Over the past three years, The Reading Hour has become an event that my family and I very much look forward to.
We love books every hour of the day, so we always go the extra mile to make The Reading Hour a little bit more special than our average storytime.
- In its first year (before Baby Ike was born), we held a family games night based on the book The Family Hour in Australia. Cammy still talks about the night.
- Last year we invited our extended family to help us launch Cammy’s first book, which she wrote for her little brother.
This year we’re planning a quiet evening at home together as a little family. Mainly because Cammy and I already have a late night planned for Wednesday; Jane Godwin and Anna Walker will be attending Cammy’s kinder for a special Book Week evening event.
EXCITING READ ALOUD BOOKS FOR CHILDREN:
These are our favourite read alouds at the moment, full of rhyme, repetition, suspense and exciting page turns. They’re a little more lengthy which maintains Cam’s interest.
Scary Night by Lesley Gibbes and Stephen Michael King (Working Title Press, 2014)
Go ‘tip-toe creeping’ on a mysterious midnight walk with a hare, a cat and a pig.
The subtle rhyme and use of alliteration and prepositions make this story fun to read aloud. The snapping, roaring and screaming have us in suspense, but it’s the questions Lesley Gibbes directs at the reader that my kids love the most.
‘Were they scared? You bet they were.’
I am Cow Hear Me Moo! By Jill Esbaum and Gus Gordon (Viking, Penguin Group 2014)
Nadine has her friends fooled in this story. Pretending to be brave is hard work, but Nadine’s efforts pay off in the end and she keeps her fearless reputation.
This is an edgy rhyming story with witty illustrations by Gus Gordon. There are scary moments that will make you jump and others that will make you giggle.
‘Three cheers for Nadine!’ someone hollered.
Uh-oh.
Did she tell them she wasn’t a hero? Um, no.
The Frog Who Lost His Underpants by Juliette MacIver and Cat Chapman (Walker Books, 2013)
Go on a search through the jungle to find a pair of underpants that have been stolen.
This book is nothing short of hilarious. Put simply, the tongue-in-cheek humour, rhyming stanzas, action words and plain nonsense make it fun to read aloud.
‘Now please don’t think me rude, but I am shocked to see a frog so plainly in the nude.’
But just try holding back a chuckle when you see how Frog tries to stand out from the crowd at the end of the story (I’m giggling now just thinking about it)
Between the Pages by Joan van Loon and Chantal Stewart (New Frontier Publishing, 2013)
This book is a clever one, and demonstrates what wonderful adventures stories can take us on.
Two twins find themselves in all sorts of prickly situations: they fall into a python’s nest, come cheek to cheek with a monster and paddle to the top of a waterfall. The only thing that stops them from disaster is the quick turn of a page.
The illustrations are detailed and show how much the boys love their book, as do the creatures in the story.
‘Don’t stop. Just turn the page. Quick!’
The Great Snortle Hunt by Claire Freedman and Kate Hindley (Simon & Schuster, 2012)
Brave the after-dark sounds as three friends take a walk to a scary-creepy house in an attempt to spot a Snortle.
The illustrations and fun typography are also great additions to this story, which thankfully ends sweetly.
‘The wind whistles- eeek! Tall tree branches creak.’
