Wednesday Read Alouds

 Lions and Tigers and Klipspringers?

My father read to me nightly until I was about ten. As a small child I demanded The Three Bears and One, Two, Buckle My Shoe until I could recite the words with him. One-page stories from a bedtime storybook then became part of the evening ritual. But, as I got older the reading changed.

Old and new animal books

My favorite book was Wild Animals of the World.  Now out of print, I still have the book: 268 pages of information about animals such as  fishing cats and klipspringers. Then, as was the fashion those days, we purchased a World Book Encyclopedia. With its arrival my new bedtime stories ranged from Art to Zithers. Although we covered a wide rage of topics I'm sure my dad (for his sake as much as mine) skipped some pages. And, although I enjoyed learning about people and places, animals were still my favorite topic.

So my first suggestion for non-fiction read aloud books are animal books. National Geographic Animal Encyclopedia is an overview of wildlife throughout the world. Usborne books, such as World of Animals, are a good source for animal facts.  Eyewitness Books include books on cats, dogs, horses, elephants, mammals, birds and amphibians.

Thinking about getting a pet? There are books covering all dog or cat breeds. There are specific breed books. There are books on animal care such as ASPCA's books on caring for your puppy, hamster, guinea pig or parakeet.

The great thing about most animal books is that many can be found at the library or in used book stores. Along with animal facts these books often include geographical information. Vocabulary found in many of these books is helpful for school reading. And animals books provide a great introduction to wanting to do more research.  Select just about any animal and you and your child can find more information, photos, and videos on the Internet.