What is a read aloud book

How to Choose Read Aloud Books: Babies to Third Graders

By: Reading Rockets, Rachael Walker, Maria Salvadore

How do you choose books to read aloud with your child? There are many things to think about: how interesting the topic or characters might be for your child; an intriguing setting, time period, or plot; the liveliness or beauty of the language; or how engaging the illustrations are. Some books are more appropriate based on social and emotional development at each stage of a young child's life. Find guidance here in choosing great read alouds.

Read alouds for babies and toddlers

It’s never too early to start reading to young children. Babies and toddlers are listeners, building their vocabulary before they can even talk.

What to look for in choosing books for babies and toddlers:

Brightly colored pictures of simple objects.
Simple texts, rhyming, and repetition.
Books that introduce colors, shapes, counting, and letters.
Lift-the-flap and sturdy pop-up books to encourage exploration.
Board books and cloth books — perfect for young hands to manipulate.

See some of our favorite read alouds for babies and toddlers >

Read alouds for preschoolers

Preschoolers are aquiring language skills quickly. They enjoy the sound of language — even nonsensical words — and a good laugh; after all, they’re developing a sense of humor!

What to look for in choosing books for preschoolers:

Bright, big illustrations.
Simple stories with basic plots.
Books that help answer a preschooler’s “why?” questions about their world.
Rhyming text, including the classics like Mother Goose and Dr. Seuss.
Classic stories with universal themes such as friendship and generosity.
Activity books that encourage exploration, observation, and play.
Bedtime stories to calm preschoolers after their busy days!

See some of our favorite read alouds for preschoolers >

Read alouds for kindergarteners

Kindergarteners — they're growing up, and so is their taste in books. They’re developing empathy and relationships with other children.

What to look for in choosing books for kindergarteners:

Titles that explore kid interests, expand horizons, and offer exposure to different kinds of writing.
Stories that let them see how characters in different situations behave toward others.
Engaging informational texts with lots of colorful photographs or illustrations that help kindergartners build knowledge about the world.
Cumulative tales full of built-in anticipation, like There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.
Longer stories or chapter books with thematically rich issues that lead to discussion and reflection.

See some of our favorite read alouds for kindergarteners >

Read alouds for first graders

First grade is when many children begin to read independently. But reading aloud with first graders remains not only a pleasurable but an important activity.

What to look for in choosing books for first graders:

Rich language — words and phrases that deliver complex meaning and imagery.
Stories with more complex plots that spark a desire to predict and learn what happens next.
Books that relate to the experiences of a first grader and feature characters similar in age.
Narrative nonfiction that’s full of fascinating facts yet reads like a story.
Silly stories and poems that have fun with words and sounds.

See some of our favorite read alouds for first graders >

Read alouds for second graders

Second graders are expanding their interests and putting ideas together in new ways. Books — timeworn or new, fiction or nonfiction, poetry or prose — shared aloud allow both adult and child to explore the world together.

What to look for in choosing books for second graders:

Old favorites — second graders may want to read the same book many times, even though you may have thought they’d outgrown it.
Characters dealing with the same fears, interests, and concerns that they experience.
Nonfiction genres that introduce second graders to biography, history, and real stories of nature and science.
Picture books that lead you to chapter books, such as Diary of a Spider and Charlotte’s Web.
Chapter books to read aloud that are rich in detail and above independent reading level.

See some of our favorite read alouds for second graders >

Read alouds for third graders

Empathy, experience, vocabulary, and a love of language continue to grow long after third graders can read by themselves.

What to look for in choosing books for third graders:

Books that tackle tough topics and lead to discussion that helps kids cope with daily challenges.
Characters they can relate to and learn from.
Stories that keep your read aloud lively and interactive and lead to lots of conversation.
Picture books that build knowledge and support connections to the complexities of the world around them.

See some of our favorite read alouds for third graders >

Find lots more tips, videos, articles, blog posts, research, and other resources on reading aloud here.

Reading Rockets, Rachael Walker, Maria Salvadore (2016)

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Interested in learning more about read alouds? Check out the "We Are All Readers and Writers" book talks!

As a teacher, I have always loved reading aloud to my students, no matter what grade level I was teaching. I have done read alouds for second graders, middle schoolers, undergraduates, graduate students, and even principals. Storytelling is a fundamental aspect of our community and humanity. Christ, our greatest teacher, knew well the power of story to instruct. The act of reading aloud makes text come alive and produces its own kind of magic.

As a mom, I couldn't wait to read aloud to our daughter. I started reading aloud as soon as I found out as I was pregnant. Now that our daughter is three, every night she chooses the book she wants us to read to her from her bookshelf and if it's one that we've read a lot, she can "read" it back to us. Goldilocks and the Three Bears and Mixed: A Colorful Story are current favorites that she can recite by heart.

Teachers have been reading aloud to students for years and the research base on the power of read alouds is extensive and well documented. Research has shown that read alouds improve comprehension (Duke & Pearson, 2008), vocabulary (Massaro, 2017), and fluency (Trelease, 2001). Read alouds allow the teacher to model expert, fluent reading of the text. This liberates the students from having to do the work of decoding and allows them to focus on comprehension, acquisition of new vocabulary, phonemic awareness, etc. For this reason, teachers can select books that are above students' independent reading level but at their listening level. According to Massaro, "children listening to a reading aloud of a picture book are roughly three times more likely to experience a new word type that is not among the most frequent words in the child's language" (2017, p. 64). This is particularly important in early elementary classrooms to ensure that children become familiar with a wider range of words earlier in life, knowing that children come to school with varying levels of exposure to more complex vocabulary.

Read alouds also give children experience with decontextualized language–requiring students to make sense of ideas beyond the classroom and the here and now (see Beck & McKeown, 2001). A key aspect of this sense-making is the role of dialogue. Students need to engage in discussion with their teacher and classmates to make sense of the text. This emphasis on talk highlights the importance of careful planning of think alouds and questions.

To be truly powerful and magical, the practice of reading aloud is actually quite complex. The following steps are crucial to enacting a powerful classroom read aloud.

1. Set the stage

There is an artfulness to a good read aloud. Setting the stage is important. Consider where and how you will sit to make sure all students can see the book. Think about how you can create a sense of comfort and community so that students feel that read-aloud time is a sacred, ritual part of your classroom culture. Also, consider how you want students to sit in order to minimize distractions and maximize their focus on the book.

2. Plan to read aloud

The key to a successful and powerful read-aloud is careful, deliberate planning. The first step in planning is selecting what to read. Here are some tips for selecting great read-aloud books:

For emergent, early readers, choose books with powerful illustrations. These not only keep students' attention but also act as scaffolds to help students understand the text.
Expose students to a variety of genres. We all love reading great picture books with students. However, students also benefit from read alouds of informational text, chapter books, humor, etc.
Use books that develop specific literacy skills such as alphabet books, rhymes, sounds, phonemic awareness, and books that are rich in new vocabulary.
Choose books that serve as models for writing
Choose books that offer opportunities for new learning (new vocabulary, new concepts, new ways of thinking)
Choose books that lead to conversation so that students will have lots to talk and write about after the read aloud
Choose books from recommended book lists of high-quality literature
Choose diverse books that reflect the beauty and diversity of our global world

3. Establish a clear purpose

One of the most difficult aspects of planning and executing a read-aloud is focusing in on a single purpose for your read aloud. You can re-read the same book many times for different purposes. Being clear about your purpose will help guide decisions such as which questions you will ask, what think alouds you will plan, and how often you will stop to engage students in the story.

4. Practice before class

Remember, one of the most important goals of a read-aloud is to model fluent reading. Yet, many teachers choose books to read aloud without practicing and as a result, mispronounce names or words, stumble, make mistakes, and are caught off guard by unexpected events in the story (Fisher, Flood, Lapp, & Frey, 2004). Use Post-it notes to plan questions, think alouds, and identify key vocabulary you want to define as you read (see Shedd & Duke, 2008 for additional tips on planning). Use a specific planning template related to your purpose (phonics, vocabulary, comprehension). Find a partner to read with and get feedback before reading to your class. This will help ensure that you can read the book, not just with fluency, but also with animation and expression.

During the read-aloud, be sure to start by explicitly sharing the purpose with students. For example, "We are going to learn new words from our story. Good readers learn as many words as possible so they can understand the story. After we learn new words, you can use them when you speak and write"(Taylor, 2011, p. 36).

5. Make it interactive!

A good read-aloud is interactive. Involve students in the story by asking them the open-ended questions you prepared, modeling your thinking, asking them to identify letters or words they know, clapping or putting their thumbs up when they hear a special word or a rhyme. Provide quick definitions or synonyms of unfamiliar words that might get in the way of students' comprehending the story.

6. Extending the read aloud

After the read aloud, consider how you can build on this modeling as you release students to guided or independent practice. For example, if your focus was on vocabulary, re-read the pages in the book that had your focus words. Have students repeat the words and engage in examples and non-examples of that word beyond the context of the story. Have the students try to use these new words in their own writing in response to the text. Extending the read-aloud will help avoid what Fisher et al. refer to as "channel surfing...it's like watching a TV when you don't control the remote. Things are happening, but they switch rapidly and don't seem to relate to one another" (2004, p. 14).

As we prepare to celebrate World Read Aloud Day on February 1st, I hope these tips help you plan and execute your best read aloud yet!

Happy Reading!

Or how reading aloud affects the human body - "Ingushetia" - online newspaper

So thought the great Russian classic Leo Tolstoy, who often held open readings with his family, and then liked to discuss about what he read. “All those gathered (including the guests of the estate) listened with interest and listened to the power of the word, because how nice it is when reading is a pleasure!” he admiringly made entries in his diary.

Probably everyone remembers how, in childhood, mother or grandmother told us that we should read aloud. So it is better and faster to remember, they thought. But they were right. Scientists have proven that it is with such reading that information is absorbed and remembered much faster.

Reading aloud is one of the types of reading in which you can work on the expressiveness of the voice, intonation, and reading technique. This type of reading allows you to easily and accurately express thoughts. It also helps to increase eloquence, improve diction, emotional coloring, brightness, correctness of speech. Thus, reading aloud allows you to get rid of tongue-tied tongue, hesitations, slips of the tongue, parasitic words, and other speech shortcomings.

Philologists and medical linguists will easily give a hundred and one reasons for reading books, but it is reading aloud that they will call the most useful and enjoyable pastime. Therefore, for such a useful activity, they came up with a special holiday, which this year was celebrated on March 3, but this date will last not one day, but a whole month. To celebrate it, you do not need to prepare special treats, make costumes or invent decorations. It can be celebrated at home, in a cafe, in a park, in a traffic jam, and even on a desert island. All that is needed is a book or any notorious text that will need to be read aloud, even if no one is around.

So, let's assume that we already know that it is impossible to imagine our life without reading. But which of these ways of reading: aloud, silently or speed reading - is most useful for individual growth, because they say that reading is different from reading. Let's try to understand this issue and give the comments of several experts working in this direction.

Specialists in the field of educational medicine say that in the process of studying material aloud, three types of memory work. The first is visual memory. A person runs through the material with his eyes, remembers what his eyes see. The second type is called speech memory. A person remembers what his lips say. The third type is auditory memory. The ears hear what is said by the mouth, and the heard speech, in combination with other types of memory, is absorbed much better.
Using all three types of memory, students are able to assimilate voluminous and complex material, while not just memorizing it, but really understanding it. It has been scientifically proven that information read aloud is better absorbed, so teachers in educational institutions often ask their students to read aloud, especially in cases where they do not understand or cannot understand something. Also, reading aloud increases the ability to communicate and develops erudition. This type of reading helps a person become more self-confident.

According to Roza Tomova, deputy director of the Dzheirakh school, throughout March, the focus will be on the word and the book in the schools of the republic. The organizers of the socio-cultural action "International Reading Aloud Month" consider the demonstration of showing reading aloud as a way of interacting with the outside world and as an opportunity to convey one's emotions to another person along with the sounding word as the main goal of the work.

“Of course, you can read a magazine or a newspaper, the latest news from the Internet or popular posts from social networks, but the best thing is a good book,” says Roza Muharbekovna confidently. - It can be science fiction or a detective story, a novel or a fairy tale - choose what you like. You can read to yourself, not embarrassed to express feelings and not being afraid to stumble, but rather with the whole class, passing the baton to each other, sharing your favorite characters and experiences with classmates.

As it turned out, adults and children are not at all averse to listening when they are read aloud, especially if these are funny poems, instructive fables, excerpts from classical prose. Therefore, teachers in the schools of the republic pay special attention to this month and try to read aloud in all classes. Moreover, for reading aloud, they choose the most relevant, life-affirming works.

“For example, for first-graders of our school, we conducted lessons under one general title “It happens in childhood - fairy tales come to life there,” says Roza Muharbekovna. “The children took turns reading their favorite fairy tales and attentively listening to touching stories about how good triumphs over evil. In the second grades, loud readings “The work of the master is afraid” were held, dedicated to professions. In the senior classes, the students read the famous works of the Ingush classics, which left behind a rich creative heritage. At the same time, the guys felt a sense of pride in their fellow writers when they found out that the books of the Ingush masters of the pen were read not only in Russia, but also abroad. Summing up the high-profile readings, we realized that stories different in their mood and meaning - funny, sad, instructive - set the children in a positive mood and vivid emotions. Therefore, I would like to advise everyone to read for themselves, to read to their children, and best of all, to read with their children!”

As the Ministry of Education told us, the entire school curriculum of Russian educational institutions is designed to teach the rules of grammar and separate reading of words, and in order to effectively teach any skills or academic subjects, according to experts, it is necessary to be able to read aloud with high quality. Humanity has not yet come up with anything more useful for the development and prevention of brain degradation.

According to Roza Muharbekovna, any lessons should be limited to cramming and teach children to read expressively and aloud, in a different manner, at different volumes, as if making duplicates.

“For complete clarity, all unfamiliar and incomprehensible words should be looked up in an explanatory dictionary, spelled out and read aloud their interpretation,” she says. “Moreover, you need to learn how to work with a dictionary and various encyclopedic literature from the moment when the child learns to read. ”

How to read aloud correctly? With this question, we turned to one of the representatives of the young generation of teachers, Amina Murzabekova, who teaches at the Plievskaya rural school and is engaged in tutoring.

“First, slowly, at an optimal conversational pace, about 120 words per minute. Secondly, clearly pronouncing the words. Thirdly, expressively and with arrangement (with accents and pauses). Fourthly, artistically voicing the direct speech of the characters, endowing them with a certain character, ”the teacher concluded.

Amina Khadzhiumarovna also noted that it is very important to pronounce the text not in a reading tone, but as if you are expressing your own thoughts. “Reading aloud is not about ‘reading’ but about ‘telling’,” she explained.

What to read? Answering this question, our interlocutor focused on lyrical poems, novels, articles, stories and fairy tales for children.

“But it is better to choose those works that, from your point of view, are beautifully presented, contain a rich vocabulary and useful information. And the more the better. Optimal - half an hour a day, then literally in a month you will see obvious results - rough speech will become smoother, and you will easily select the right words to express your brilliant ideas, ”she said.

Of course, oral reading develops speech. But only in the process of reading aloud does the child hear and listen to himself, which allows him to memorize new words and turns of speech. He understands how to pronounce this or that word, where to put the speech stress and with what other words it can be used.

The fact is that in the process of reading out loud, the teacher can always stop the child and correct him if he pronounces a word incorrectly. You can also discuss the meaning of what you read after you finish reading. Thus, the child will learn to understand the text. This skill will be useful to him in absolutely any job. These abilities will also be useful to an adult.

By the way, television and radio workers, especially announcers, say that it is very useful to record readable text on a voice recorder. Subsequent listening to it helps to notice some of the nuances of speech from the outside - both advantages and disadvantages that a person usually does not notice in the process of reading. Such feedback allows you to correct speech and improve its quality.

Psychologists believe that reading is the main process that contributes to the formation of personality at all stages. From the cradle, when a child hears the voices of parents reading aloud to him, and in adulthood, when a person overcomes various crises and grows spiritually.

From an evolutionary point of view, the ability to read is a clear addition to the already existing structures of the brain. It turns out that most of the higher areas of the brain are involved in reading. So, reading can be considered as the best exercise for keeping the brain “in shape”.

It has long been proven in the laboratories of the World Health Organization that the brain of a person who can read works in a markedly more complex way than the brain of an illiterate person. Moreover, the brain of a person who practiced reading in childhood is better able to activate all its resources than the brain of a person who learned to read and write as an adult.

If, when reading to yourself, the main part of the information is perceived by the brain as "garbage", unnecessary and quickly erased or stored in places inaccessible for reproduction, then loud reading makes it possible to master the skill of easy and accurate expression of thoughts, "provokes" a constant increase in vocabulary , mastering good intonation and correctness of speech.

Thus, we can safely say that reading is one of the best exercises that allows you to keep the whole brain in shape. This is all the more important, given that such competitors to reading as “educational” computer games have shown themselves to be very dubious “trainers for the mind”.

In order to understand why it is so important to read aloud from a medical point of view, we turned to a doctor who practices diseases of the speech apparatus. Amirkhan Gostemirov, an ENT doctor with extensive experience, noted that reading aloud is one of the best exercises for treating complex pathologies of the maxillofacial region.

“This is one of the few activities that activate almost all parts of the brain at the same time, and the most budgetary tool for the prevention of neurosis, depression, memory impairment and even Alzheimer's disease,” said the doctor. - By practicing oratory, you will at the same time improve blood circulation in the vessels of the head, activate the most important nerve pathways and thereby ensure the smooth functioning of the brain for many years. I think it is not necessary to be a doctor to understand that when reading aloud, we not only develop correct speech, memory and enrich our vocabulary, but also normalize the work of the entire maxillofacial apparatus. But, as you know, in the conditions of the modern rhythm of life, there is practically no time left for reading aloud, but this is a very useful activity! Suffice it to say that even children to whom parents read books aloud from an early age, speak better, write more competently and absorb information faster.

Will "loud" reading help get rid of accents or severe speech impediments? We asked this question to the highest category general practitioner Toma Tsoloeva, who answered that, of course, this is so.

“Reading is the most powerful tool for correcting speech defects such as burr, stuttering, deep voice, regional or foreign accent,” Dr. “And by the way, reading aloud is the best way to fall asleep if you have mild insomnia. Your own monotonous speech lulls you better than any melodic tunes from outside. Just keep in mind that not all literature is suitable for reading at night: these should be such works of a lyrical nature that can have an emotionally calming effect. Essays are perfect, poetry, of course. Stories full of savory fantastic descriptions are going well. Occasionally - something philosophical, but concise.

As a result, we can say that the long-term practice of various projects shows that it is reading aloud that has a powerful synergistic effect on the interaction of different parts of the brain at the moment of reading aloud: the visual, auditory and motor parts work simultaneously. The more diverse sources of information, the faster and more accurately the details are remembered. General conclusion: a constant reading exercise not only improves this very reading and broadens one's horizons, but also increases the efficiency of the brain in almost all areas of human activity.

It is believed that from birth, a child should be spoken to in their native language, expressively, dramatically and emotionally. And as he grows up, it is necessary to teach him to read aloud expressively as soon as possible. Definitely listen! Moreover, learning to read should begin at the age of three.

Every child begins learning to read by aloud trying to put syllables into words. This process may seem simple to us, but in fact it affects several parts of the brain and requires a lot of effort from preschoolers. To master the skill of reading, children have to learn to correlate printed and sounding words, train auditory and visual memory, and concentrate on the task at hand for much longer than they are used to. But if everything goes well and adults support them, and do not rush them, then changes in intellectual development gradually become noticeable: vocabulary increases and horizons expand, attention opportunities increase, speech sounds more fluent and correct, and the child himself begins to better understand and remember that what they say to him.

Properly selected books also contribute to the development of emotional intelligence. Worrying about their favorite characters, preschoolers and younger students get acquainted with the manifestations of various emotions and begin to notice them more often in themselves and others, which subsequently makes it easier for them to communicate with peers and relatives.

It would be good if at first the children had the opportunity to take turns reading with the rest of the family. In this way, they will learn not only to love books and read with expression, but also to listen carefully to other people.

Reading aloud helps parents instill in their children a love of books, discuss many important issues, and make family relationships warmer and more trusting. And although most often adults stop reading to children when they have already learned to do it on their own, most schoolchildren fondly recall this type of joint leisure.

Thus, according to Russian researchers, more than 80% of high school students admitted that they loved or still love when people read to them. This suggests that such moments are very important for a child. Because this is his cherished time when he is alone with his parent. This is only their time, into which a call from work and no one else can break in. Just you and your baby. It is worth remembering that when you read your favorite fairy tale to a child, he feels your care and love. In addition, the baby will fall asleep faster.

However, modern mothers and fathers are so busy at work that when they come home, they often do not have the strength to read. A good option would be reading a child for you. If you are very tired, or maybe it was a hard day, the mood is completely spoiled, then ask your child to read his favorite fairy tale for you. Believe me, it will be pleasant for both you and the child. And for him it will also be very useful.

Meanwhile, reading aloud regularly is useful not only for children, but also for adults. And for each age, “loud” reading has its own advantages. This method of getting to know a good book allows you to feel every metaphor, every quirk of the author, every emotion. Suddenly you begin to understand how melodious and smooth speech turns out to be in books with good style.

A big plus of reading aloud is gesticulation. When reading to yourself, you are unlikely to try to gesticulate with your free hand, but when a person reads not to himself, the movement of the hand or facial expressions occur involuntarily. The hero grabs his head - and you yourself involuntarily put your hand on it. He speaks of someone with contempt - and the hand makes a dismissive gesture. All this happens spontaneously, and therefore sometimes it begins to seem that in the past, by reading quietly and sitting quietly, we were depriving ourselves of some important share of the pleasure of the book.

It is difficult to overestimate the benefits of reading for teenagers, because without reading it is impossible to form a harmonious person. Reading aloud at least sometimes, teenagers not only seriously improve their memory and thinking, but also broaden their horizons and develop other cognitive processes: they learn to love, evaluate actions, empathize, trace cause-and-effect relationships between any events, analyze actions, forgive, etc. The most effective reading of "adult" books, especially the works of Russian classics.

For many people, there is nothing better than sitting in their favorite rocking chair, picking up an interesting book and immersing themselves in reading, while moving away from all problems and worries, because reading is a great way to fill free time, instead of killing it mediocre . If you want to make your speech smoother and more expressive, then reading aloud should take at least half an hour a day. It is recommended to read slowly, pronouncing phrases and words well, expressively placing accents and pauses.

Of course, whether to read or not is the choice of absolutely every person. The main thing is to properly organize your free time and spend it with pleasure. But considering that there is no more useful activity than reading a book, develop this useful habit in yourself, and your speech will always be in excellent shape and continuous improvement.

How I started reading aloud, and why it's such an incredible thrill

Fun fact: almost before the industrial age, people almost didn't know how to read to themselves. They just didn't have that skill. Only the exceptional minds of antiquity owned it and caused admiration from contemporaries. Alexander the Great amazed his soldiers by reading letters without saying a word out loud. But he was a student of Aristotle, probably plucked from the greatest mind of modern times. Saint Augustine, who met the preacher Ambrose of Milan, was so impressed by his ability to read to himself that he mentioned it in his Confession.

In large libraries, separate rooms had to be arranged for readers so that they would not interfere with each other. And this was an additional factor due to which the book depositories of antiquity burned so often: each reader needed an additional source of light, like candles or oil lamps. One awkward movement, one overturned brazier - and the Library of Alexandria is on fire (again).

From this point of view, reading aloud is degradation and involution. It took us so long and painfully to learn to read to ourselves, and then some Vladimir Brovin spits on all the achievements of mankind and begins to amuse himself, orating to his walls. And why, it would seem? What is the meaning and pleasure? I'll try to explain. And so that, I hope, you will also begin to practice this - for fun or benefit.

How I started reading aloud, and what's the catch

In the summer of 2019, I moved to another city and in a few months I did not acquire strong acquaintances. After a few months without regular human contact, I began to notice that my speech was noticeably degrading. At first, in conversations with strangers, I began to “shock” and slow down more, then I began to blunt. At some point, I found that I had to strain to formulate elementary thoughts even in a conversation with the sellers in the store.

Then I decided to give myself a little exercise: for the sake of experiment, I decided to read aloud at least a few pages a week. This practically did not solve the problem with degrading oral speech. But I'm addicted! It turned out that there is a certain buzz in this. Completely separate, idiosyncratic, and quite different from ordinary reading to oneself.

For starters, reading aloud fits perfectly into the philosophy of the so-called "slow life" - a return to a slower pace of existence and thinking, contrary to modern vanity. Adherents of this movement have come up with quite a few funny concepts, such as "slow food", when you cook and eat slowly, thoughtfully enjoying; or "slow travel", when you set off on a journey not in a hurry, but in a relaxed and spontaneous way.

One of the most beloved concepts of the “slow life” fans has become “slow reading” - a process during which you spit on the amount of what you read and completely surrender to the quality. I myself have long been mad on this topic, long before I knew about such ideas. At one time, I read a lot of literature at once, studying in graduate school, and one day I just burned out. Books began to be associated with work and routine. Fortunately, the tortoise-like, thoughtful and even lazy absorption of books has restored my love of literature. And reading aloud is the surest way to get into slow reading. At least because the speed in this case, by definition, is very limited.

Reading aloud allows you to feel every metaphor, every quirk that the author allowed himself, every emotion. Suddenly you begin to understand how melodious and smooth speech turns out to be in books with good style. Such text is pleasant to pronounce, even if in itself it is not so interesting.

Another important element of reading aloud alone is that you can monkey around, which is a completely different kind of pleasure. It can be terribly funny to read a story by Poe or Lovecraft in a sepulchral half-whisper, or some essay with deliberate seriousness, in the end, unable to stand it and starting to laugh. If one of the heroes of your fiction is unpleasant to you or seems insipid, he is drawn to mimic in the most vile way. The main thing is not to get carried away, only sometimes allowing yourself to do this, otherwise it is no longer reading, but ordinary pampering.

A big plus of reading aloud is gesticulation. Reading to yourself, you are unlikely to try to gesticulate with your free hand, but out loud - it suggests itself. Perhaps because you begin to feel like a reciter in front of an audience. The hero grabs his head - and you yourself involuntarily put your hand on it. Speaks of someone with contempt - and the hand makes a dismissive gesture. All this turns out by itself, spontaneously, and therefore it even began to seem to me that earlier, by reading quietly and sitting quietly, I was depriving myself of some important share of the pleasure of the book.

And by the way, reading aloud is the best way to fall asleep if you have mild insomnia. Your own monotonous speech lulls you better than any podcasts and other lofi hip-hop radio - beats to sleep/chill to.

How to start reading aloud to get high from it

I must say right away that I'm not so driven to read absolutely everything aloud. It still takes up hardly a third of my "ration".

Reading aloud should be extremely selective, not all literature is suitable for this. For myself, I determined that the best options are something figurative, with great style and masterfully crafted metaphors and descriptions. That is, most of the fiction disappears immediately.

Essays are great (I enjoyed most of all from Umberto Eco), of course, poetry (I read all sorts of ancient Chinese, like Li Bo and Du Fu - they have a very simple, clear and devoid of anguish style). The “Notes at the Headboard” by Sei Shonagon, written by the court lady of the Japanese Empress in the 8th century, and which I had not been able to appreciate before without reading aloud, came in very well. Stories full of savory fantastic descriptions are going well. Occasionally - something philosophical, but concise. Lao Tzu and La Rochefoucauld flew into the oven like pies.

In addition, I advise you to try to read with music, which, however counterintuitive it may seem, often helps to concentrate and immerse yourself in the book, without disturbing speech at all. I chose something calm, like ambient and light jazz, but I won't be surprised if something more energetic works for you. Reading aloud often throws up surprises.

Another important tip is to use deep abdominal or diaphragmatic breathing whenever possible while reading. In general, it is a physiological norm for a person, but in our time, apparently, it is far from typical for everyone. It comes to the point that, for example, I have to learn to breathe correctly, and not as I used to, no matter how crazy it sounds.