Let's Celebrate World Read Aloud Day

This year marks the 15th anniversary of World Read Aloud Day. On the first Wednesday of February, participants all over the world are encouraged to grab a book and read aloud. This wonderful day is celebrated in more than 170 countries, and 770 million people participated last year. My favorite part is that the idea came from a student after a read aloud in his class.

We are especially well poised to participate because we don’t have to search for an audience. I am sure you have titles in mind for your students, and if you are like me, you are always looking for a new read aloud to love. So here are some titles worth sharing from my “I love these” pile.

Picture books

Bea’s Bad Day by Tom Percival: If your school or classroom is focused on social/emotional learning this year, you’ll appreciate how this story deals with expectations and navigating disappointment when they are not met.

Rory the Remarkable Dragon by Kathryn Rammell: A perfect book to encourage our younger students to just be themselves.

The Great Expedition by Peter Carnavas: There is a lot of drama in this journey, which turns out to be a normal errand for children with big imaginations.

The Midnight Panther by Poonam Mistry: This is a book about being ourselves and being happy with who we are. Yes, there are a lot of those, but none are as stunningly beautiful as this one.

There Was a Party for Langston by Jason Reynolds: Brilliantly written with art that strikes just the right accompaniment, this book may spark an interest in learning more about Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, and Amiri Baraka.

Novels

A Duet for Home by Karina Yan Glaser: Told from dual perspectives, with writing that makes the sixth-grade characters feel so real, you can almost hear them breathing, this moving story instills empathy regarding homelessness.

The Eyes & the Impossible by Dave Eggers: Even if you think you aren’t a fan of animal stories, this thoroughly satisfying, beautifully unfolding one will make you an enthusiast.

The Last by Katherine Applegate: If you read this one aloud, your students will likely fall in love with the endearing characters and fantasy adventure, and want to finish the Endling series on their own. 

The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko: This broke my heart and mended it again. I appreciated how beautifully and realistically Gennifer Choldenko handled the complex, messy life of a resilient 11-year-old boy whose mom is ill-equipped to parent well.

Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All by Chanel Miller: It sounds a little crazy, but Magnolia decides to become a sock detective, bent on returning the lonely-only socks left behind in her parents’ laundromat. The adventure leads to a beautiful sense of community.

Looking for more information? Download the World Read Aloud Day Activity Packet.

We promote literacy every day. How special that on this day, we do it with people all over the world who value literacy as a fundamental human right.