The Read-Aloud Handbook
Jim Trelease's The Read-Aloud Handbook is a best-selling book on the subject of reading aloud to children that covers each of the three main themes that will be covered in this guide. In the book's first half, Trelease addresses possible questions that parents may have related to why, when, and how they should be reading aloud to their children. While answering these questions, he describes the benefits of reading aloud to children, best practices for reading aloud, the positives and negatives of digital formats, and how reading aloud will evolve as children get older.
The second half of the book contains a "treasury of read-alouds" recommended by Trelease, which are labeled with age ranges and helpfully separated into the following categories:
- Wordless books
- Predictable books
- Reference books
- Picture books
- Short novels
- Full-length novels
- Poetry
- Anthologies
- Fairy and Folk Tales
While John Trelease's discussion of read aloud research and strategies may be a helpful resource for parents and guardians who want to learn more about the subject, it must be noted that the scope of his book suggestions is limited. In the seventh edition of the book, which is the most recent edition owned by the Upper Hudson Library System, most of the recommended books were published in the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s, leaving out engaging and diverse books from the past decade. That being said, Trelease's list could act as a starting point for those looking for read aloud suggestions, and he provides a great deal of useful information and helpful advice regarding reading aloud throughout the rest of the book.
Finding A Copy
At the Colonie Library, this book is shelved in juvenile nonfiction under the call number J 372.45 TRE. If our copy is unavailable, the East Greenbush, Guilderland, and Troy public libraries all have copies which you can request online or at any of the service desks.