Jim Trelease’s Read-Aloud Handbook, 8th Edition

Book #5 for 2025

I started this book several months ago and it finally came up in my TBR queue to finish reading. This book is all about why reading aloud is beneficial to children.

My husband started our family read-aloud journey as a “reluctant reader”. We’ve been going strong – reading aloud about 5 nights per week since 2010 and after 15 years of consistently reading aloud he’s turned a new leaf. He’s discovered what genres he likes best, he enjoys listening to and reading books more than he used to and he can quote favorite lines with the rest of us. He’s even mentioned that he feels like he has a better vocabulary now than he did 15 years ago, So, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that reading aloud isn’t just good for young children, it’s good for everyone at any age!

Here are some of my favorite takeaways from Jim Trelease’s read aloud handbook:

“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairytales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairytales.” Albert Einstein

“By reading aloud, I’m giving my students the chance to slow down their lives, to set aside what’s happening outside our classroom, and to step inside and surrender to this gift of story.” Nancy Johnson (middle school teacher and college educator) pg. 4

“As parents, the most important thing we can do is read to our children early and often. Reading is the path to success in school and life. When children learn to love books, they learn to love learning.” Laura Bush (former First Lady of the United States)

“Every time we read aloud to a child, we’re giving a commercial for the Pleasures, of reading.” pg. 34

“If there is a shortage of time, steal it from other subjects that are not as essential as reading, which includes pretty much everything else.” pg. 51

“So Matilda‘s strong young mind continued to grow, nurtured by the voices of all those authors who had sent their books out into the world like ships on the sea. These books gave Matilda, a hopeful and comforting message: you are not alone.” – Matilda by Roald Dahl

“In every test subject, the more books in the home, the higher the score.” pg. 100

“…research is compelling that constant stimulation of the brain from multitasking debilitates brain function. In other words, it’s a lot harder to have those “aha” moments if you don’t have enough “ah” moments.” pg. 132

“ but perhaps the most important message that comes from our reading aloud to them is one that says you are worth the time this will take.” – Lester Laminack Unwrapping the Read Aloud: Making Every Read Aloud Intentional and Instructional

I’m a big proponent of family read-aloud time. It’s part of our family’s culture and we all really enjoy it. I encourage you to give it a try! There are plenty of lists of good books to read aloud. Some of our favorites have been: “Holes” by Louis Sacher, “Charlotte’s Web” by E.B. White, “Frindle” by Andrew Clements, “Because of Winn-Dixie” by Kate DiCamillo, “The One and Only Ivan” by Katherine Applegate, and “How to Train Your Dragon” by Cressida Cowell.

📖 We hope you get to read a book aloud or hear a book read aloud sometime soon!

📖 If you already read-aloud, what are you reading right now?