In this episode, we’ve made World Read Aloud Day a family affair. Author Tami Charles and her son, Christopher, join host Suzanne McCabe to discuss Tami’s picture book, All Because You Matter, which was named the Best Children’s Book of 2020 by Amazon. Next, author Varian Johnson and his daughters, Savannah and Sydney, read from Varian’s graphic novel, Twins, which was chosen as a top-10 graphic novel of 2021 by the ALA Graphic Novels & Comics Round Table. Then, author Aida Salazar and her children, Avelina and M.J. Santos, read from Aida’s brand-new picture book in verse, In the Spirit of a Dream: 13 Stories of American Immigrants of Color.
Created by the nonprofit LitWorld and sponsored by Scholastic, World Read Aloud Day is celebrated in more than 173 countries. The annual event takes place this year on February 2. Participants are invited to grab a book, find an audience, and, yes, read aloud.
Research shows that reading aloud provides several benefits to children. It helps strengthen their cognitive development, improve their vocabulary, and increase their attention span. Best of all, it fosters joy. As one teacher told us: “My favorite part is when I look up and see ‘that look, that smile’ that tells me I’ve hooked one more reader who will fall in love with reading for a lifetime.”
Resources:
World Read Aloud Day: Access free virtual events, a read-aloud virtual kit, book recs, and more.
Tami Charles: Learn more about the New York Times-bestselling author.
Varian Johnson: “Reading a well-written book is akin to watching an acrobat on a tightrope,” says Christopher Paul Curtis. “And Varian Johnson is the best of acrobats.”
Aida Salazar: Meet the award-winning author, arts activist, and translator whose writings for adults and children explore issues of identity and social justice.
Special Thanks:
Producer: Bridget Benjamin
Associate producer: Constance Gibbs
Sound engineer: Daniel Jordan
Music composer: Lucas Elliot Eberl
Coming Soon:
Sharing Black Stories With Andrea and Brian Pinkney
Artist Bisa Butler and Educator Gholdy Muhammad
