I'm sure many of us are familiar with Jim Trelease's Read Aloud Handbook, a guide to sharing books with children which has served teachers, parents and librarians well through many years and editions. Trelease's website, Trelease-On-Reading, has equally useful information, including excerpts from his book.
I found this page, enumerating the "DON'Ts" of reading aloud, to be particularly interesting and useful. I have shared this tip with parents I speak to:
"Don’t use the book as a threat—“If you don’t pick up your room, no story tonight!” As soon as your child or class sees that you’ve turned the book into a weapon, they’ll change their attitude about books from positive to negative".
This is also an impactful statement to share with parents:
"Don’t confuse quantity with quality. Reading to your child for ten minutes, with your full attention and enthusiasm, may very well last longer in the child’s mind than two hours of solitary television viewing".
I can see taking Trelease's "Don'ts" (and the "DO's)" and turning them into a great presentation for parents or teachers. What are the important read-aloud tips you share?
