Every year during the last week of October, Read to Them sponsors Read Aloud to a Child Week, a national event to showcase the importance of reading aloud to children that encourages families to read together. Read Aloud to a Child Week is meant to be a stress-free way for everyone– no matter your reading aloud experience– to engage with the literacy community.
The theme for this year’s event is “CELEBRATE”!
This Read Aloud to a Child Week will be held in tandem with Read to Them’s own 20th anniversary celebration. We are honored to have served communities across the country by offering school-wide literacy programs and cherish every relationship we’ve forged with educators and families these last two decades. We are so, so looking forward to all the friends we’ll make in the next 20 years!
We hope you have your party hats and noisemakers ready for the end of the month. The beauty of celebrations is that they can be for big things – like birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays– to the little, everyday joys that prompt a need for balloons and sparklers. What defines a celebration is the wondrous sense of togetherness and we cannot wait for you to join us later this month as our literacy bash commences.
To kick us off, take a minute to enjoy this introduction to Read Aloud to a Child Week by author, Christina Soontornvat!
This year’s event runs from Sunday October 20th to Saturday October 26th, but we hope you’ll keep reading aloud to the children in your life all year long. Participating is as easy as selecting a book and reading it aloud – be it parents with their children at home, teachers with their students in the classroom, or even older children picking up a book and reading it aloud to little ones who are just beginning their reading journey.
While you are certainly free to make your own selections, we’ve put together a list of picture books and chapter books that embody the essence of “Celebration!”
Please note that our recommended Chapter Book titles are arranged by age level with books appropriate for younger readers at the top. Books with an * are available in Spanish.
| Picture Books | Chapter Books |
| The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper* | Granny Torrelli Makes Soup by Sharon Creech |
| Danbi’s Favorite Day by Anna Kim | The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin |
| Cinderella– with Dogs! by Linda Bailey | Simon B. Rhymin’ by Dwayne Reed |
| The First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Pérez* |
If you participate in this year’s event, please tag us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @ReadtoThem! We are so looking forward to celebrating with you!
