The Re-read List of Read-Alouds

This year we are heading into our school year with an 11 (almost 12) year old, 9 1/2 year old, 8 year old and an almost five year old boy. (Roughly translating into 6th, 4th, 3rd and K4 for this year for those that like to keep up with grade equivalents).

As we were all sitting in our school room today, I asked the girls what read-alouds have we done that we HAVE to make sure that we read with the boy so that he doesn't miss any of our favorites. It was so interesting to hear their choices of what was memorable for them! According to my girls, these are the must hits that he needs to hear, in no particular order:

• Homer Price by Robert McCloskey. This might have been our first official chapter book once upon a time. N1 still remembers it fondly!
• Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne (I've actually already read through the first book with the boy at bedtime last year, so we might move on to one of the other Pooh books in the series).
• The Little House series, especially Little House on the Prairie and Farmer Boy. The girls would have me read the whole series over again, but we shall see. Not that I don't love a good reread of Laura and Mary, but I've managed to stall on reading The First Four Years for over a year now - I just don't know that I can read that one aloud (so sad!) and it would mean the end of the series (denial).
• Tumtum and Nutmeg by Emily Bearn. Of course our favorite mice made the list! 
• Narnia, naturally. 
• Charlotte's Web by E.B. White. This will probably be the first one we hit for a reread. Our local children's theater is having production of this later this fall, and I think we'll need a reread before the play.
• Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling. This was a total surprise that it made the list. My oldest commented how much she LOVED these stories, but I just remembered struggling through them thinking they would never end.
• The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Grahame. 
• Henry Reed, Inc. by Keith Robertson. One of my favorite series from when I was a kid; I'm so glad my kids love Henry and Midge as well. 

There were small minority votes for Peter Pan (definitely could be a contender) and the Betsy-Tacy series, but I think I'll let the boy decide if he wants to read Betsy-Tacy on his own... ; )

Bloggy links to some of the books above:

• Narnia has been blogged here: Horse and His Boy, The Magician's Nephew
• I've blogged Henry Reed before here and here.
• Reluctant Dragon briefly blogged here.
• Tumtum and Nutmeg blogged once upon a time.
• I've blogged The Long Winter and These Happy Golden Years.