(yes, I’m singing it over here)
I read a lot of picture books as a picture book author.
And I always read them aloud.
Why?
Well, that’s how they’re SUPPOSED to be read!
You sort of have to read them aloud to get the full effect.
There are no children in the house I live in,
and, unfortunately, none that I know in the general vicinity.
I can sometimes get my friends to listen to me read a book,
but they’re not as game for it as I’d like them to be.
(Friends, I still love you, but seriously, would it kill you to listen to a story once in a while?)
And the tragic part is,
I’m a great read alouder!
I started at the young age of 5,
reading to my Mom’s kindergarden class when I was only a grade ahead of them!
I do voices.
I show the pictures!
I read upside down!
Well, I decided today that I was going to take my talents to the streets.
My streets, I mean East Cliff, the street that goes right along the ocean,
a mere four blocks down from my house.
This street gets a lot of foot traffic, thanks to how beautiful the ocean is,
and how awesome the waves are.
I got my folding chair backpack,
a bag of books,
And a sign,
And headed down.
The day before I’d scoped out the perfect spot.
I opened my chair,
set up my sign,
and started reading.
I faced the book out so anyone walking by could see the pictures,
and started reading.
I’d say 50 or so people walked by.
I didn’t focus on them though, I only focused on the book.
A few were interested.
Some kids walked by and definitely slowed down.
One lady asked me if I was reading MY book,
and I told her she’d have to wait three years for htat.
Another guy stood and listened for a while,
then said, “That’s cool.”
So, I think it went pretty well.
Here’s the books I read this Sunday.
I plan on doing this every weekend, possibly every Sunday, we’ll see.
I know it would be best to do it at a consistent time,
but it’s not really possible right now.
Plus I like the idea of it being a surprise.
When will that crazy lady with the books be reading again?
I can imagine people may be thinking it.
Kid Sheriff and The Terrible Toads
written by Bob Shea,
Illustrated by Lane Smith,
published by Roaring Brook Press, 2014
This one was fun to read aloud because of the amazing voice!
You can’t read this one without sounding like you are in an old western movie!
It’s hilarious, the illustrations are awesome, and the plot is silly and satisfying.
These menacing toads have taken over the town, but when the new Sheriff arrives, he only sees evidence of dinosaurs causing trouble. The Toads don’t like the “dineysores” getting all the credit though. Read it to find out what happens!
Hello, My Name is Ruby
by Philip Stead
published by Roaring Brook Press, 2013
This one was fun to read aloud because it’s so sweet and universal.
Philip Stead’s illustrations will draw ANYONE into a story.
And there are bird noises! Ruby is on a quest to meet friends and see the world.
She finds some along the way who are friendly, and some who are not. Will she ever find her place in the big world? Read it to find out!
Another Brother
by Matthew Cordell
published by Feiwel and Friends, 2012
This one was fun to read aloud because of all the awesome names!
Davy is an only child who loves all the attention he gets, but then he gets a brother, Petey. And then another brother, Mike. And another, Stu, and ANOTHER, Mickey! and more until he has 12 brothers. And those brothers are a bother.
They follow him around and bug him and copy everything he does, until, one day, when they don’t anymore, and Davy is truly lonely for the first time in forever.
Will he stay lonely? Or will another brother come along? I loved the ending of this one and Matthew Cordell’s illustrations are playful and hilarious. The bright colors and active lines are so eye catching! Read this fun one!
Hermelin the Detective Mouse
as told to Mini Grey
published by Alfred A. Knopf, 2013
This one was fun to read aloud because Hermelin has such a great voice.
You can hear how excited he is to help people and his eagerness to solve mysteries.
Hermelin is a mouse who observes everything that happens on Offley street, and even helps many of the people find things they are looking for!
Along with helping them, he leaves little notes. But when the people finally get to meet Hermelin, they’re shocked to find out he’s a mouse, and he doesn’t get the most enthusiastic welcome.
Will he give up his life of problem solving and helping for good, or will he stay and find a new friend? You’ll have to read to find out 🙂 I love the colors and fun illustrations in this one. It’s a great one for kids to try and find out the answers before Hermelin. You can look back after and find clues as to how he solved the mysteries so fast!
My reading time was cut a little short today because of a previous engagement,
but I read the first two twice,
and the last two once.
I plan on reading even more books next week!
Have you read any of these?
Ever just flat out read in public to people not even really listening?
I’d love to hear about it 🙂
KE
My husband and I read aloud to each other all the time. We’ve read countless picture books together, but also His Dark Materials (where we cried together at the end), and ALL of the Harry Potter series. We even read Cornelia Funke’s Inkheart aloud, and had many of our books stolen not too long after(I’ve met Cornelia twice but have never had the heart to tell her this). [The plot of the book is about the dangers of reading aloud.]
We recently read Kid Sheriff and Ruby is actually on schedule for this week (I checked it out recently from the library).
I know there was a woman who sat in the little area in the circle drive near her home and brought her typewriter and wrote. I believe she did it daily for a month just to see what would happen. She got a bit of media attention for doing so.
KE- love your sense of personality shining through the post. You are so creative, what an awesome treat for the folks who are lucky enough to walk by! Hope you can keep it up!