I wanted to share a new parenting / children’s book with you called Rock Your Read Aloud: Sparking Curiosity and Confidence in Little Readers by Matthew Hammersley (Author), Melissa Hammersley (Author). I received a copy of in exchange for this review. Inside this post is my affiliate links. If you click on the links and make a purchase I will make a small percentage from the products you purchase.
In our home Sundays are reserved for family. No, matter how old Charlie is we eat dinner as a family. Then we spend time together watching a movie. If David is home I send them upstairs to play video games together because Sunday may be the only day of the week they have time together.
Phones are put on silent and only checked at certain times of the day. We prepare dinner as a family and make the house is cleaned for the week. When Charlie was smaller I used to make sure he would go outside for at least a hour because we all need Sushine.
Before bed we would sit down and read for at last 30 minutes and this was also done daily when Charlie was #Homeschooling. I’ve gotten bad about any of use reading and its time to turn that around. Having a copy of Rock Your Read Aloud: Sparking Curiosity and Confidence in Little Readers is going to get us back into reading.
The Counselor had told me with Charlie’s listening abilities to use Board Gaes and Puzzle and books on tape to get him to read. Finding out that even up elementary students can be read to thanks to this amazing book I’m going to implement it in my home.
We will find a book that interests all three of us and on Sunday evenings I will read the book out loud and Charlie and David can help me. Once we’ve finished reading the book we will discuss what we heard. Allowing us to spend more time together.
I liked how the book is broken down into 2 parts part 1 explores the Science power, and methodology behind a read-aloud. Part 2 provides book-specific read-a-loud lessons to keep the learning happening when the reading stops.
Rock Your Read Aloud: Sparking Curiosity and Confidence in Little Readers is full of activities and tips to get families involved. Through the book children will learn to love reading. If we had been #Homeschooling full time like we used to I would have used the book in our Reading and Health Class.
I believe a copy of Rock Your Read Aloud: Sparking Curiosity and Confidence in Little Readers should be in all Elementary Classrooms. Counselor Offices and even in doctors offices to share with elementary aged children. Although, both children and adults can learn from this amazing book.
About:
Rock Your Read Aloud: Sparking Curiosity and Confidence in Little Readers (Jossey-Bass; 1st edition (April 1, 2025) by Matthew and Melissa Hammersley.
Help K-5 students experience the magic of reading by sparking amazement, wonder, and excitement through the art of the read aloud
It is not news to educators that kids have trouble paying attention. The allure and interactivity offered in televisions, tablets, and video games are tough to match. Consequently, reading scores have plummeted and educators say the joy has been sucked out of teaching. Rock Your Read Aloud brings back the joy and helps you create a read aloud experience that will have even the most reluctant of K-5 readers begging for just one more story.
A must read for every current or aspiring elementary teacher, librarian, and administrator, this book shows you why read alouds are critical to literacy education in today’s media-saturated world. Inside, you’ll find techniques for turning reading scores around in early elementary classrooms, so you can rediscover how rewarding teaching can be when students are engaged and learning. You can even link this book to the Novel Effect app to access a unique soundscape that will give you a taste of just how fun reading can be.
- Discover how reading aloud to kids can improve reading scores and outcomes
- Get tips for making your read alouds magical and igniting students’ love of books
- Motivate struggling readers by creating a culture of reading together
- Learn about proven techniques like buddy reading and community read alouds
K-5 teachers, parents, administrators, librarians, and reading interventionists will gain insight and inspiration as Rock Your Read Aloud shows how to cut through the distraction and make reading fun again.
About the Author
Matthew and Melissa Hammersley are partners in both work as the founders of Novel Effect and in life with two little ones Max and Willa. They’ve spent the last 10 years immersing themselves in read-alouds at home and in the classroom. They’ve appeared on the hit TV show Shark Tank and reached millions of kids, teachers, and parents in pursuit of their mission: to make reading together magical.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
