World Read Aloud Day: February 2
Join millions of readers, writers, and listeners from around the globe, as we celebrate the thirteenth annual World Read Aloud Day on Wednesday, February 2, 2022!
These days, the art of reading out loud can often be limited just to bedtime stories and performances.
But a growing body of research suggests readers of all ages may be missing out, by reading only with the voices inside our minds.
Reading aloud has a number of benefits for children and adults alike — from helping improve our memories, to strengthening emotional bonds between people.
There’s never been a better time to pick up a good book and read aloud!
Read aloud: Books for kids
Tip: State Library of Queensland’s First 5 Forever program offers a treasure trove of ideas for sharing stories with your little one.
Here are a couple of our favourite titles!
The Book with No Pictures by B. J. Novak
Children’s Book, Age 4-5 Years
You might think a book with no pictures seems boring and serious. Except… here’s how books work. Everything written on the page has to be said by the person reading it aloud. Even if the words say… BLORK. Or BLUURF. And even if the words include things like BLAGGITY BLAGGITY and MY HEAD IS MADE OF BLUEBERRY PIZZA! That’s the rule. That’s the deal.
Brilliantly irreverent and very, very silly, The Book With No Pictures will delight kids and have them begging for more. From award-winning US comic writer and actor, B. J. Novak.
Bonus: This book is also available as part of a Take-Home Kit (perfect for reading aloud)!
Wombat Stew by Marcia K. Vaughn
Children’s Book, Age 4-5 Years
One day, on the banks of a billabong, a very clever dingo caught a wombat… and decided to make… wombat stew, wombat stew, gooey, brewy, yummy, chewy, wombat stew! In this classic Australian picture book, a dingo catches a wombat and wants to cook him in a stew. But the other bush animals have a plan to save their friend. They trick the dingo into using mud, feathers, flies, bugs and gumnuts in his stew, and the result is something the dingo will never forget!
Bonus: This book is also available as part of a Take-Home Kit (perfect for reading aloud)!
Read aloud: Books for grown ups
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Science Fiction/Humour/Classics
Seconds before the Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of the The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out of work actor.
Together this dynamic pair begin their journey through space, aided by quotes from The Hitch Hiker’s Guide: “A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have,” and a galaxy-full of fellow travellers: Zaphod Beeblebrox – the two-headed, three-armed ex-hippie and totally out to lunch president of the galaxy; Trillian, Zaphod’s girlfriend (formally Tricia McMillan), whom Arthur tried to pick up at a cocktail party once upon a time zone; Marvin, a paranoid, brilliant and chronically depressed robot; Veet Voojagig, a former graduate student who is obsessed with the disappearance of all the ball-point pens he has bought over the years.
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Adult Fiction
A young boy in New York City, Theo Decker, miraculously survives an accident that takes the life of his mother. Alone and abandoned by his father, Theo is taken in by a friend’s family and struggles to make sense of his new life. In the years that follow, he becomes entranced by one of the few things that reminds him of his mother: a small, mysteriously captivating painting that ultimately draws Theo into the art underworld. Composed with the skills of a master, The Goldfinch is a haunted odyssey through present-day America, and a drama of almost unbearable acuity and power. It is a story of loss and obsession, survival and self-invention, and the enormous power of art.
Bonus: You can also borrow the film adaptation of The Goldfinch on DVD at Western Downs Libraries.
What’s your favourite book to read aloud? How will you celebrate this World Read Aloud Day?