Guest post by author Susan Lurie
Susan Lurie is a children’s book author and editor. Her latest book is Wanda Seasongood and the Mostly True Secret. The sequel, Wanda Seasongood and the Almost Perfect Lie, will be available August 4, 2020, from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. You can find Susan online: www.SusanLurie.com Twitter: @SusanLurie2
I think I’ll learn to knit. How much toilet paper do we have left? Hey, let’s plant tomatoes in the sock drawer!
This is what I’m thinking as I try to take a break from thoughts about hospital admissions, intubations, flattening the curve, worrying about people I know, worrying about people I don’t know, worrying, worrying, worrying…. It’s hard to think about anything else. Or to focus. But we have to, I tell myself. So I sit down and start my new audiobook. I settle into my comfy chair. I begin to listen. In good times, my thoughts can meander great distances in mere seconds. In these times, it’s a champion itinerant, and even though I’m really, really trying to pay attention, my mind roams, this time to a terrace is not a good place for a trampoline.
I try to listen again.
Now my mind drifts to the fact that my mind drifts, which leads me to think about read-alouds. (I’m a children’s book author and editor so read-alouds, unlike trampolines, isn’t an odd destination.)
Parents, teachers, librarians, authors, we’re all reading aloud. More than ever. And more than ever we need read-alouds to enfold us quickly, lift us up, and carry us away.
So what makes for a really good read-aloud? I know instinctively what the qualities are, but if I wrote them down, what would the list look like?
I decide to put my audiobook aside and make the list. It will be a good reminder for when I get back to writing…and maybe someone deciding on a read-aloud will find it helpful…and writers might find it useful, too….
Okay…where to start… My #1 goal as an editor has always been to get kids reading. I’m the editor of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps series, and parents have been telling us for over twenty-five years Goosebumps is a favorite read-aloud. When I was writing my new book, Wanda Seasongood and the Mostly True Secret, I focused on making it a good read-aloud, too. So I’ll use the read-aloud elements in these books as my guide here.
First item on the list: A good read-aloud has a strong opening that grabs listeners quickly. Everyone’s favorite example is the classic first line of Charlotte’s Web, “Where’s Papa going with that ax?” I’ve never met a kid who wasn’t instantly captivated. Secret #1: I always repeat that line to myself whenever I begin a new writing project.
My ‘hook’ for Wanda Seasongood wasn’t in the first line, but in the first scene. I started with an iconic fairytale scene. It’s Wanda’s birthday, and she’s staring out her bedroom window when she sees a bluebird flying toward it. Just like in a fairytale, she thinks. (Scenes of Cinderella and bouncy bluebirds tying her apron strings dance in her thoughts.) But unfortunately for Wanda, her window is closed. The little bird’s head smacks into the glass. Then it plummets into the garden below. Unexpected and an attention grabber.
Okay, so once we have our audience’s attention, how do we keep them engaged? Number two on my list: A successful read-aloud contains elements that are relevant to the listeners’ lives. I recently read Front Desk by Kelly Yang, a very popular read-aloud. The main character is ten-year-old Mia, a Chinese immigrant who lives in a motel and works behind the front desk. At first glance, this might not appear broadly relatable, but it’s that and more. Everyone sees something of themselves in Mia’s struggles. Secret #2: Me included.
In Goosebumps, one of the hallmarks of the series is the relatability of its main characters. Some main characters think they’re not brave enough or smart enough. Or too clumsy or wimpy. Others are the objects of bullies or feel overshadowed by siblings or friends. Very relatable. Just sayin’.
Next item. It’s a good idea to have plenty of action. Emotional components bring depth to a story, but in addition to elements of shared feelings, sympathy, and growth, incidents that build in momentum captivate listeners. In Goosebumps, the trademark cliffhanger chapter endings keep kids riveted along with the tension and peril that’s always building. In Wanda, there are plenty of twists, turns, and surprises, and just when you think you have all the answers and have discovered the secret of Wanda’s life, all the questions change.
Here’s another element on my list that’s especially good: Stories that have colorful characters with strong voices give the person reading aloud an opportunity to read expressively, a giant, magnetic plus for a read-aloud. Goosebumps has had its share of crazy creatures, and there’s no shortage of them in Wanda Seasongood. My favorite is the All-Knowing Phyllis, a fortune-teller Wanda meets in the woods. She’s 100% percent accurate 30% of the time. Relatable? Not sayin’.
The next item on my list is musicality. Great read-alouds captivate listeners with their beat, sweeping up the audience in the rhythm of their words. Whether they’re making listeners’ hearts pound with clipped sentences or gently leading them with longer ones, varied sentence length is key in a read-aloud. Shorter sentences allow listeners to set anchor for a moment, catch their breath, and process what they’ve heard before the next wave picks them up and carries them off.
And finally, any book can be read aloud, but the ones that work best are those that adult readers enjoy just as much as kids. A true shared experience. And in these trying times of isolation, I can’t think of anything better than a joyful shared experience to help us float above our fear and uncertainty, at least for a little while.
I hope this helps when you’re selecting a read-aloud or writing one. Or even if reading this gave you a few minutes of escape. Below are some recommended read-alouds compiled from a totally unscientific survey on Twitter.
Now it’s time for me to give that audiobook another try. But first, Secret # 3: I need to head out to the terrace to move the trampoline.
Twitter Poll: Popular Read-Alouds
Ages 1-5
Goodnight Gorilla, Peggy Rathmann
The Rabbit Listened, Cori Doerrfeld
The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle
Ages 4-9
After the Fall, Dan Santat
Chicken Soup with Rice, Maurice Sendak
Goodnight Moon, Margaret Wise Brown
Horton Hears a Who, Dr. Seuss
The Book with No Pictures, B.J. Novak
The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein
The Missing Piece, Shel Silverstein
This Is Not My Hat, Jon Klassen
We Found a Hat, Jon Klassen
Where the Sidewalk Ends, Shel Silverstein
Ages 6-9
Elephant and Piggie Books, Mo Willems
Judy Moody Books, Megan McDonald
Ages 8-12
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
Charlotte’s Web, E.B White
Holes, Louis Sachar
The Twits, Roald Dahl
The Witches, Roald Dahl
Where are you moving the trampoline to? And will the jumpers be six feet away? And wearing masks?
Just saying.