Online Read Aloud Recommendations
By Stephanie Bisson
During this time of Covid-19 we cannot always cuddle up next to a child to read. Social distancing prevents many of us from visiting our grandchildren or favorite nephew and from volunteering in the classroom. I have learned that I can still read aloud using the online tools and platforms available to me. Zoom has become the virtual platform of my choice because it is easy to use and allows me to share e-books with my favorite youngsters.
The TumbleBook library has a large inventory of e-books to choose from. TumbleBooks are available online and through the Fairfax County Public Library. Although the books are recorded, I prefer to turn off the sound and read my favorite child the stories aloud myself. Children seem more engaged when they hear someone they know read aloud. Reading the stories to the child myself allows me to stop along the way to make predictions, examine a picture, or discuss an idea.
One book I enjoyed sharing this past month was Lewis Cardinal’s First Winter by Amy Crane Johnson. In this story Lewis the cardinal questions why some of his friends hibernate during the cold months and others fly away to warmer places when he just stays in the place where he was born. My young reader discussed seasonal changes we have noticed and predicted what might happen to Lewis over the winter. Another theme that comes across is friendship. Lewis Cardinal’s First Winter is available on TumbleBooks and can also be ordered through Amazon.
Another not-so-realistic book we enjoyed was Chicken Big by Keith Graves. This take off on the story Chicken Little is about a humongous chicken that was born into a family of small chickens. The smaller chickens did not understand how such a huge animal could be a chicken, and when one gets hit by an acorn, he believes that Chicken Big must be a squirrel. The story progresses from there until Chicken Big gains acceptance into the family by saving the day. The book lends itself to making predictions and to discussion about how we treat others who are different from ourselves. Chicken Big is available on TumbleBooks as well as at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.
The volunteers at Read-On Young Readers are always looking for stories that work well as virtual read alouds. If you have read aloud a book to a child through an online platform, please share it with us. Write a short paragraph telling the title, author, a brief summary of the book, and why you felt it worked. Email your paragraph to Steve Adleberg at sadleberg@verizon.net.