If you only listen to one episode of the Read-Aloud Revival podcast, let this one be it. This episode is the humdinger of them all, if I do say so myself. ;)
I have been dying to talk to Sarah Clarkson since the Read-Aloud Revival was born! She’s a busy student at Oxford, though, and it took a bit of finagling to get our schedules to play nicely together. Over the Christmas break we made it happen, and now I’m ready to share it with you!
This episode is guaranteed to make your heart rate speed up and energize every single aspect of your read-aloud culture in your home.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
- why the Read-Aloud Revival exists
- why it’s so important to build your family culture around books
- and what’s really at stake
Even as a young child, you begin to understand that your life is a narrative in which you have the power to live as a hero or a heroine, and that is formed through exposure to literature….”
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Get the best episodes and reources
from the Read-Aloud Revival
Books from this episode:
(All links are Amazon affiliate links.)
Caught Up in a Story: Fostering a Storyformed Life of Great Books & Imagination with Your Children
*Description from Amazon: What is imagination, and why is it vital to childhood education? What role do great books play in shaping a child's perception of self, life, and even God? In Caught Up in a Story, Sarah Clarkson answers these vital questions, demonstrating how great books can be a parent's best ally in shaping a ch...
More info →The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings (the Hobbit / the Fellowship of the Ring / the Two Towers / the
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
The complete four-book boxed set of what is arguably the greatest fantasy epic of all time: The Lord of the Rings and its enchanting prequel, The Hobbit,
More info →Kidnapped (David Balfour Book 1)
**Description from Amazon: This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.
More info →The Gruffalo
A mouse is taking a stroll through the deep, dark wood when along comes a hungry fox, then an owl, and then a snake. The mouse is good enough to eat, but smart enough to outwit his foes! This adorable tale rhymes with perfection and is a treat to read aloud.
More info →Nancy and Plum
Best for 6+, but everyone could listen in. A classic Christmas tale by the author of the Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books. Orphan sisters, the horrid Mrs. Monday, and Christmas shenanigans. There's a lot to love about this one.
More info →Reading the Classics with C. S. Lewis
**Description from Amazon: An in-depth study of Lewis’s great love of literature and his monumental work as a literary critic.
More info →Read for the Heart: Whole Books for WholeHearted Families
**Description from Amazon: Keeping this volume close at hand is like having a child's librarian for a best friend. A great book spurs the imagination in childhood, inspires our dreams in adulthood, and nourishes the soul with depictions of life fully and courageously lived. Among the greatest gifts you can bequeath to a child...
More info →Peace Like a River: A Novel
**Description from Amazon: One of Time Magazine's Top Five Books of the Year.A Christian Science Montor,Denver Post, and Los Angeles Times Best Book of the Year."Once in a great while, a book comes along that has such wonderful characters and marvelous prose, that you read it as much for the pure joy it offers on every page a...
More info →Faith, Hope and Poetry (Routledge Studies in Theology, Imagination and the Arts)
**Description from Amazon: Faith, Hope and Poetry explores the poetic imagination as a way of knowing; a way of seeing reality more clearly. Presenting a series of critical appreciations of English poetry from Anglo-Saxon times to the present day, Malcolm Guite applies the insights of poetry to contemporary issues and the con...
More info →Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C. S. Lewis
**Description from Amazon: For over half a century, scholars have laboured to show that C. S. Lewis's famed but apparently disorganised Chronicles of Narnia have an underlying symbolic coherence, pointing to such possible unifying themes as the seven sacraments, the seven deadly sins, and the seven books of Spenser's Faerie Q...
More info →Honey for a Woman’s Heart: Growing Your World through Reading Great Books
**Description from Amazon: Vibrates with encouragement for women who want to explore and enjoy the world of books Gladys Hunt, long-time advocate of reading and author of the cherished Honey for a Child’s Heart, has written this new book for busy women who want a wider worldview and stimulus for intellectual and emotional g...
More info →Pilgrim’s Inn (The Eliots of Damerosehay series Book 2)
**Description from Amazon: Book Two: The Eliot Family Trilogy Few understood David Eliot’s anguish at losing Nadine. He came back from the war a shattered and lonely man. But his return to the Eliot family refuge on England’s Hampshire coast is gradually pushing back the dark waters of soul and spirit. Nadine and her husb...
More info →The Scent of Water
**Description from Amazon: "A captivating story filled with English charm, luminous wisdom, and astounding spiritual insight"Goudge's singular gift is the depth and insight she brings to her characters. Mary Lindsay is a born and bred Londoner who has enjoyed her city life--a prestigious job, and friends with whom she takes i...
More info →Michael Hague’s Read-to-Me Book of Fairy Tales
**Description from Amazon: From once upon a time to happily ever after, these are the fairy tales everyone knows and loves. Here you will find the princess who kisses a frog, the fairy godmother who changes everything, and the ugly duckling who becomes a graceful swan. Master artist Michael Hague has selected and illustrated ...
More info →The Oxford Shakespeare: The Complete Works, 2nd Edition
**Description from Amazon: Hailed by The Washington Post as "a definitive synthesis of the best editions" and by The Times of London as "a monument to Shakespearean scholarship," The Oxford Shakespeare is the ultimate anthology of the Bard's work: the most authoritative edition of the plays and poems ever published. Now, almo...
More info →The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Not as scary as the movie, this is a fabulous read-aloud for a wide range of ages. This audio book version is also delightful.
More info →Links from this episode:
- Storyformed.com, Sarah’s website.
- The Rabbit Room, one of Sarah’s favorite places to get book recommendations and inspiration (one of mine too!)
- Intrigued by how Sarah was homeschooled, after hearing her talk about it? Check out any of her parents’ resources at Whole Hearted Ministries, and their book on how they homeschooled their kids (Sarah, included!), Educating the Whole-Hearted Child.
- CiRCE Institute (I mentioned my affection for the beautiful work they are doing to rebuild the culture during this show).
- Books and Culture Magazine
- Thoroughly Alive, Sarah’s personal blog