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Reading to our children is one of the great joys of parenting. We aren’t always consistent; we miss days here and there. And because our kids are different ages (10, 6, and 1), the same book is unlikely to appeal to all three at the same time. Still, we do what we can and hope to instill a love for reading at an early age.

Moving from our oldest kid to youngest, here are three books that I’ve read out loud to the kids in recent weeks.

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UNBROKEN
(The Young Adult Adaptation)
by Laura Hillenbrand

Finding books that hold our ten-year-old son’s attention is a challenge. We’ve read The Hobbit and Jonathan Rogers’ excellent Wilderking Trilogy (as well as The Charlatan’s Boy).

One of Timothy’s Christmas presents this year was the young adult adaptation of Unbroken – a tamer, more streamlined version of the bestselling biography of Louis Zamperini. Hillenbrand has adapted her story for younger readers and the book has pictures interspersed throughout. I consider this to be the first young adult book I’ve read to Timothy.

Zamperini’s remarkable life takes many twists and turns and culminates with one of the world’s most powerful conversion stories. Reading a story with such a stark portrayal of evil and suffering may seem heavy for a ten-year-old, but fifth grade is a good time to begin introducing our kids to the some of the harsh realities of the world. Our kids need to know what humanity is capable of – both horrifying evil and amazing endurance.

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THE WIZARD OF OZ
by L. Frank Baum

Our six-year-old daughter is in first grade and learning to read chapter books right now. To jumpstart her love for reading, we picked The Wizard of Oz as one of the first “big” books to read together. We took turns reading this story, one that takes me back to my own childhood and increases my appreciation for the film.

Reading The Wizard of Oz after you’ve seen the movie is enjoyable because it allows you to see where the film deviated from the original source material. The book is much more episodic in nature, while the movie makes the wicked witch’s demise the climax of the story.

Baum’s story has all the marks of a good children’s tale (descriptive scenes, thoughtful use of repetition, and memorable characters). It’s a testimony to his craft that the story has held up so well a century later.

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DADDY KISSES
by Anne Gutman and Georg Hallensleben

Our eighteen-month-old son can’t talk yet, but he’s trying. Daddy Kisses has been a family favorite for more than a decade now. I remember reading this to both Timothy and Julia when they were little. It’s a beautiful little book about animal daddies giving their babies kisses.

The best way to read this board book is to make sure that after every page, you give your kid a kiss (on the eyes, the nose, the head, etc.). The book ends with a great excuse to tickle your kids until they squeal with delight.

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