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Hearing a good story read out loud is so comforting. It takes me right back to elementary school when we were allowed to sit or crash on the floor, close our eyes, and be transported into another world. Some of my favorites were: the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books, Pippi Longstocking, Little House on the Prairie, and Ramona and Ribsy. To this day I still love to hear stories.
I listen to Levar Burton Reads, after watching Reading Rainbow with my kids. I have umpteen-bazillion audio books, and I can’t stop listening to Sir Patrick Stewart read a sonnet a day on Twitter.
My students are no different. From 6th grade through high school, they’ve been coming to my live hour requesting me to read to them after I shared one story for Read Across America. And I’m enjoying it too. Right now, we’re reading A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. I love the story, even though I know it is terribly sad. It is ultimately about hope, and don’t we all need a bit of that now and again?
Take some of this stay-at-home time to read to each other and maybe even record it and send it out into the world for others to enjoy.
Sally Gerard 