Jim Trelease's Read-Aloud Handbook: Eighth Edition

What a different world this might be if every parent had this information about the importance to reading aloud to your children. I will be forever grateful to my 2nd grade teacher who read aloud to us daily. It was my favorite time of the day. As I look at the research presented in this timeless book, I wonder if Mrs. Kennedy had read this.

Great book about the importance of reading to children. Wonderful index in the back of good books.

This particular book is for a teachers' use in the classroom. I thought it was a reading book for children to start basic reading skills, it is not, so I returned it.

This new edition of the Read Aloud Handbook is fantastic! It includes important aspects of earlier editions and adds wonderful new insight and examples in efforts to update the book. The questions "Why Read Aloud" and "When to Begin" are revisited, adding some new insight. The significance of the read aloud experience and the link to visual literacy are discussed, as well as the impact of electronic media on reading. Of course, the back is filled with old titles and new, in lots of book categories, with meaningful summaries and related titles. A great book for every parent and educator!

I first purchased this handbook in 1983 for my undergrad children’s literature class and not only used it as valuable resource in my teaching, but as an inspiration as I raised my own family. I have purchased dozens of copies over the years as baby shower gifts and gifts to new parents many of whom have exclaimed what a difference reading aloud to their children has made in their lives. I am speaking as a reading specialist and as a mother as I say every parent should have a copy of this book.

This is one of the most important books a new parent can receive. Not only does it provide a great compendium of suggested titles for children by stage of development, it more importantly lays out the compelling case for raising a reader. As a retired teacher, I can attest that a young person who loves to read will find their academic career infinitely more easy to navigate, and infinitely more satisfying, than one who is a reluctant reader. I'm convinced the one of the reasons that young males are falling behind nationwide is the drop-off in reading habits for boys at the 4th grade and again in the 8th grade--exchanging reading for sports and screens.I had the pleasure of seeing Jim Trelease speak very persuasively on this topic twice--there was no greater spokesperson for the value of reading aloud, and current editor Cyndi Giorgis is his hand-picked successor. I am just sorry Penguin books didn't put more care into the production of this edition. There are dark smudges down many of the pages, and in others, the top and bottom margins are irregular. Nonetheless, this remains my stock shower gift, along with a children's book.

As a school librarian, I was fortunate to hear author Jim Trelease probably in his first edition of the Read-Aloud-Handbook. I used it myself for selecting books for children. I also started giving this as a gift at baby showers -- sometimes with a recommended book. I really have gotten some uplifting thank-yous. Most recently the new mom told her dad (who told me) that she learned things from this book she didn't know she needed. It's a gift that keeps giving. I highly recommend it.

I have had several editions of this book. I have used it with my own kids, as a teacher, as a school psychologist, and now with my grandkids. Contains invaluable information about reading aloud and many resources about excellent / enjoyable books for every age group. I give this book as a gift at every baby shower, along with several books appropriate for babies. Highly recommended. If you care about the child (or children) in your life, get this book. The gift of a lifelong love of reading is invaluable!

I am very glad that I found that book. I was looking for some tips for the book club with children. I found really good information in this book.

Good communication

I loved this book, it was just great to read. It has helped me fall back in love with reading as well as reaffirming how important it is to read to my daughter.Although it's very "American" with regards to the stats & examples it's still very accessible & lots of the books recommended in the vault can still be ordered in or from the UK. Would highly recommend.

Good

What's missing from this book: the second half of the book is supposed to be a "Treasury of Recommended Read-Alouds". That would mean a sample of excellent writings. Instead, it's merely a collection of paragraph-length book reviews. The "Look inside" shows the Treasury listed in the table of Contents but doesn't include any sample of it, so the shopper can't discover the misleading description until receiving the book.It mentions books by Malala Yousafzai, the brave girl from Pakistan who was shot by the Taliban and survived to dedicate herself to education of females, but the Author index omits her.The review material is actually mostly synopses, with only occasional hints as to why Trelease and Giorgis included a book, and nothing about the lists of "similar books".The 172 pages devoted to why and how to read aloud may be interesting to children's librarians, but are unrealistically long for busy parents, and should have been condensed.The books are roughly sorted in age range.