Do you read out loud to your family? If not, maybe you should give it a try. By reading some classics and some new releases, you share the past and present world of literature with your kids and spouse. Choose one night a week to turn the TV off and read for an hour after dinner. You may be surprised how much fun you have, and you’ll also be encouraging creativity, imagination, and a literary education.
Here are my top ten books for families to read aloud:
10. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson (adventure) – About a boy, a lost treasure, and an adventure.
9. Black Beauty by Anna Sewell (drama) – The life of a horse, straight from his own mouth.
8. Island of the Blue Dophins by Scott O’Dell (historical fiction based on reality) – An island girl is deserted for 18 years.
7. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (drama) – A girl learns a lot about her father and humanity.
6. Whales on Stilts by M.T. Anderson (humor)- Non-stop laughs as a mad scientist tries to take over the world.
5. Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (adventure) – A boy bucks authority and finds adventure all around him.
4. The Peterkin Papers by Lucretia P. Hale (humor) – Hilarious situations are what the Peterkin family are all about. Their lack of common sense makes for fantastic humor.
3. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle (science fiction adventure) – A girl, and her brother must travel through time to find their father.
2. Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling (fantasy adventure) – A boy wizard encounters one strange adventure after another with his pals at the wizard school.
1. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (fantasy adventure) – Four children find a secret world in a wardrobe and must go to war to save the inhabitants.
These books offer great topics for discussion–from the fear in Treasure Island (and the drunken sailor) to the love and forgiveness in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. When you finish a book, use the next reading time for discussion. Compare the characters to people you know, the values to those of your family, and the choices to those you’d make. It’s a great way to learn more about each other and share your morals with your children.