Reading aloud to my daughters is a part of their childhood that I remember with deep and iridescent affection. And since we homeschooled, we read aloud almost every day, almost every evening, almost all the time. I loved it, they loved it. Certainly, on days when my voice gave out, or I was tired or crabby, it wasn't perfect, but it was always there: part of our rhythm, our breath. Our bookish hearts craved it, and thanks to those days and that practice, we share a galaxy of sparkling memories.
So, this poem by Kevin Carey not only spoke to me, it jumped up and down, waved its arms, and said, "Listen! Yes! I get it." ❤️
Reading to My Kids
by Kevin Carey
When they were little I read
to them at night until my tongue
got tired. They would poke me
when I started to nod off after twenty pages
of Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket.
I read (to them) to get them to love reading
but I was never sure if it was working
or if it was just what I was supposed to do.
But one day, my daughter (fifteen then)
was finishing Of Mice and Men in the car
on our way to basketball.
She was at the end when I heard her say,
No, in a familiar frightened voice
and I knew right away where she was.
Reading to My Kids
by Kevin Carey
When they were little I read
to them at night until my tongue
got tired. They would poke me
when I started to nod off after twenty pages
of Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket.
I read (to them) to get them to love reading
but I was never sure if it was working
or if it was just what I was supposed to do.
But one day, my daughter (fifteen then)
was finishing Of Mice and Men in the car
on our way to basketball.
She was at the end when I heard her say,
No, in a familiar frightened voice
and I knew right away where she was.
....
(Read the rest of this short jewel here, at The Writer's Almanac.)
24 comments:
Reading aloud is the best. I remember one time my husband was reading to the kids and he started laughing so hard he couldn't go on.
Carey's poem made me tear up. I'm glad Steinbeck was there. xo
It made me tear up too, Tabatha. I have so many memories of the kind of helpless laughter you mentioned, as well as reading through tears (sometimes sobs). You’re right, it’s the best.
Read aloud was an anchor in my classroom. A non-negotiable. (I might have even written a book about it...) Some of my best teacher-memories center around the books we shared: WALK TWO MOONS, BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA, THE GIRL WHO DRANK THE MOON, AS EASY AS FALLING OFF THE EDGE OF THE EARTH...and so many more. And of course, there was that disastrous time early in my career when I attempted to read OLD YELLER and had to hand the book off to one of my students who wasn't also crying. Even that last year when I read aloud through a screen, it was the time when almost all my students showed up. This poem brings it all back.
How lucky were your kids, Mary Lee? SO lucky. We read all those wonderful books, too, except AS EASY AS FALLING OFF THE EDGE OF THE EARTH (I don't know that one!) and OLD YELLER. But, like you, I've had to hand the book off to my eldest child (or whoever wasn't crying in the moment) on several occasions. All that shared emotion — it's part of the magic.
Keep going, read it to me, please, please, I can take it. Ah, the heartbreak of a story that makes you care. It’s been a few decades, so I am going to have to go back and read Of Mice and Men again. : ) Thank you for sharing, Karen!
Yes! Yes, hooray for beloved reading aloud!! It was always an essential, daily routine for us too: fiction, nonfiction, plays, poetry, scripture etc etc. still! 🤗
We've started reading chapter books at bedtime, and last night there were some major protests when I closed the book - it was already well past lights-out time but we still had a few chapters left before we found out who the thief was! ;) My parents always read to me, so even if I wasn't a librarian+author, I know I'd be sharing books with my kiddo as often as he'd let me. <3
Ah, Karen, thank you for sharing this poem. It was new for me--so beautiful. It reminded me of the times I couldn't keep reading because I was crying or falling asleep, but we carry on because of the story. And the love.
Tracey, such a pleasure to share this one!
elli, I love that you are still reading aloud together!
Jane, there's nothing like that pleading for "just one more chapter!" :D
Denise, you just reminded me of a time when I was very pregnant with my youngest, and struggled mightily through some of our after-lunch read-alouds with my two older girls. I'd feel myself nodding off, but convince myself that I could push through. I still remember one of my daughters nudging me awake and saying, "What, Mommy? What are you saying? You're not making any sense!" :)
Such wonderful read aloud memories from this post, Karen! I think I must enjoy audio books so much because hearing the words brings me back to those precious moments with my kids and students.
Ah, what a wonderful connection to make with audio books, Rose! (And it's your turn to be read to!)
What a great poem! It and this post brought back so many happy read-aloud memories with my own children--trying to get through Matthew's death in Anne of Green Gables, laughing hysterically during "Sea Legs", wondering "Yikes! should I be reading something this scary to them!" during Harry Potter.
I am currently babysitting my grandson and we read aloud every night. As children are want to do, he wants the same books, and I worry that my boredom overshadows the goodness of read aloud. Last night he said aloud a sentence I had skipped. I know in my heart this is such a valuable time, but as the poet said, we don’t always know what seed we are planting.
Oh, Molly, yes, Matthew's death! I didn't get through it without crying the first time (with my older girls) or the second time (with my youngest.) So many fun and scary moments during HP, and one of our enduring bits of family lexicon came from a misunderstood phrase during a read-aloud of The Winged Watchman (and the girls were helpless with laughter as they recounted the whole thing to their dad at dinner that night.) So many memories!
Margaret, I'm sure he doesn't catch onto the boredom (I know what you mean about reading the same book(s) again and again!) and that it doesn't overshadow the innate goodness of that reading time! ❤️
The poem you have gifted us encompasses the essential nature of reading to and with the small emergent literacy lovers in our lives. It is wonderful to be so closely involved and to witness the magic of these special moments. Thank you Karen, for the reminder of just how absolutely critical it is to be on the inside of this reading journey.
Great post. I sent it to my son who is a new Dad. I love the poem and know the only way to instill the love of reading is to read .?
What a moving and terrific poem Karen. I read my heart out to both my kids, although I have to say it was mostly them falling asleep and me wanting to read on, though it did instill the reading bug in both. Thanks for sharing this beautiful poem!
I get to read aloud to my three year-old grandson now. "Read it again, Amma!" -- My four favorite words!
* Alan, yes, so many magical moments with our young emergent literacy lovers.
* Janice, your son and new grandson have so much to look forward to!
* Michelle, in addition to the times I was the one falling asleep, I also had moments like you describe here — when the kids were so sleepy and I was the one wanting just one more chapter! :D
* Patricia, those are magical words! I can't wait to hear them one day from the next generation of readers in our family. :)
Karen, I shared the same experience with my children because being a reading specilist, I knew the value of reading out loud. Children do love books if one exposes them to the art of reading. Thanks for a poem that emphasizes this. My youngest grandchild, Lila, loves someone to read to her (and she knows what books are just right).
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