Reading Aloud Challenge -- September 22, 2011

It's been a crazy week around here. I haven't been able to keep up with blogging, but I have made time to read to my kids every day. One day we were even squeezing in a chapter by reading in the parking lot when we arrived at an appointment a few minutes early, while waiting for our order to be delivered at Sonic, etc.

The big kids and I are continuing our Civil War readings with Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith. For some reason, I wasn't excited about starting it, but Addison raved about how much she remembers liking it when we read it four years ago. On a funny note, I mispronounce the title of the book about half of the time I say it, and "Wifles for Watie" makes me think of Elmer Fudd hunting wabbits.

I am beginning to wonder if I'll ever find a Civil War book (fiction) that is told from the confederate viewpoint. The ones we've read so far have presented a fairly balance perspective, but they're all primarily concerned with Union troops (or set in northern states). Maybe I'll end up with Gone with the Wind.

Lauren and I are reading My Father's Dragon. I don't think she's liking it quite as much as she did Charlotte's Web, but I wonder if it'll get better as we move into the second half of the book.

In terms of picture books, we read The Rag Coat by Lauren A. Mills a couple of times, Swimmy by Leo Lionni, and Fancy Nancy by Jane O'Connor. We also read a few traditional fairy tales from a compilation on our shelves.

I don't have big plans for next week because we're still only partway through both of our current novels.

If you'd like to share your read-alouds with other parents or find new read-aloud ideas, be sure to visit the weekly check-in at Footprints in the Butter.