked my children which books they enjoyed reading aloud. All of my girls remembered Jane Eyre as their favourite read aloud. Jane touched each of their lives in memorable ways. After reading the book aloud, we watched several movies and discussed which ones were the best representations of the novel. How did each one portray the novel correctly? Where did each one fail? The Count of Monte Cristo was also among their favourites along with The Chronicles of Narnia. Who would not enjoy hearing the adventures in Narnia read aloud? Understood Betsy, Little Britches, Pollyanna, and Just David were also a part of the list. And I can’t forget to mention The Little House books. Each one of the above books holds a place in the hearts of each of my children.
The lives of my children were also touched by the Christian Heroes: Then and Now series published by YWAM. These stories of missionaries and the work they did in other countries provided us with powerful visions of goodness and showed us moral heroism in action. As a family we were transported to past times and faraway places. We saw missionaries in action. We traveled with Amy Carmichael to India at the turn of the century where we were able to experience not only the caste system, but also the misuse of girls in the temple worship. We exulted in this single, missionary woman who dared to rescue young girls from the temple life and to touch the Indian lives around her with the hope of the gospel. We have enjoyed most of the books in this series and my children highly recommend them. Maybe this is why my children all have an interest in missions and foreign lands.
Reading aloud has other benefits as well. It allows children to experience an adventure that is written above their personal reading level. It helps children to become better listeners. Studies have shown that children whose parents read to them regularly and at length are far more capable of listening and understanding what they hear than are the children whose parents don’t read to them or read to them but little. Reading aloud also helps children to become better readers themselves. A 1985 report by the United States Government Commission on Reading concluded that “the single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children.” And the publication What Works: Research about Teaching and Learning by the U.S. Department of Education stated that, “The best way for parents to help their children become better readers is to read to them.”
Gladys Hunt reminds us, something happens when we read aloud “which is better experienced than described – a kind of enlarging of heart – when we encounter passages full of grand language and nobility of thought.” Great books are meant to be shared! I encourage your family to share an adventure. Savour the time together around a good book. Honey for a Child’s Heart by Gladys Hunt is a great place to find books that will touch the hearts of everyone in your family. Choose one today.
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