Reading with our kids has been a large part of our daily routine since our oldest was a baby. I love the way it brings calming anchors to our daily rhythms and the connection it brings. The books we choose for our nighttime family read aloud time are largely geared more toward our oldest two boys, while also being something we all can enjoy even if the smaller ones aren’t completely engaged.
Before afternoon nap time/rest time each day I may choose a shorter chapter book we finish in a few days, or each of the smaller boys hops in the chair with a picture book, or one of the older boys reads to a younger brother. So that time of day is more geared to their level.
FAMILY READ ALOUDS IN 2020:
This was our second book in the Little House series to read. I love how these books appeal to all of the boys’ ages, even Tom and I. We read this in part of January and February during a very unseasonal rainy and cloudy season for where we live. We kept comparing their long winter of snow and being stuck indoors to our continued rainfall and wet conditions that kept us inside most of the January and February. It was a fitting read at the time!
THE VANDERBEEKERS OF 141ST STREET
I had high hopes we’d love this series. This is the first book of a 4-part series. We liked this book but didn’t love it as a family read aloud. I felt there were parts I improvised on for the sake of the younger boys mostly. The content dealt with some life experiences like divorce, dating, and a few other things that I just didn’t feel my younger ones were ready to understand.
Thomas(9) went on to read the other three books in the series over the summer and enjoyed them.
2020 was the year of adding audiobooks into the mix of our read aloud time.
We all loved this book! It’s a really good fit for the whole family. This is also the first book in a 4-part series. Thomas also went on to read the rest of these. Arthur listened to one of the other books in the series. They both enjoyed them so much, they won’t object to hearing them again.
We’ll add at least the next one in the series this year, maybe more!
Another great audiobook. This one was a free listen from Audible listed on their free titles during the beginning of the quarantine time last March.
Rachel McAdams did an awesome job performing this book! It was long. I was afraid it would lose the younger boys’ attention, but it did not. We all loved this one and fell in love with the characters.
This will be one we come back to listen or read again in the future. Just a classic!
From time to time, I’ll purchase titles that are on sale from Audible to have in our permanent collection. This one was one of those. We were in a rut picking the next book to read, and I chose this one. There are four short stories in this collection.
To be honest, the oldest two boys were initially not in favor of listening to this. But they were the first ones giggling! These stories have a live cast and that just makes it so enjoyable to listen to. I love that more and more audiobooks are going in that direction.
This was our last book to read in the fall before it was time to bring out the Advent devotional and Christmas books.
We actually read this in the fall of 2019 too. It’s the perfect book for fall, with a cozy feel. Again, a classic and one we’ll likely read many more times over the years.
WHERE WE GET AUDIOBOOKS:
This past year we’ve listened to more audiobooks than ever before. Our main way to get them is through the Libby app. Our library is connected through Libby, so they’re all FREE! Sure, there are some titles I’ve searched for and they don’t have. But they have plenty and are always adding more.
Occasionally, I’ll buy audiobooks to add to our permanent collection. There are often great deals through Audible or LibroFM. I don’t have a monthly subscription to either of these. As long as you have the app, you can choose the buy with one click option. Once you purchase and download, it’s in your library permanently.
What are your favorite family read alouds?
