Quote:

“There are few stronger family bonds than this habit of devoting an occasional hour of reading aloud.”   ~ Charlotte Mason

Context

One of the first times I laughed at a book, was when my mom read aloud Winnie-the-Pooh to me and my sister when I was six. Piglet and Pooh running around in circles and finding more and more mysterious footprints every time they did was enough to erupt a laugh from me, and make a core memory.

A few years later, my mom read The Green Ember to us every night, which we quickly learned was a terrible time of day to do so, because you would constantly find yourself holding your breath at the thrill and peril of the incredible story… and then the chapter would end. The dreaded phrase of “alright kids, time for bed!” from my mom in those terrible high stress moments is one that we still quote today at only the most unfortunate of times—and it is always answered with cries of pure dismay as it was all those years ago.

Some enjoy going on adventures alone, but personally I have grown to love sharing them with my family, especially the written ones. It is so wholesome and memorable to gather around and drown reality in old tales and new, together. And that doesn’t change with age! The only thing that has changed as my years have grown is that now I read aloud to my family as well, which brings a whole new level of enjoyment! 

We’ve also grown a shared vernacular that has helped us communicate in shorthand around trials and suffering, a great example being: “It will not be so in the Mended Wood”. After we had a house fire that burned down half our home, that quote on a coloring sheet taped to the wall (without permission, whoops.) gave my mom the courage to steel herself and turn the corner to face the destruction that was the back half of our house. And then in the seemingly endless months after, reading aloud Adventures with Waffles with my mom and grandma brought us all a happy break from the mind numbing daily work required to rebuild—as well as tears of laughter to balance those frequently shed in grief.

Not only has reading aloud given me good memories throughout my whole life, but growing up surrounded by it has seamlessly moved into reading aloud my own works in progress to my friends and family now that I myself am a writer.

Though some stop at a certain age, there is absolutely no downside to reading out-loud as a family (or even just one on one!) with your teen and adult children, and I would strongly urge you to start this shared family adventure, if you don’t already. Read-alouds are reading, and it has been as beneficial through my teens as it was all those many years ago when I knew that the footprints did not in fact belong to a Woozle, but to a silly little pair—a piglet, and a Pooh.

15 of my Most Memorable Read-Alouds:

• Winnie the Pooh ~ A.A. Milne
• Runaway Princess ~ Millie Howard
• The Bridge ~ Jeri Massi
• The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic ~ Jennifer Trafton
• The Green Ember ~ S.D. Smith
• Shield ~ Dawn L. Watkins
• Once on a Time ~ A.A. Milne
• Edith Cavell: Nurse, Spy, Heroine ~ Adèle de Leeuw 
• Anne of Green Gables ~ L.M. Montgomery 
• The Red Door ~ Rachel Lulich
• Adventures with Waffles ~ Maria Parr
• An Elephant in the Garden ~ Michael Morpurgo
• Red, White, and Whole ~ Rajani LaRocca
• Northanger Abbey ~ Jane Austen
• Egypt’s Queen: Cleopatra ~ Iris Noble 

“Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.” - Proverbs 1:5

Written by: Inara Sautter